You grab your ball and approach the lane. Bending your knees to achieve the perfect angle, you swing your arm back before releasing the ball in a perfect swoosh. The bowling ball glides down the lane, reaching maximum velocity, and you hear the satisfying sound of the pins being knocked over as the ball crashes into them. You hear your friends and family cheering behind you. It’s a strike!
One member of the bowling team at MN has become the first ambassador for the US Bowling Congress in Nebraska. Emily Merten stands out as a devoted community member and an inspiring leader.
Merten first started bowling in fifth grade as she was inspired by watching her mom, who was an avid bowler. From then on she continued to practice for fun through middle and high school, joining both unified and varsity bowling teams at MN.
“I used to dance and when I was wanting a break from that we went to the
Saturday league, and I just kind of took off from there,” Merten said.
She continued her bowling career all through high school and became a role model on the bowling team. She is captain of the unified team and has gotten many opportunities to build up relationships with her teammates and help out the coaches.
“She is really supportive; even when we may be competing against each other, she still encourages you,” Hannah O’neal, a junior in unified bowling said, describing the impact that Merten has on the team.
To be elected as an ambassador for the youth US Bowling Congress, you must not only be skilled at bowling, but also be an active member of your community.
Special education teacher and bowling coach Tricia Rhode explained the many ways that Merten has given back to the bowling community at MN.
“She coaches a lot of the girls and the guys. She’s gotten her coach’s license. So she’s done the certificate programs and things like that. She’s made a huge impact here,” Rhode said.
Her achievements, both in the competitive aspects of bowling, as well as how she gives back to her community, are what allowed her to become the first person in Nebraska to be elected for USBC.
“I feel like it couldn’t have gone to a more deserving person. She’s very giving and she’s so passionate about the sport. She’s really the perfect person to go,” Rohde said.
Not only is Merten the first person to be elected for USBC in Nebraska, but she is also the first person to sign to a college for bowling at MN. She reached out to many coaches with her life bowling resume and sent a video of her bowling to the coaches she was interested in bowling for.
“They like to see that you’re advocating for yourself and you’re putting yourself out there, and they tend to reach back to you if they’re interested,” Merten said.
She recently signed to Mount Mercy University in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where she plans to pursue her passion in nursing and expand her bowling career.
Merten hopes to inspire more people, especially young girls, to join bowling at MN and gain opportunities to make new friends and join a supportive community.