For former Cookeville Cavaliers lacrosse player Carson Bowling, lacrosse was not something he stumbled upon. It was something he grew up watching.
With three older brothers playing the sport, Bowling picked up a stick at an early age. What started as following in their footsteps quickly turned into something more serious. Over time, Bowling said his commitment grew to the point where he made a defining decision, stepping away from football and baseball to focus entirely on lacrosse.
Bowling developed into one of the top offensive weapons for the Cookeville Cavaliers, finishing his career with more than 60 goals and nearly 100 total points. But his rise did not happen overnight.
Bowling said he credits much of his early development to head coach Kurt Snider, who helped him quickly grasp the sport.
“It’s one of the most physical sports I’ve ever played,” Bowling said. “I think lacrosse is just a combination of so many sports so you’re getting everything out of it. You’re just not using one explicit skill. You’\re using skills from every single sport you’ve ever played and putting it into one.”
That blend of athleticism and versatility showed up on the field. Bowling spent time at both attack and midfield during his career, using footwork and agility, skills sharpened during his football days, to create scoring opportunities.
His senior season in 2021 marked the peak. Bowling helped lead Cookeville to a state championship appearance, a run he said was defined less by talent and more by connection.
“It wasn’t really all of our skill that year [that took us to state,] it was the friendships,” Bowling said. “It helped me go on to play at the next level at Tennessee Wesleyan, and lacrosse has made some of the best friendships I’ve ever made.”
Bowling said he still keeps in touch with his teammates from that championship run, a testament to the culture that team built. Now playing at the collegiate level at Tennessee Wesleyan, Bowling has not drifted far from his roots. Whenever he is back in Cookeville, Bowling said he returns to help the next generation of Cavaliers.
“I probably try and think of some of the bigger lessons and even some of the smaller tips that I didn’t feel like I got and kind of learned a little later on to the younger guys,” Bowling said. “If I see them doing something, then just kind of pull therm aside being like hey, maybe you should try this instead of that or this is why that worked, just kind of give them the confidence and encouragement that they need.”
From learning the game by watching his brothers to becoming a leader on a state championship team, Bowling’s journey has come full circle, now passing down the same knowledge that once helped him grow.