Led by Anela and Leona Brittan, King Kekaulike is competing in the 2025 season of MIL bowling.

With many sports, there are remarkable similarities in how athletes grow both athletically and personally, gaining lessons that only participation in sports can provide — through discernment, dedication and commitment.

In bowling, this growth is amplified by the community surrounding it. From the coaching staff who once navigated the Wailuku Lanes to the current student-athletes, King Kekaulike bowling represents a thriving legacy of sport, built on skill and spirit.

Coach Brittan said it’s important to emphasize the growth and consistency that have carried on since her days on the team in 2013. What unites them is the shared experience of athletes and coaches competing against one another while still coming together as one close-knit community of Maui bowlers at the island’s only alley.

For the Brittan family, bowling has always been a valued tradition.

Coach Anela Brittain (left) Coach Leona Brittain (right)

After graduating high school, Anela began her coaching career at King Kekaulike before moving to Kamehameha Maui, her alma mater, where she gained recognition and deep gratitude for her colleagues.

Eventually returning back to King Kekaulike, she said she never expected to step into the role of head coach.

Following in those footsteps, Coach Leona, also a proud King Kekaulike alum, now represents her alma mater while sharing the same love and passion for the sport that has shaped her life since 2016.

“Thankfully, I have had the support of the entire bowling community, my family and especially

my wife (Leona) to help me learn the ropes to be successful in this role,” Anela said.

“My favorite thing about the sport is how much room there is for improvement,” Leona added. “There are so many opportunities to grow, but you just need to put your mind into it first.”

While athletes grow through sportsmanship, teamwork and consistent dedication to their goals, Anela also tries to emphasize the importance of supporting teammates while holding yourself accountable.

She reminds athletes that shortcomings are inevitable, and dwelling on them brings no progress. Instead, she said she encourages focus, determination and the ability to bounce back and continue moving in the right direction. Both coaches extend this care beyond the alley, ensuring their athletes gain the most from the program and their time together as a team.

“I notice that they learn to have patience and grow in physical strength,” Leona said. “No matter when they join, there will always be some type of growth within their time with us.”

One of the special aspects of sports is how they bring together student-athletes from different backgrounds as they strive to achieve their goals.

“I play so many other sports — football, baseball, golf, basketball, soccer, you name it — and what sets bowling apart from all those sports is that you’re able to chill, you’re able to relax and hang out with family or friends,” said freshman bowler, Ethan Smith.

“For me, it’s just seeing what I can do and improve on like hand-eye coordination, skill sets, mostly improving myself,” said Quinn Wilson, a senior bowler.

Whether you head to the alley for a casual game on your day off or arrive with the focus of applying the week’s practice to take on a rival team, bowling is a sport that welcomes people of all levels.

“Bowling for fun and bowling competitively is the same thing because you’re bowling with friends and you’re bowling against other people you don’t know to try to see who can have the best time out there,” Smith said.

Junior Evianna Chartrand agrees.

“Same for bowling just for fun, as long as you have fun with it, that’s the main thing,” Chartrand said. “The only thing that’s different bowling for the team is the mindset of course. You might think about it more and you might mess up because you’re thinking about it.”

Both Anela and Leona dedicate their time to building a fun, supportive, and charismatic team that leaves a lasting impact on their student-athletes. They recognize that each personal goal matters, is worth pursuing, and deserves to be achieved, all while enjoying the journey of seeing where their athletes’ paths will lead.

“Yes, there are still fundamentals that I want them to learn, and certain attitudes I expect them to have, but I also want to allow them the freedom to explore different styles if it’s something they’re genuinely interested in,” Anela said. “Especially being that our team specifically is so young (six new freshmen boys on the team), should they continue to take things seriously and show up to practice and try out new things, even if it may be uncomfortable at first, things will only go up from here.”

“My goals from practice to competition is staying consistent and having fun while

also still being respectful to themselves, others and the space,” Leona said. “Although they do have individual goals, I hope in the end they can work together to be successful.”