On Saturday, Feb. 18, senior Lida Burgos Torres took home her first IHSA state title win for East’s Girls Bowling team.

Going into the State competition after just having won first place in regionals and sectionals a few weeks prior, her confidence was high. Not only that, but she had just bowled her fourth perfect 300 game during practice, which only added to her overall confidence.

The first day of the State competition, Burgos bowled a 194, which ended her up in fourth place, but she didn’t let that get her down and reminded herself that there were more games ahead.

The second day of state she really turned it around by almost bowling two perfect 300 games. She said, “By the time I was in the last game, I knew I was a State champion.”

She finished with a total score of 2,763 and an average score of 230.3 per game.

Burgos started bowling when she was 13. She had just quit basketball and was looking for something else to do.

A few years prior, her older brother, Edward Burgos, had quit basketball and had started bowling. Because of this, she decided to start bowling full time.

When talking with Lida, she expressed that one of her biggest challenges has always been her mentality. She said, “Although bowling has its ups, it is not as easy as you think. It is a mentally and physically draining sport.”

She often struggled with self-confidence and comparing herself to other bowlers that she faced at competitions. This all changed when she bowled her first perfect game during her sophomore year.

She now practices three times a week for two to three hours and said that she does not let her mentality get in the way of her success.

Speaking of her many successes, in November, Lida represented Puerto Rico at the 2022 Central American and Caribbean Championships, where she took home the gold in the sub-21 division and fifth place in the teams division, all the while bowling with an injured thumb. This was another important turning point in her life.

She said, “I have always dreamed as a little girl to represent my country in a sport, and being able to win medals for Puerto Rico is surreal.”

Recently, Lida was accepted to bowl at Saint Xavier University, where she will also be studying Pre-health and Biology.