George Jenkins’ Alyssa Currie signs first bowling scholarship in school history

It was unexpected for senior Alyssa Currie to bowl. But she took a leap of faith, and now she has created George Jenkins High School history.

Currie, 18, is the first George Jenkins athlete to sign on for a bowling scholarship. She will be attending Hastings College in Nebraska to study sports communication and business marketing. There’s a good chance she will achieve an academic scholarship, too.

But from Currie’s standpoint, it’s hard to believe that this moment happened. After all, it’s only been two years since she started.

When Currie found out George Jenkins would build a bowling program, she joined and started playing for junior varsity. The Lakeland native bowled a 138 in her first match. Coach Matt Townley asked her to bowl on varsity after that, and it was game on.

“To say I was excited was an understatement. I worked with many coaches and joined leagues to learn the game and become better,” Currie said. “I watched my teammates who bowled in professional leagues and took notes for myself.”

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In her first season, she had many ups and downs, including some matches she would do well and others she couldn’t get right.

But her senior year, she turned it around thanks to arduous training with her coaches over the summer. She was named a team captain for a second year in a row, and her goal was to lead the team to states.

In districts, she finally thought this team, and her game individually, could be something special. She did her best to inspire George Jenkins through the ups and downs.

“Bowling the first three matches with the girls felt powerful. I felt that I had succeeded as a captain and a person,” Currie said.

Jenkins would go on to face Lake Wales, the defending district champions, and Brianna Ross, an all-county bowler herself, compete through the 10th frame before securing the district championship win.

At the state level, Currie received feedback from colleges to potentially play on the next level, including from Hastings head coach Ron Hergott, who would go on to offer Currie a spot on the team.

But it wasn’t until Currie was on vacation when she received her letter of intent and signed.

Currie, however, didn’t notify anyone else of the development until after she visited the campus ― a place she declared home.

“Taking this jump to go across the United States, is nerve-racking. Yet, feeling the love and support from my teammates and best friends told me I would be okay,” Currie said. “I am excited for this new adventure and cannot wait to take my skills to a new level. … I’m grateful for this opportunity provided by coach Hergott and Coach Townley. And I will forever be grateful for my teammates who trusted me to lead them to success. Good luck to the future bowling Eagles.”

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: George Jenkins bowler Alyssa Currie grabs rare college scholarship