This is Piper Reams’ final year competing on the Wichita State women’s bowling team, but far from her last year bowling. Piper and her family consider bowling to be their legacy.
According to Piper’s parents, Laurie and Albert, the family comes from a long lineage of talented bowlers.
“My great grandfather, back in the 1950s, shot one of the first (perfect game) 300 shots in Phoenix, Arizona,” Laurie said. “Then my mother bowled, my grandfather bowled, and Albert’s parents and grandparents bowled.”
Piper’s parents were even introduced to each other while bowling competitively. They met at the Peach Bowl, a small, 10-lane bowling house in Haysville, Kansas, that has long since disappeared.
“We were both bowling (in a) league for different teams, against each other, and we just started talking and then started dating after that,” Laurie said.
Since their introduction in 1991, Laurie and Albert have bowled recreationally and competitively. Throughout these 30 years, they have cultivated a supportive community.
“It’s a small community,” Laurie said. “But everyone brings their children and family to support them while they are on their journey.”
When Piper was only 2 years old, her father began bringing her to the bowling alley for his practices.
“She would go to the bowling alley with me on Monday night, while her mom was in class,” Albert said. “You could tell she liked the atmosphere because she would give the guys high fives on the team. You could see she thought about doing it herself, even though she was just little bitty.”
The community Laurie and Albert built was something Piper became enamored with immediately.
“I just fell in love with (bowling), and my parent’s love for it helped that love grow,” Piper said.
Piper began bowling competitively when she was 12. However, the tournaments she participated in focused more on her skill as an individual rather than team effort.
As a teenager, she joined the women’s bowling team at Campus High School in Haysville. Her experiences on the team and bowling individually outside of school gave Piper the chance to build a community similar to her parents, one she still interacts with to this day.
“Being able to go to tournaments that are far away and see (my old friends) knowing that I haven’t seen them in a while is so comforting,” Piper said.
Over the last decade Piper has been competing, Laurie and Albert have tried not to miss a tournament.
“You see the joy on her face when we’re there,” Albert said. “We’re always there for her and we’ll always continue to be there for her. It’s an amazing opportunity for us also.”
In 2024, the Wichita State women’s bowling team won its 11th Intercollegiate Team Championship national title. Shortly after their win, the team transitioned to an NCAA sport.
Piper said the achievements throughout her collegiate bowling career have been, in part, due to her parents’ unwavering support.
“They know how important it is to me,” Piper said. “Ever since I was young, all I got was support from them.”
But she said the personal fulfillment she receives from doing what she loves is hers alone.
“Bowling has brought me so many amazing friendships that I am so blessed to have found,” Piper said. “I love the competitive edge bowling has. I love the strategy that goes into the game because it’s constantly changing.”
