OSCEOLA — Clarke’s LeeAnn Helgevold already has an idea of what college bowling will be like, having seen older brother Damon compete at Waldorf College in Forest City.
The Lady Indians senior will put her skills to the test at the next level starting this fall.
LeeAnn Helgevold signed her letter-of-intent to bowl collegiately at Morningside College in Sioux City starting this fall.
The daughter of Dale and Lori Helgevold is ready to see what she can do at the college level.
“In terms of bowling, it’s going to be way more competitive,” LeeAnn Helgevold said. “The competition is going to be the biggest difference.”
She heads to Sioux City coming off an impressive high school career.
As a Lady Indian, she has been the team leader, particularly the past three seasons.
She capped her career with a 17th-place finish in the Class 1A state tournament this season.
As a junior, she took fifth at state, to go along with a 21st-place finish as a sophomore.
In her senior season, she was named the Class 1A Central District Bowler of the year and a first-team all-state selection in Class 1A and first-team all-central district selection. She was also named to the Iowa High School Bowling All-Academic team.
On the lane, she had the high average in regular season meets with a 178.5, which increased to 182.4 with regionals and state.
Now she’s off to join Morningside coach Stephen Gonshorowski’s team in Sioux City.
Gonshorowski watched LeeAnn at state.
“Watching her, he realizes he’s getting a special individual,” said Clarke coach, and LeeAnn’s father, Dale Helgevold. “She has a passion for the game, is willing to do what it takes to continue to improve.”
Gonshorowski understands what’s coming to Sioux City this fall.
“It’s nice to have bowlers that are well-coached and familiar with bowling,” Gonshorowski said. “She has a good background and good coaching. You can see that pretty quickly.”
The margin for error at the college level is much tighter than in high school..
“The biggest thing is keeping the speed the same, making sure you’re on the same board all the time,” Gonshorowski said. “If you’re a board off at the high school level, you can get away with it. If you’re a board off at the college level, you’re off.”
The team works well together, Gonshorowski noted.
“A lot of the time, it’s not the coaches, it’s somebody on the team, a junior or a senior that will step up and help them,” Gonshorowski said.
The competition level in college is intense, he noted.
“It’s really competitive,” Gonshorowski said.
LeeAnn Helgevold looks forward to that challenge.
“In terms of bowling, it’s going to be way more competitive,” she said. “That’s going to be the biggest difference.”
College bowling continues to grow and expand, Gonshorowski noted.
Camaraderie within the college bowling community makes it special.
“They all get along and support each other,” Gonshorowski said. “It’s fun, exciting. People are talking across three, four, five lanes. It’s almost like a league night at the bowling alley. These kids all know each other.”
Bowling, academics and Sioux City’s big city atmosphere added up to the right fit for LeeAnn. She plans on majoring in elementary education or special education.
“When it comes to bowling, to school, what I’m going to go into, it’s where my heart’s at,” she said. “I’m going to enjoy every minute of it.”