BENTON — Brandy Chumley is not a bowler.
“She’s not the type of coach who is going to teach you how to bowl,” Benton senior Seth Morgan said, “but she is the type who will stand behind you, encourage you and won’t let you get down after you’ve bowled a bad game.”
Chumley has been the head bowling coach at Benton High School since 2006, but bowling has always been her second sport.
“I was an assistant girls basketball coach and head volleyball coach when [my husband], Jerry, [who is now head coach of the girls basketball program] came over,” she said. “I needed a second sport because I was getting out of basketball. Greg Mundy was the bowling coach, but he moved, so bowling became my second sport.”
It has worked out quite well for Chumley, however, as she and the Benton boys bowling team recently won its first state championship.
“We are so excited for Coach Chumley and our boys bowling team for their recent Arkansas 5A state bowling championship,” Benton Superintendent Mike Skelton said. “Not only are these student-athletes very talented at bowling; they are also outstanding young men in the classroom and role models to their peers.
“We are fortunate to have someone like Coach Chumley leading this group in its sport. We believe this team will be able to continue its success into next season and beyond.”
Chumley has been in the district for 20 years, having graduated from Henderson State University in Arkadelphia in 1996 with a degree in secondary physical education and health. She said the state championship means a lot to the program.
“We have had great bowlers throughout, so to finally win one feels pretty good,” Chumley said.
“It means a lot,” Morgan said. “It is definitely something really close to our hearts. It means a lot team-bondingwise and friendshipwise, and it means a lot to our families.
“To be able to take it to the next level, it completely changes everything we want.”
Benton had an opportunity to win a state title last year but fell short, losing to the Cabot boys team.
“I think we had hot heads the first time,” Morgan said. “We didn’t really take it as seriously as we should have. It really taught us to keep collected, stay ourselves and bowl how we bowl.”
Other than the state championship, the coach said one of the other big accomplishments was bowling a perfect Baker game last season. A Baker game is when a group of five bowlers alternate turns for all 10 frames.
“For five guys to be on and to feed off each other — it was big,” Chumley said.
“If we had shot as good as we did in conference [last year], we would have won state by plenty,” sophomore Carter Robinson said.
“But mainly, because we had too much pride going into it, we got ahead of ourselves,” Robinson said.
“It was a crazy feeling, and it really encouraged the team, but personally, I enjoyed the state-championship win more,” Morgan said.
“It was a 300, and it set a couple of records, but I think state was worth more to anybody and to myself, because we bowled the best we could, and we did it as a team,” Morgan said.
“Our hope is that with this state championship,” Skelton said, “we can continue to add even more state titles to our trophy cabinet this year.”
After Enterprise Lanes in Benton closed a couple of years ago, Benton moved its practices to Professor Bowl West in Little Rock. Chumley said the business has been very accommodating.
“When we had our own alley, we had a junior varsity and a varsity,” Chumley said. “Since we lost the bowling alley, I feel like [our numbers] are less. I feel like we would have more experienced bowlers if we had our own bowling alley.”
She also said David James, who used to work at Enterprise Lanes, was very encouraging to her bowlers throughout the years.
“He passed away a few years ago, but he always helped with our bowlers, some of whom are still on the team,” she said. “He helped us win the championship.”
Chumley is also the head volleyball coach for the district, having started the program in 2002 with Tosha Rook. They won a state championship in 2009 and finished as state runner-up in 2013.
“Going from learning the game and getting beat every time to slowly working and competing and being able to win just gives you the pride of knowing that your hard work is paying off,” Chumley said. “I feel like we are doing the right thing with our program. … Seeing us compete and do well at that level is a big accomplishment.”
Chumley and her husband, Jerry, have been married 23 years. They have one daughter, Braxton, who is in the radiology program at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock.
“Coaches do move around a lot, but Benton has been a really good job for me, and Benton has been good to our family,” Chumley said. “It is a good place, and they have really good athletics and good education.”
Staff writer Sam Pierce can be reached at (501) 244-4314 or spierce@arkansasonline.com.