Rockford — Sofia DeLuccia hasn’t thought much about what life after high school might look like, but one thing she seems certain of is that bowling is going to be a part of it.
With each passing year, Sofia has more and more evidence to support that prediction. She finished up the 2024-25 season as state runner-up. And, in what came as a shock to the bowler, this spring she was named High School Girls Bowling Player of the Year by State Champs! Sports Network, adding a massive new entry to the ever-growing cluster of awards threatening to overtake the rising junior’s living room.
She learned she’d won the award in mid-April, when presenters walked in on a practice with a massive bowling-pin-shaped trophy with her name on it.
“(I was) stunned and shocked,” Sofia said. “I was trying not to cry as they were presenting it.”
Sofia explained to SNN why she plans to stick with the sport until she can roll the ball no more.
What is your dream? “Definitely one of my dreams is bowling, because I’ve always enjoyed the sport. I love the feeling I get during match play, the pressure — it just gets exciting. It’s a good feeling.
“I hope to do it during college … and then start to do my own more individual tournaments — maybe do some local ones and then move out to the bigger, more regional ones.”
Why is this your dream? “(Bowling) gives me something to look forward to during the weekend, because, honestly, if it weren’t for bowling, 90% of my weekend would just be me playing a random game on my phone. … It helps me get through the week.”
The sport has also made her a better student, she said.
“Being competitive, getting work done, that’s what bowling has taught me. … And plus, I’ve made a lot of friends out of it, so that helps a lot.”
How are school and your teachers helping you achieve your dream? “Jerry Tarabek — who’s the recent new coach for the girls — he’s helped a ton,” Sofia said.
She added that the thing her teachers do that helps her most is, well, teach. By excelling at their jobs, she said, they make her job as a student that much easier, which in turn makes more time for bowling.
‘If it weren’t for bowling, 90% of my weekend would just be me playing a random game on my phone.’
— Rockford rising junior Sofia DeLuccia
Tarabek said Sofia’s success is due to a complete and total devotion to the sport. She loves practice, he said, which makes the road to improvement smooth.
“She is constantly in a bowling center, practicing her mechanics and perfecting her game,” Tarabek said, adding that he’s working with Sofia not only on the physical elements of the game, but the mental ones as well, like focus and grace even in the face of defeat.
So what’s next for Sofia?
“Next year, individually, I want to make sure I can keep my attitude together and be a good player for the team,” she said, adding that she’s grateful to her opponents, her coaches, her teachers and her teammates.
Read more from Rockford:
• Student-organized course gets high-schoolers CPR certified
• Miss Basketball award-winner on how the sport shaped her life
