“I never thought I would make it this far,” senior Hannah Ploof said.

The sound of bowling balls crashing into pins and shouts of victory filled the background.

“I just like to bowl,” Ploof said while shrugging. “I don’t know.”

Ploof, at 17, has dedicated her whole life to bowling and has achieved hundreds of awards throughout her career, recently achieving the 2016 title of Michigan’s Miss Bowling.

Ploof first threw a bowling ball when she was 3 years old.

“My whole family are bowlers, so my mom and dad always took me to the bowling alley. It was like my second home,” Ploof said. “I grew up watching the high school team with my dad coaching, and I also witnessed how successful my sister Lindsey had been. And, honestly, she inspired me to be a successful bowler too.”

If you were to measure Ploof’s success within awards and achievements, Ploof would be, nonetheless, sterling.

“Oh my god,” Ploof said. “I have hundreds of awards from bowling. I don’t even know them all.”

Ploof got up from the table to demonstrate her skills.

She critiqued her form while, directly above her, hung a banner with her sister’s name — Lindsey Ploof — scripted across it.

She turned around after throwing a strike and noticed my interest in the banner.

Ploof pointed to the banner and said with a smile, “That banner is for winning an individual state championship. Mine will be up there soon.”

Besides being named Miss Bowling in Michigan this year, Ploof has garnered a slew of awards: Flint Metro League February Kiwanis-Scholar Athlete of the Month, first team All-League recognition her entire high school bowling career, as well as being a two-time All-State bowler.

Ploof also qualified for the individual state finals all four years.

As a team member, Ploof does not know how to lose. She has helped lead Kearsley to four Flint Metro League championships, three regional championships, and three state championships.

In addition, she has achieved two individual regional titles, one individual state championship, an 800 award, and a 300 award.

Not only does she do well on the bowling alley, she excels academically in school.

Ploof holds a 3.75 GPA and holds a proud spot as president of the National Honor Society.

But the accolades do not just happen. Ploof said she has been able to achieve so much by working hard.

“I stay focused, set high goals, and practice a lot,” Ploof said. “That’s the key.”

Ploof makes it clear that she has dedicated every spare minute she has improving her skills, and it shows.

“Like I said,” Ploof said. “The bowling alley is like my second home.”

It is written all over her face how important bowling is to her.

Ploof said she has had to take some extreme measures for the love of her sport, as well as for her team.

“I tore my Achilles (tendon) the first time in October my junior year,” Ploof said. “I let it heal. But then began to bowl again and tore it again from the end of January to March.”

Ploof justified worsening the injury. She said, “If you know me, you know that I get hurt a lot.”

Mr. Robert Ploof, Hannah’s father and bowling coach for 12 years, said that being proud is an understatement.

“I am so very proud of her,” Mr. Ploof said. “No one has ever won the Detroit Free Press Miss Bowling from Kearsley. No one has ever won four state championships from Kearsley. These are all huge accomplishments for anybody, and they are great for the whole bowling program, Hannah, and the school. I couldn’t be any more proud.”

Of course, Ploof knows that her success had help. She gives thanks to many people for being by her side throughout her bowling career. Most importantly, Ploof acknowledges her parents.

“I thank my parents for coaching and always pushing me to be better,” she said.

Next on her list was her best friend.

“My sister,” Ploof said. “I want to thank my sister for being my absolute best friend and for always believing in me even when I didn’t believe in myself.”

Ploof took a minute before finally thanking her teammates.

“And I want to thank my teammates. All of the ones I’ve had throughout my life,” she said. “Because of them, I was pushed harder and became better as a bowler. They all truly taught me what it means to be a part of a team.”