Local bowler ready for senior season

It feels like just yesterday that Colleen Cheramie was winning bowling titles for Vandebilt Catholic – arguably the most decorated local bowler since the LHSAA sanctioned the sport several years ago.

Now a college senior at Southern, Cheramie said she’s still busy on the lanes chasing championship rings and team titles.

Cheramie said she’s looking forward to her senior season with the Lady Jaguars, though she can’t believe that time has passed as quickly as it has.

She said her goals are the same as they were in high school – to compete at a high level and to try and knock down as many pins as she can every time she competes for her team.

“Of course, our biggest goal is to win the SWAC this season,” Cheramie said. “A personal goal of mine for this year is to make the SWAC Tournament Team. I was a few pins short last season and I’m hoping to fulfill that goal this year. Overall, I hope our team has a great competitive season and I hope we’re able to defeat teams that we’ve struggled to defeat in the past.”

Last year, there weren’t many teams the Jaguars have struggled to contend with.

Southern finished third in the conference last season, defeating Prairie View A&M and Jackson State in the conference tournament bowling bracket.

Cheramie said she thinks this year has a chance to be special for the Lady Jaguars, who return several of their top performers in 2017

The team also has a larger roster than ever before, now featuring 10 competitors, something which Cheramie said she’s also excited about.

A Vandebilt Catholic graduate, Cheramie has been bowling for most of her life. She earned her place at the collegiate ranks after winning the State Championship with the Lady Terriers.

“I think we are finally ready to be extremely competitive this season,” Cheramie said. “Our coach recruited four new bowlers for this coming season, bringing our team to 10 girls total. We are very optimistic that this will be our season.”

Cheramie said spirits are also high around the Lady Jaguars’ camp because of some investments the university has made in its program.

In years past, Cheramie said Southern used to have to travel off-site to practice.

Now, the Lady Jaguars have an on-site set of lanes, which has competitors feeling good about the new season.

“We are excited about practicing on campus,” she said. “Southern recently renovated their bowling center on campus, so now we will be able to practice here. We have been practicing off campus, which isn’t always the most convenient thing. But now, we will be on campus, so we are going to be able to have a more private session and we will be able to practice a lot of different types of oil patterns on the lanes which we compete on.”

But more important than almost anything for Cheramie is relishing this final opportunity to compete in a team setting.

Cheramie said being a Lady Jaguar has been great, adding that the entire experience is something she will never forget.

She added that she’s made so many lifelong bonds – both with her teammates and also with bowlers on opposing teams. Being part of that bowling sorority, she said, will be the thing she will miss most once the year ends.

“These past three years have been such a great learning experience and it’s so crazy to me that it’s already my senior year of college,” Cheramie said. “I’ve made so many friendships with girls from all the different teams. I don’t think people realize how long and strenuous the season and our competitions are. We travel Thursday-through-Sunday and compete all day Friday and Saturday and a half-day on Sunday. We compete from October through March in about 10 tournaments a season. We work long and hard. It’s not just fun and games like some people think it is.”

Because of that tough, strenuous grind, Cheramie said she took a little time off during the summer to reset her mind before getting back at it recently to prepare for the new season.

Cheramie said she plans to work as hard as she can in the coming weeks to get back in gear so that she can compete as well as she can for her team when competitions begin.

She said she wants to go out in style and win the SWAC with her teammates, because she believes she and her teammates deserve it.

Cheramie added that being a collegiate student-athlete has marked a shift in her life – from a teenage child to a grown woman.

“When I graduate from Southern in the spring of 2018, I will be gaining so much more than just a degree,” Cheramie said “I’ve learned so much about personal mindset, team building, endurance and friendships, but the most valuable thing Southern has taught me is how to hustle. Being a collegiate athlete really tests your ability to work hard and also about self-discipline. You have to be able to balance life, school sports and work. SU has really taught me how to prepare for life after college and it’s a journey I will never forget. I’m excited to see what my senior year has in store.”

Colleen Cheramie

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