Kamehameha junior Briana Gaylord had been the second-best bowler for much of the season, until she followed her mom’s advice at the BIIF championships.
Gaylord is a fourth-generation bowler, following her great grandmother, Sarah Chu, grandma Gwen Huston, and mom Denise, who bowled at St. Joseph.
Gaylord knocked down 133 pins to capture her first BIIF title, beating junior teammate Kahiwa Ili, who had a 130.5 total.
“My mom told me, ‘Try your best to be consistent.’ Basically, try your best,” she said. “I’m not sure how it happened. It might have been the excitement of the day. I was really motivated on the day. I never thought I’d be here, but I was like, ‘Wow, I did that.’ I’ve been bowling since my freshman year in 2019 until now.”
If the Ili last name looks familiar, that’s because she’s part of the great Ili softball sibling trio at Kamehameha, following Kuulei (2019) and Kawehi, a senior.
“It was going to be between her and Kahiwa, who had been No. 1 throughout the season,” Kamehameha coach Allison Julian said. “When it came to the individual championship, Briana shot a better series than her.
“I told them, ‘Everybody is looking at your bowling and you have to bowl your best to claim your game.’ They’re returnees and know what to expect at the individuals as well as states. Briana is a really good kid. She loves the sport and comes from a family of bowlers.”
The Warriors are at the state bowling championships on Kauai, where the tourney runs Thursday and Friday.
The other Warriors are juniors Ciana-Lei Bence and Kelise Figueroa and sophomore Alessandra Figueiredo.
The generation of family bowlers almost stopped because Gaylord’s two older sisters, Alyssa (Keaau 2012) and Shauna (Kamehameha 2016), didn’t bowl. It also didn’t help that Hilo Lanes closed its doors in 2014.
“It’s a fast sport for high school, and my grandma and mom did it, so I thought it would be cool,” Gaylord said. “I’m excited to be back at states. I had that experience my freshman year, so it’s like reliving it and doing better. It’s a more enriching experience.”
The Warriors had a limited time to practice at Kilauea Military Center up in Volcano. They practiced for 90 minutes every Wednesday, finishing school at 2:30 p.m., getting there at 3:15 p.m. and getting back on campus at 5:45 p.m. for the bowlers who live outside of Hilo to catch a bus home.
The small-sized shoebox KMC bowling alley has an advantage and disadvantage for the Warriors. There’s no oil on the lanes so the ball hooks.
“You need to try to control it. But it’ll be good for states because by the sixth game, the oil will run down,” Julian said. “You have to learn to adjust to the lane conditions.”
Gaylord holds a 4.1 GPA and has an Advanced Placement class in history and a dual credit in Hawaiian language.
“The Hawaiian language class is a little strenuous. There are checkpoints you have to hit. It’s a lot of work,” she said. “The AP class is good to have on your transcript or resume.”
She already has a college and career picked out. She wants to head to Hawaii Pacific University on Oahu and would like to become a Realtor.
“HPU is closer to home but not too close. It’s a perfect balance,” Gaylord said.
One of the traits of a good Realtor is someone who has an engaging personality to connect with clients. No worry there. Gaylord has that part down cold. She’s personable and fun to talk to.
For states, she has one goal in mind.
“We’ll do fine. It’s more so about the experience,” she said. “My hobbies are hanging out with my friends, making memories. My high school career is ending soon, and I want those good memories.”