WICHITA – Watch her do her thing, and it’s hard to imagine Olyvia Choura, the Eisenhower bowling team’s bundle of energy, ever having a shred of self-doubt.
 
The Tiger senior has been an endless source of encouragement, excitement -- and entertainment -- for her teammates and those who have followed them the last few seasons.
 
But Choura wasn’t totally sure if she had what it took to become a state champion.
 
“There’s just so many good bowlers here,” Choura said Friday afternoon after the Class 5A girls state tournament at Bowlero Northrock. “There’s (Great Bend’s) Kaylin Wahlmeier and the Salina girls and (Andover Central’s) Paighton Crumley and others who I bowl in leagues with who are just so good.”

 
Even on the heels of a less-than-satisfying regional performance, Choura proved she could get the job done. Spurred by an opening-game 278, Choura held the lead throughout the three-game series and won the 5A individual title by 32 pins over runner-up Taylor Brim of St. James Academy with a 674 pinfall.
 
Choura, one of four Eisenhower seniors competing at state, became a three-time medalist after finishing ninth in the Class 5-1A tournament as a sophomore and 14^th as a junior. She also helped the Tigers finish second in the team competition to Great Bend, which won its second straight title by 115 pins over the Tigers.
 
Sporting stylish yellow socks adorned with dinosaurs, Choura helped position Eisenhower for a run at the victorious Panthers. The Tigers trailed Great Bend by 34 pins entering the Baker portion of the competition. But a slow start to the four-game set forced the Tigers to settle for their highest finish since Choura’s freshman season, when they took third.
 
“She’s been a firecracker,” Eisenhower coach Brian Adelgren said. “She’s very team-oriented and lifts the team up. It’s fun to watch. She’s been kind of the center of the team’s yelling.
 
“Obviously, we were this close as a team, but to see her bowl well today and win individually after being here for four years in a row is pretty cool.”
 
Choura’s winning series was reminiscent of her performance in a late January triangular, when she opened with a 280 on the way to a 710 series that ranked fourth in the state for all classes this season. She continued to build momentum for the postseason, but a 499 at Eisenhower’s home regional Feb. 20 forced her to regroup.

 
The same went for Brim, who rolled her high regular-season series of 567 in early February, but followed it with a 415 at the Eastern Kansas League tournament and a 469 at the regional hosted by St. James.
 
“It was a really bad day (at regionals),” Brim said. “Not a good shot there.”
 
But Brim, who finished 41^st at 5-1A state as a freshman with a 493 series, found her groove Friday. She opened with a 235 and closed with a 246 for a 642 pinfall.
 
“It’s crazy to think about it,” Brim said. “It was definitely very scary at the beginning, but I was more comfortable after being here last year. I had a very good first game. It went downhill there for a minute, but I pulled it back up third game and pulled it out strong.”
 
Adelgren said the Eisenhower boys struggled to match up to the different pair of Baker lanes earlier in the day during the 5A boys competition, and the Tiger girls encountered the same issue. Eisenhower shot 114 in the first game to see its deficit to Great Bend swell to 88 pins. A 139 in the third game also proved costly.
 
Through it all, Choura and her teammates took advantage of each opportunity to celebrate a productive shot.
 
“I knew pretty quickly today I was locked in and I had a great first game,” Choura said. “The Bakers were tough, and it’s a sport and you’re competing and trying to win, but at the end of the day what good is it if you can’t have fun? I try to have fun with it and help pick my teammates up.”
 
While her enthusiasm will be her legacy at Eisenhower, Adelgren said Choura had the make-up of a good bowler.
 
“She’s gotten better as the season went on,” he said. “She kind of had a little slow start, had some challenges, but she’s always been a consistent process individual. She works the process even when the outcomes don’t necessarily match the effort.
 
“Today was just an all-out great effort on her part. She’s very deserving of the championship.”
 

 
CLASS 5A GIRLS INDIVIDUAL MEDALISTS

1. Olyvia Choura, Eisenhower, 674; 2. Taylor Brim, St. James Academy, 642; 3. Ava Kohlmeier, Maize South, 619; 4. Kaylin Wahlmeier, Great Bend, 613; 5. Ellyse Findley, Basehor-Linwood, 588; 6. Megan Wood, Topeka West, 584; 7. Brenna Rutschmann, Topeka West, 580; 8. Ann Timmermeyer, Bishop Carroll, 579; 9. Rocelyn Show, Salina Central, 578; 10. Emilee Nelson, Great Bend, 578; 11. Jordyn Betschart, Eisenhower, 575; 12. Taylor Schick, Lansing, 574; 13. Zoey Mayberry, Great Bend, 565; 14. Kayla Mize, Seaman, 563; 15. Paige Schuler, Maize South, 562; 16. Paighton Crumley, Andover Central, 555; 17. Danae Loomis, Eisenhower, 555; 18. Rylee Lambeth, Salina South, 547; 19. Paige Snyder, Seaman, 542; 20. Danika Williams, Emporia, 541.