“You can’t control the last shot,” says Herrin High School senior Sidnee Nelson, “you can only focus on the next one.”

For Sidnee, bowling has never just been a sport — it’s been a classroom for life. Every spare, strike, and split has taught her something about patience, focus, and faith.

Her love of bowling began before she could lift a full-size ball. “My dad bowled on Saturday mornings at Herrin Bowl,” she says. “He wasn’t super competitive, but he was good. He got me and my brother into youth leagues when we were little.” It also runs in the family: her great-grandfather once owned a bowling alley in Lafayette, Indiana. “I guess it’s in my blood,” she laughs.

What started as a weekend ritual soon became a passion. She remembers the first time she broke 150 without bumpers — a small victory that made her think differently about the game. “That was the day I stopped guessing,” she says. “I started thinking about angles, spin, and footwork.”

Under Coach Sizemore, a McKendree University alum, Sidnee learned the fundamentals of approach, release, and consistency. Later, Coach Hubbard helped her master the mental side of competition. “You can’t let one bad shot ruin your next one,” she says. “That’s true in life, too.”

Now a senior and team leader, Sidnee is known for her calm presence and steady encouragement. “Those are my girls,” she says. “We cheer for each other no matter what. If one of us struggles, someone else steps up. That’s just how we do it.”

Herrin’s girls’ bowling team is small — about eight athletes — but close-knit. They travel together, celebrate birthdays at the lanes, and stay late after matches to practice. Sidnee, who also plays softball and belongs to NHS, FBLA, Pep Club, and Student Government, somehow keeps it all balanced. “You have to manage your time,” she says, “but it helps when you love what you’re doing.”

The lessons from bowling, she says, go far beyond the alley. “It’s taught me patience,” she reflects. “Not everything goes your way, but you can always prepare better for next time. That’s true for school, for sports, for anything.”

Her next challenge will come at Southern Illinois University, where she’s been accepted into the nursing program. She hopes to specialize in labor and delivery or pediatrics. “I’ve always loved helping people,” she says. “Nursing feels like something I was meant to do.”

Sidnee says the values she carries come straight from her hometown. “Herrin’s special because people take care of each other,” she says. “You see it at parades, at Passing the Torch, and at FCA — there are over a hundred students praying together on Friday mornings. Faith brings us closer.”

As graduation nears, she’s both grateful and ready. “Herrin’s shaped me,” she says. “It’s given me confidence and people who believe in me.”

And when asked what she’ll miss most, her answer comes without hesitation: “The people. The support, the smiles, the cheering — it’s like family.”

Focused, faithful, and fearless, Sidnee Nelson already knows how to stay in the pocket — and how to keep rolling forward.