Tulane Bowling: A Team That Remembers Its Roots
Sep 10, 2020 | Women's Bowling
NEW ORLEANS – The Tulane University bowling team was announced as an addition to the Green Wave family in July of 2010. On April 25, 2011, Hayley Veitch was named the head coach of Tulane’s bowling program. She had four months to build a team from scratch.
Veitch had an uphill battle ahead, but she was off a good start when she found Jessica Cwik.
“The process started with me dragging Cwik to the LBC and asking her to join the bowling team,” Veitch said. “I asked her to find bowlers or anyone with bowling experience at the school. We sent lots of emails out. We tried to find anyone possible.”
For Cwik, it was a welcomed surprise.
“It was actually random,” Cwik said. “I posted on Facebook that I was going to Tulane for my master’s degree and the head coach at Whitewater asked me if I was going to bowl. It was right around that time that Tulane was creating a bowling team, so she connected Veitch and me. We emailed back and forth. I was not sure if I wanted to do it because I was not sure how graduate school would be. My school ended up being very flexible and the program was not as hard as I thought it might be, so she asked me to do it because she needed people and I decided to do it. I did not have the opportunity to do it during my undergraduate, so that is how it ended up working out and with a really random connection as well.”
Veitch and Cwik added a few more to the team and then started practice. Although some of the players did not have much experience, they were all excited to get started with the first match. It was set for October 8, 2011, against Southern at Rock’N’Bowl in Uptown.
The Green Wave fell to the Jaguars in the match, but they still made history in that first competition.
“It didn't hit me that it was a big deal at first,” former bowler Caryn Wong said. “I eventually had the epiphany mid-season that we were part of a historical moment for Tulane Athletics. Looking back at it now, I'm very proud to have been part of an amazing program.”
Veitch wasn’t sure what to expect, she just aimed for success.
“I came from the club side of bowling to the NCAA side,” Veitch said. “That is definitely a learning experience. There are so many different rules that I had to follow. I got here late in the season and did not have a lot of time to recruit. I did not have scholarship money or really any money to use. I was really just going with what I had. I was part of two other first year programs that were pretty successful, so my goal was to make it as successful as I could for that first year.”
She also planned to have a competitive schedule for the Olive and Blue in order to make the program better in the future.
“From the start, we did have a competitive schedule,” Veitch said. “We went to different tournaments around the country because if you cannot compete against the best from day one, you do not know what to expect and you will never be able to get better. That motto has not changed over the years, you have to be able to compete with the best. That is what we did, we practiced at Rock‘n’Bowl, that was a great experience. There were a few challenges along the way, but it was super close. We got our feet wet and it was just what we needed at the time. I could not be more thankful for that opportunity there.”
Although the team didn’t have a lot of money to work with, they still managed to make the most of their time.
“It was a fun way to learn and build because it was not super pressure,” Cwik said. “We had a lot of fun, like, one of our teammates missed her flight, so went to the airport and held up signs to greet her. We had a lot of fun times. We tried to do a tournament with Southern and we got kicked out of the tournament. They needed the lanes for a late party.”
The Green Wave traveled to Alabama, Florida, Pennsylvania and New Jersey for tournaments in their first season. They garnered experience against some of the best teams in the nation, and that made them better in the long run. Tulane finished the season with a 16-65 record, but the program had a lasting impact on everyone involved.
“Tulane bowling is a milestone memory to me,” Wong said. “There are many moments in life that define who you are, and I believe I am a more resilient and confident person because of Tulane bowling. During my time, I was challenged with many (self-inflicted) ankle sprains, injuries, moments of doubt, frustrations and many more, but Coach was always there to help me overcome these obstacles and help me realize my potential.”
Veitch’s entire life has been impacted by the program.
“Tulane bowling means everything,” Veitch said. “It has been my life for the last ten years. I have not achieved what I want to achieve yet. It has had its ups and downs. I would say its unfinished business.”
The program has come a long way since the start, but the Green Wave have not forgotten where it all began.
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Tulane University is located in the city of New Orleans. It is a city built on tradition and resiliency. The lessons Green Wave student-athletes have learned through their connection with this university and city have BUILT doctors, lawyers, business leaders, conference champions, all-conference players, All-Americans, professional athletes and NCAA tournament teams. The city of New Orleans has shaped us into who we are today. We are One City. We are Tulane. We are NOLA BUILT. Check out our story at NolaBuilt.com.
