By William Soquet
Contributing Writer
Name: Owen Bowers
Parents: Nick and Jolene Bowers
Activity: Wrestling
Instagram: @Bowers.Owen14
Owen is a mainstay of the Jaguar wrestling team, wrestling in the 132-pound weight class. He was named a second-team all-conference wrestler last year in the Fox River Classic Conference and is looking to build upon that in his senior year.
How did your wrestling over break go?
“We wrestled at UW-Oshkosh, there’s a tournament run there. I placed fourth in a 64-man bracket. It wasn’t completely full, but I went 6-2 on the tournament, so it was a pretty good tournament. Beat a lot of good wrestlers, so I was pretty happy with the results. It was a good tournament.”
How is the competition in your weight class?
“There’s a lot of very good wrestlers in that weight class. There’s a lot of guys ranked in the state in my conference and in the area in general.”
You were second-team all-Fox River Classic Conference last year. How have you improved this year?
“I set these goals for myself. Last year, I was second team, and this year, I’d like to be first team and qualify for state and a bunch of other stuff. At practice, coaches know exactly what I want, my teammates know what I want, I know what my teammates want, so we push each other really hard and we want to try to accomplish those goals together. Just working really hard at practices trying to get better.”
Would you say that the Ashwaubenon wrestling team has grown as a team throughout your four years?
“We switched head coaches two years ago, so there’s a big change. The mentality of the team definitely changed — when I was a freshman we had a lot of very good wrestlers and you know they left, they graduated and we kind of had to restart. The program definitely took a step backwards, but we’re definitely climbing right now. We’re building a competitive program with a lot of very good young wrestlers, so I’m excited to see what they’re going to be able to do after I leave.”
What is your favorite way to get a takedown on another wrestler?
“I usually like to go with my outside single.”
Are there any specific moments or specific matches that stand out to you as one of your favorites throughout your time at Ashwaubenon?
“If I had to pick one, it would probably be my freshman year. We wrestled against Bay Port. I wrestled a guy I lost to earlier in the season and we wrestled them at our home dual, it was a conference dual and I pulled off a last-minute takedown to beat him, which was pretty big at the time.”
Do you ever go out to eat after your matches? If so, where’s your favorite place to go?
“We always go out, and we like to change it up, but we’ll go to Noodles & Company a lot. Chick-fil-A, too, they’re both kind of right by us, so good spots to go.”
Do you believe in eating breakfast? If so, what’s your favorite breakfast food?
“I really like breakfast but during wrestling season I can’t really eat it to control my weight, but when I do I usually like either cereal or I like waffles, too.”
Who are a few of the artists at the top of your music playlist right now?
“I like to listen to country music, so Morgan Wallen’s up there. But then during wrestling season I like to switch it up, go to rock a little bit. I listen to a lot of Five Finger Death Punch.”
Besides wrestling, what are some of the hobbies you have?
“During the fall I do a lot of hunting, and then summer and winter I’ll do a lot of fishing, so hunting and fishing.”
Do you have any animal heads hanging on the wall at home or any fish on the wall?
“Yeah, I have a couple. I always used to go ice fishing with my grandpa mostly, and I’ve caught a lot of big fish with him. So a lot of very special moments out there, and a lot of big fish, too. So those are my best moments right there.”
What kind of fish do you try to catch?
“I go for a lot of northerns [pike] usually.”
Where is a favorite place that you have traveled?
“My family traveled a lot, mostly when I was younger, because there were less sport commitments. But one of my favorite places I’ve gone is probably Jamaica.”
What’s your favorite subject in school?
“I always like science.”
What do you think some of your plans after high school would be?
“As of right now, I plan to go to UW-Whitewater, and I’m going to be majoring in finance.”
What sparked the interest in finance?
“I knew a couple people who were in that field, and I’ve always been pretty big in math and numbers and stuff like that. I’ve taken a couple investing classes and finance classes and they are interesting.”