Bowling One-On-One with Chloe Day: Follow Your Dreams
Collegiate bowling is thriving across the nation and preparation can start very early as youth bowlers have their sights set on one day competing at the collegiate level. Mount Mercy University, Cedar Rapids, Iowa is one college that offers outstanding academic and athletic programs. Their men’s and women’s bowling teams both won titles at the eighth annual Five Season Classic just two weekends ago in late October this year. Chloe Day is a sophomore Mustang on the Mount Mercy women’s bowling team and she knows a thing or two about dreaming big as a youth and demonstrating great courage and determination to see her dreams through. I had the opportunity of catching up with Chloe and I asked her about her bowling journey.
Early on as a very young girl you were around bowling centers as you would go watch your father and your brother bowl in league. Before long, you knew that there was something special about the sport of bowling. Talk about your fondness for bowling as a youth and how your relationship with the game began.
“For as long as I can remember, I was in a bowling center. My father bowled league one or two nights a week when we still had a bowling alley in my hometown, and I would always go watch him and his team bowl. My brother bowled on a youth league on Saturday mornings when I was very young, and I remember going to watch him too. As soon as I was old enough to be in league around 4 or 5, that’s when it all began. When I was young, we would see the NCAA women’s bowling national championships on tv each year and I always told my mom when it came on that I wanted to be like those girls. I bowled league every Saturday morning until I aged out at 18. When I was in 8th grade that’s when I knew that I wanted to focus my attention on just bowling and not all the other sports I played like softball, volleyball, track, etc. When I was in high school, we did not have a bowling alley in town for me to practice at, so I often had to drive car lengths to bowl tournaments and even just to practice. Not being able to bowl as often as I wanted to, it made my passion and dedication grow stronger for the game since I didn’t have access to it. To this day, I can’t quite put my finger on why I love it so much. I just know that it’s my biggest passion and I don’t know what I would be doing without bowling.”
In your early years as a bowler and leading up to college, how did you develop your game during this time and what were some of the successes and challenges you experienced as you looked ahead to your goal of bowling collegiately.
“When I was 14 years old, in the 8th grade, I bowled in my first ever tournament which was the IESA state tournament. I had one ball (yes, no spare ball) and I ended up winning the tournament and no one even knew my name. This win for my first tournament that I ever bowled allowed me access to find different scholarship tournaments I could bowl and meet different coaches along the way. I did not know a sport lane pattern existed until I was much older, so I always felt like I was behind others my age. My whole life I had been self-taught as I never had coaching from anyone. I learned and gained experience by bowling these scholarship tournaments. I grew up in an area where bowling was not popular, and I knew almost nothing about the bowling world.”
“My next notable success was in 2019 at my first ever junior gold in Detroit, Michigan in the U15 Girls division. I had only been bowling on sport shots for probably about a year and I came in blind and made 2 cuts and I finished 24th out of 360 girls that year. This was a great step forward in my development as it was a great confidence boost and I got to meet and talk with college coaches while I was there. My game seemed to be improving each day and I seemed to be going in the right direction with my game until the pandemic hit in 2020. At that point I didn’t bowl for months as there were no centers open to bowl in, let alone any good bowling centers available unless I drove an hour or more. This was a major challenge in my development as I started to go backwards with the break.”
“Fortunately, when the world reopened at the end of 2020, through mutual friends, I met Dave Dearth who owns and gives lessons at Twin City Lanes in Bloomington, Illinois. At this point, I was a junior in high school and I really wanted to start elevating my game so I could commit at a higher level. We completely started my game over from scratch after the break from covid. I was starting to make major improvements in my physical game and learning a lot from Coach Dave about bowling balls, lane patterns, ball motion, etc. He put his heart and soul into coaching me and I worked so hard. I would bowl 30 games in a practice session if I needed to work on something. As his center was 1 hour and 30 minutes away, I could only come a few nights a week. My mom would drive me once a week during the school week and then I would go on the weekend to have a lesson. After everything seemed to finally go right for me and I finally had access to the resources I needed to start being successful, I had another setback, I sprained my right wrist and was out for months.”
“After working so hard and putting in 10 hours days into practicing, not being able to bowl for a few months was heartbreaking. This was a test to see if I really wanted to keep up this dream. I was cleared to bowl 2 weeks before junior gold in 2021 in Indianapolis. Although I had only been throwing 14 pounds for 2 weeks, I was determined to bowl to the best of my ability as this was the summer before my senior year, a really important time for recruitment for college bowling. Despite a disappointing finish at this junior gold, I had multiple college coaches come up to me and wanted me to check into their programs because they could tell that my fundamentals were there. Continuing to work with Dave and lots of blood, sweat, and tears, I won some tournaments in fall of 2021 which boosted my confidence that I lost during my injury.”
Now you’re visiting some colleges to pursue your academic and bowling dreams. Your collegiate journey was soon to begin. During your visits, one college in particular really stood out to you. Share a little bit about your visit and why you ended up choosing Mount Mercy University.
“I visited Mount Mercy University in September 2021, only because my mom wanted me to reach out. I was initially dismissive about visiting since I had it in my head that I wasn’t good enough to go there but I visited and gave it a shot. I had been on a few college visits, and I liked a few, but none of them felt like the right one. I showed up bright and early for 5:53am practice and got to practice with the team. I knew a few of the girls there as they were from Illinois and I bowled with them before. I had an amazing time working with Coach Andy Diercks and all the girls on the team. It really felt like an inclusive group that really focused on the community and culture of the team. The rest of my visit was focused on the academic program, and I was equally impressed. On my way back home from Cedar Rapids, I told my mom that I wanted to go there, and if Andy offered me a spot on the team, I would take it in a heartbeat. I knew that this place was a place I was going to grow as a bowler, and even just as a person in this program and the university. I committed in October, and I was the first person in the country to commit there for the class of 2026.”
“All year long I continued to work with Dave at Twin City to grow as a bowler before I got to college bowling because even a few months after recovery, I had to change my physical game from scratch for the 3rd time after my injury. Through the winter and into 2022 I won a few tournaments and really got myself back to how I felt before the pandemic hit, all in preparation for junior gold in grand rapids.”
“Ever since I embarked on my bowling journey when I started to take it more seriously at 14, I felt like I was thrown every roadblock and reason to give it up; with my injury, no access to bowling centers, being behind my aged bowlers in opportunity and knowledge from starting so late, etc. But that has never stopped me from working twice as hard. I bowled until my body couldn’t handle it anymore and went through many nights of physical and mental exhaustion in my teen years to try and prepare myself as much for college as I could.”
At this point you’re a freshman at Mount Mercy. Talk about your first season of collegiate bowling and the overall experience at this stage leading up to your sophomore year.
“Coming to college at Mount Mercy was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I am a sophomore now and I’ve only had one year of college bowling under my belt. Last year coming in as a freshman, I was nervous and did not know what to expect. I bowled JV all year and really focused on my game so I could become more versatile with my game to help me grow. Coach Andy and I made some very minor changes to my game, and I made small progress through the first semester. I could not tell you how many times Andy told me that I had all the pieces there and that I was just this close to putting them all together to create one big picture. Your freshman year of college is crazy enough as it is, it’s even more stressful when you aren’t performing like you know you can. I struggled mentally for many months of my freshman year trying to work on my mental game. Day in and day out, I felt like I was hitting another roadblock and I had to try and get past it mentally. I went to 4 practices a week at 5:53 am and bowled twice a week on Mondays and Wednesdays for 2 hours at a time. I knew that I could succeed and that I would get over this mental roadblock if I kept working hard. At times, I thought maybe I just was not cut out for college bowling and this dream that I had was unrealistic for me, but I kept working through the end of the year. I started coming around in the spring of 2023 as I started to feel confident again in my game.”
“I would describe my freshman year with two words: patience and perseverance. I trusted my process, my teamsters, and Andy with the changes to my mental and physical game to get me closer to where I wanted to be.”
Now you’re a sophomore and with a year of experience under your belt. There are still some challenges and successes as you continue to grow and develop your game. You’re really enjoying the journey and experience with Mount Mercy. How has your progression been so far this year and can you feel the growth when you compare it to your freshman year?
“This summer of 2023 was very difficult because I had a very hard time getting to practice because of some financial challenges and rising gas prices. From going to practicing almost 5 days a week to only getting to practice once or twice every 2 weeks was a rough change but required me to make sure I put in the extra work when I was able to practice. I still had a good showing at Junior Gold in the U20 division in Indianapolis. It was a success despite only practicing a few times as I placed 35th. Ever so slowly, has my confidence grown exponentially since the spring. I had once again proven to myself that I could do this, and I could compete and hold my ground. I had a great feeling about the direction I was headed going into college season after this showing.”
“Coming into my sophomore year, my only goal in our team trials was to improve on the previous year and trust myself to the best of my ability. After a disappointing day 1 of our trials (which help determine team selection among other factors) I had decided that no matter what happened, I knew I gave it my all and I told myself to stay in a process mindset and focus on my shot making rather than scoring which has been a trouble of mine that I worked on all year my freshman year. Trials were over and statistics were gone over, and I was selected to be a part of our select team. No matter the result, this program and these amazing people that I get to call teammates are what makes college bowling worth every second and what it is really all about. I got a chance to take a step back and see my growth from my freshman to sophomore year, growth in both my physical and mental game as well.”
“So far, we have had 2 Tier 1 tournaments in Wisconsin and Kansas that have gone extremely well for the team, and I am extremely grateful that I have been a part of. If you would’ve asked me a year ago as a freshman, if I would be where I am today, I would have never believed you. From last year, averaging in the 160’s and 170’s in JV Tournaments to showing up to my first ever Varsity tournament and averaging 200, that was a shock for me. I had a hard time believing that it really had happened. As the season progresses, I foresee success for this team, and I will continue to work hard on the areas of my game that need it so that I and the team can keep progressing forward to continue to have a great season.”
You’ve had quite the bowling journey since being a youth bowler to now a collegiate bowler. I’m sure you have met many people and made many friends so far. Talk about how your teammates and coaches have helped you and your development and what these relationships mean to you.
“The Mount Mercy Bowling Program is home to so many talented bowlers from all over the country and the world even, but even more important than that, some of the greatest people that I have ever met in my life so far. The team culture that we create here is something we take pride in, and we create a deep connection with each other that is wonderful. Bowling has this wonderful thing about it that allows so many different people to come together and be a part of a great community. When I’m older and I’m telling my children about my bowling career, it won’t be about how many 300 games I had or how many tournaments my team won, it will be about the people that I created a special bond with here. Those are the experiences that I will remember most. I always can rely on my teammates in any aspect, whether it be asking them where my ball hit at the arrows and down-lane because I might have missed it, or if I’m having a rough day and I just needed someone to talk to, they are there, and I am there in return. This team is truly a family, both men’s and women’s teams together. I already know now that the relationships I’ve created with my teammates are going to last a lifetime.”
“Coach Andy Diercks has been a great coach and a great support from my time before here at Mount Mercy and my time as a player now. He is a phenomenal coach and has so much knowledge about the sport of bowling. However, by far the thing that sticks out to me as him being an amazing coach is his dedication to this program and each individual person on the team. He cares about each one of us and that does not go unnoticed. As never having a coach growing up early on and having to learn everything on my own, it was very different having a coach for the first time, but he exceeded my expectations when I came here. I’m forever grateful for him for allowing me the chance to come to Mount Mercy and train under him with an amazing group of people. Overall, he’s a great human being that is someone you can look up to.”
What does the future look like for Chloe? What are some of your aspirations heading into the next two years of college, and beyond. Whether bowling is in the picture or not, or just a part of it, share some of your future goals and dreams as you see them now.
“I have a very brief sketch of what I hope to see in my future. As I continue to progress through college, I would like to bowl more PWBA Regionals and regular events to put myself in that competition. When I finish college, my dream is to compete on the women’s tour whether it be full-time or part-time. I’m getting my degree in Elementary Education with endorsements in Special Education and Reading. The hope is to work for a few years as a teacher and go back and get my masters to become a reading specialist. However, there is also this dream I have that I would be able to coach my own team one day, whether it be high school or college. There are so many things I want to give back to the sport of bowling in any way I can. The passion and dedication for bowling is so near and dear to my heart and I want to spread that love. Spending the rest of my life bowling on tour, coaching, and getting to teach elementary aged children sounds like the perfect life for me.”
With academics and bowling consuming so much of your schedule, it must be tough to find time for other hobbies and interests but when you do, what might those be?
“Bowling is really my second biggest commitment, my first being my academics but I have a lot of other things I like to do in my free time. I’ve recently been getting into reading books for enjoyment. I also like to do adult coloring as it’s a stress relieving activity for me. My grandmother taught me to do counted cross stitching so when I have free time I work on designs. One thing I had told myself about becoming a college onsite student athlete was that I wasn’t going to have my sport be my entire life. I could bowl every day and spend my free time practicing but I recognize that I need time away from my sport, which can be difficult to stay in that mindset at times. So that’s why I try to find other hobbies and clubs to join on campus to create variety in my life.”
With so many youth bowlers out there looking ahead perhaps to pursue collegiate bowling, your experience speaks volumes. What advice or tips would you offer to those with similar aspirations that you had as a youth and also what general advice might you give to bowlers looking to improve their game?
“I think the best advice to give bowlers who want to bowl collegiately is to do research. I did not know that sport patterns were a thing until I was 14 years old. People that I bowled against at that time, had been exposed to those types of patterns when they were maybe 5 or 6. I found out so much more information about the bowling world by just talking with people to find tournaments in my home state or just in a specific area in general. Sometimes I ask myself where I would’ve been today if I would have been exposed to competitive bowling like this at a younger age.”
“Additionally, when picking where you want to bowl in college, first and foremost focus on your academics when picking the school, rather than picking a school based on the bowling program. You may want to bowl for a particular program at a specific school, but I’ve seen far too many athletes pick a school for athletics and end up transferring whether it be from injury or because of having the program or academic study they are looking for.”
“For general advice to help improve one’s game, one thing that Andy at Mount Mercy has done for me is change my mindset when it comes to bowling. That has helped me significantly to have a more process-oriented mindset, rather than focusing on scoring. My scores instantly started to go up once I settled into this mindset because instead of getting upset and lost when I’m not striking, I’m now taking the proper time to assess where I’m sliding, where I want to hit at the arrows, where I want my down-lane to be, etc. I find myself having more success when I’m committed to the shot I’m making because it is easier to assess when I need to adjust.”
Chloe, thank you so much for sharing your inspiring bowling journey. It’s amazing the amount of trials and tribulations you’ve experienced, let alone your incredible determination and dedication at such a young age in pursuit of your dreams. And now, here you are competing at the collegiate level today. I know many young readers will truly value the insight you’ve shared from your journey and will inspire others to set goals for themselves and go after them with passion like you have. Best of luck to you and the Mount Mercy bowling teams as you continue your journey. I’m certain fans across the nation will be keeping tabs and rooting you on.
“Thank you so much for taking the time to hear my story. I hope young people can read this and be inspired not to give up and follow their dreams like I have had the opportunity to. Thank you for reaching out and including me in your mission to spread the love of the sport of bowling with the world!”
*Photo images courtesy of Mount Mercy University and Chloe Day.
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