For Cody Swanson, it all started bowling as a hobby with his mother, watching the PBA Tour and bowling in leagues at Maplewood Lanes. Overtime, what was an interest transformed into a passion. “I just kept getting better and better,” Swanson recalled. “I started buying new balls, learning more, and fine-tuning my game.”

That dedication led him to the Nebraska State Bowling Championship, where he finished remarkable 11th in Class A. Swanson said, “I was happy with where I finished. I could have done better, but it was still great because now Burke has two chances to state. It was a lot of fun, and I wouldn’t complain about the performance or the opportunity.”

Before the tournament, Swanson said that he was anxious. “After practice, I was shaking, but I shook off the bad shots, took deep breaths, and moved on. I didn’t give up,” he said. Throughout the tournament, he had to make critical adjustments, how he moved his feet, how he aligned his shots, and how he played his spare game.

Why is bowling unique to Swanson it is not about individual achievement it’s about teamwork and playing as a team. “My favorite is duels with my teammates. We all do different things to make each other better,” he said. “If we’re bad, we lift each other up and we move on.”

He doesn’t glance back and wonder what might have been. “I rolled with what I had and bowled the way I normally bowled,” he said. With a 171 average and best series of 206, Swanson was thrilled to be representing Burke High School, showing that hard work and collaboration can take you wherever you need to go.