HILLSDALE — Ben Champion never planned on becoming a winter dual-sport athlete.
Basketball had always been his priority at Hillsdale High School. Tennis filled his fall. Baseball followed in the spring. Bowling, though, entered his life unexpectedly — not as a long-term plan, but as a way to stay connected to competition when basketball was temporarily taken away.
A knee injury during his junior year forced Champion into recovery and uncertainty. At the time, the possibility of returning to the court was far from guaranteed.
“Last year around the time of my surgery, I didn’t think I was going to be able to come back,” Champion said.
He missed Hillsdale’s district title game, watching from the sidelines as a junior — an experience that reshaped how he viewed both opportunity and perspective in athletics.
“I hated being away from it because of the knee injury,” he said.
Looking for another competitive outlet during recovery, Champion joined the Hornets boys bowling team, following several familiar faces from the tennis program. What began as a temporary alternative quickly developed into something more meaningful.
“I decided to do bowling because it’s fun,” Champion said. “A lot of my teammates are from tennis. We’re doing bowling, and I just go with them for fun.”
Now a senior, Champion is finishing his final winter season balancing varsity basketball and bowling — a combination that’s unique amongst dual sport athletes.
“Basketball is my primary sport,” Champion said. “I’ll never miss a basketball game. I’ve been to half of some of the bowling matches.”
That balance has required flexibility. On nights when schedules overlap, Champion bowls early and leaves mid-match to make tip-off.
“Normally I do two bakers and then one singles game, and then I leave for basketball,” he said.
The routine has become familiar enough to draw attention from teammates. One moment during the season, Champion got lucky and had a basketball and bowling match in the same city.
“They think it’s funny that I’m bowling and playing basketball,” Champion said.
Now in his second season with the bowling program, Champion has become a steady contributor for a Hillsdale team that has posted season-high scores in recent weeks. Despite limited practice time, he has found consistency on the lanes. He recently led the team to a 17-13 match win over Adrian Madison.
His 214 and 288 games gave him a 502 series. 288 is the current LCAA league-high score for a single game. Champion had 10 straight strikes and a spare.
“I don’t practice much,” Champion said. “But I haven’t felt the need to. I’ve been doing pretty well.”
His return to basketball came late in the preseason, following a last-minute decision to try out.
“It was late October,” Champion said. “I didn’t go to the first basketball meeting, but I texted coach and said, ‘Hey, I want to try out.’ I’ll go to conditioning and some practices and see how I like it.”
Since then, Champion has settled into a role off the bench for a Hillsdale team navigating injuries and roster turnover. While his minutes have fluctuated, his presence has added depth during a demanding winter stretch.
Champion led the team with 17 points in an early season win over Dundee; this included four 3s.
Managing both sports, he said, has been more manageable than many assume.
“It’s not as hard as some people think it is,” Champion said. “My schedule for school is really easy. I’m taking some college classes, some electrical courses to help with my HVAC.”
Bowling’s appeal, Champion added, lies in its accessibility.
“It’s a fun and easy sport,” he said. “It’s really easy to do on your own, so that’s why it’s easy to do with basketball as well.”
Asked whether bowling will remain part of his life after high school, Champion didn’t hesitate.
“I’ll definitely be bowling for a while,” he said.
This spring, Champion will return to the baseball diamond for his final season, where he was one of Hillsdale’s most dependable contributors a year ago. He made 10 starts as the team’s primary bullpen arm, ranked second on the team in putouts, and finished second in both RBIs and runs scored — production that reflected his value on both sides of the ball.
Tennis in the fall, and now basketball and bowling in the winter, and baseball in the spring. Each season has asked something different of Champion.
Bowling, however, arrived at the right moment, filling a competitive gap during recovery and becoming something he expects to carry with him beyond high school.
“I just love my teammates,” Champion said. “Same thing with basketball. I just love both teams.”
This article originally appeared on Hillsdale Daily News: How Hillsdale senior Ben Champion navigates dual sport winter
Reporting by Joseph Flaherty, Hillsdale Daily News / Hillsdale Daily News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
