Stone Memorial Lady Panthers bowler Ally Davis has built her game from the ground up, with her father by her side every step of the way.
Davis’ introduction to bowling came at a young age, watching her dad compete in a league before she ever picked up a ball herself. What started as time spent at the lanes soon turned into a passion, especially once her father handed her her first bowling ball and began teaching her the fundamentals of the sport.
“My dad, he’s basically my coach. He’s helped me out with a lot of stuff,” Davis said. “[He’s helped me with] my footwork [and] how I release the ball.”
As her interest and skill level grew, Davis took the next step in her development by traveling to Cookeville to train at Bowling World. There, Davis said she began refining her technique and learning how small adjustments could make a big difference in performance.
Davis received her first bowling ball at Bowling World, a Tropical Surge, and worked on customizing her grip and hook to better fit her style.
“The fingertips [help] give you better confidence throwing the ball,” Davis said. “It’s like very tight around the finger…with how tight it is, you can get your fingers swollen if you bowl [multiple] games.”
Now a key contributor for the Stone Memorial Lady Panthers, Davis bowls three games at every meet during the high school season. Davis said her commitment to improvement does not stop with school competition. Alongside fellow Lady Panthers bowler Hailey Jones, Davis competes in Sport Shot tournaments in Georgia each month, testing her skills against challenging lane conditions.
Last weekend, Davis faced a 39-foot oil pattern, a setup designed to challenge even experienced bowlers.
“It was kind of difficult for the ball to hit,” Davis said. “It was just an off day. Bowlers have those days.”
Despite those challenges, Davis has shown she can deliver in competition, posting strong individual games in multiple matches this season while helping Stone Memorial compete at a high level in TSSAA play. With a steady support system and a growing amount of experience on tougher patterns, Davis continues to sharpen her game one frame at a time.
