Vikings roll
a championship

By Melissa Yerkov
Times Sports Editor

On Feb. 11, Northeast High School was overrun by a herd of chickens. But two days later, it was turkeys that brought reason to rejoice at the school.
The chickens — more than 80 of them — made a mess of the school, apparently having roamed the hallways of Northeast High during that weekend. The fowl episode, which may have been linked to a senior prank, closed the school for the day.
By Wednesday the 13th, however, Northeast students were hearing more about the turkeys — thanks to the school’s bowling team and its Public League championship title.
"They did a marvelous job," said coach Karen Barrett, who led the bowling squad to a 24-2 overall record this season. "I am very proud of the entire team."
In bowling lingo, a "turkey" describes three consecutive strikes tossed by a bowler. And four Vikings recorded turkeys during the championship showdown with Central High School: Philip Barrett, Bernard Cephas, Connie Furman and Brittany Portwood.
They joined their Northeast High teammates in the winners circle after the Vikings collectively outscored Central, 2,207-1,911, for the league title on Feb. 13.
It was a particularly thrilling moment for Barrett and his family.
"This is our last year together — with my mom, my sister and me," said Philip Barrett, a Northeast junior who bowls on the school team with his sister Karen, who’ll graduate this year. "So it was really special."
Their mother, by the way, coaches the team.
The bowling family affair began a long time ago, when husband and wife Karen and Presidee Barrett started taking their children bowling on the weekends.
"They taught us how to bowl with bumpers, then after a while they said no more bumpers — you need to learn on your own," Karen said of her parents. "Then after that, we just stayed with it and took it from there."
The Barrett bunch took their love for the game a step further in 2004 — that’s when mom Karen decided to coach the Vikings’ squad. One year after Barrett’s debut as head coach, daughter Karen entered Northeast as a freshman. The Vikings won the Public League bowling championship in 2005.
"It’s really neat because we won the championship my first and last years on the team," said Karen, currently ranked second in the city with a 179 average. "I remember when I first came in, my average was really low. I kept practicing and my mom would tell me to go to the lanes on certain days and bowl a couple games.
"Now I’ve gotten much better," she said with a smile.
The teen bowler has been joined in the spotlight this year by teammates Cephas — whose 214 average was tops in the Public League — and Lance Lempert, who was second with a 207 average.
Karen Barrett — the coach — has a good time guiding the Vikings bowlers.
"I have been very blessed with some amazing kids," said Barrett, who has led the Vikings’ bowling squad to the league title game for four years, compiling a 2-2 record. "Every team, each year, has been an outstanding team. Sometimes we had a good season and we would win all the playoffs, then get to the championship and it came down to that one or two pins that we couldn’t knock down. This year we could."
That final battle with Central afforded the Vikings a measure of redemption. In the first match of the season, the Vikings lost a tough one to the Lancers.
"It was hard to come back but we maintained our focus," said Philip Barrett, ranked fourth in the city with a 197 average. "The best part is being able to close the frame. And I love getting strikes, too."
For Philip and sister Karen, their enjoyment of bowling has only grown over time.
"When I go out with my friends and bowl sometimes, they’ll say, ‘You’re so serious, coming out with your bowling ball,’" Karen said. "But the truth is, that’s practice for me. Of course I’m going to take it seriously."
It probably doesn’t hurt that their mom is the coach — apparently a very meticulous coach.
"She goes over all the scores and lineups for the next week," said Karen. "We’ll talk about strategies and things too.
"She doesn’t cut any favors for us because we’re her son and daughter. Sometimes I think we’re treated harder," she said with a laugh. "We’re all treated equally. She treats all the players as her sons and daughters. The whole team is a family here."
Now that the senior’s final bowling season with the Vikings is complete, she’d like to continue practicing and perhaps strike up some more fun at college next fall.
"I want to study elementary education and continue to bowl," she said. "I love kids and I would love to be able to teach them. I don’t know if I’d ever coach like my mom does, though. That’s a hard position."
Her mother, who has been teaching health and physical education at Northeast High School for 30 years, regards it as one of life’s greatest experiences.
"From teaching to coaching to playing mom, it’s a busy, full schedule. But it’s a lot of fun and I love it," she said. "It’s good seeing all the kids grow and develop and go through their high school years, not just doing well with academics but also with sports. It’s just really exciting." ••