Bowling at Niles North seems to have always been overlooked, having the least amount of players consistently as compared to other sports. Coaches believe this may be due to the general unawareness that bowling is a competitive sport. However, especially with the season just a weekend away, this year could show a dramatic and positive change in the amount of players trying out and competing in bowling, all thanks to the determination of its players.
“One of the first things we’ve done is really utilize our current students and recurring bowlers to talk about the sport and recruit new kids and those that want to learn more,” Boys Bowling coach Louie Lainez said. “I think the other thing is increased (Thursday) information sessions. I think those have an opportunity for anyone who is interested to ask questions with no fear. I think it is working. It appears that our recruitment efforts from our returning bowlers have yielded an increased number of bowlers, returners and new. They create this environment of teamwork, camaraderie, and a commitment to the sport of bowling. To anyone who is interested in participating is to give it a try. There’s no harm in trying it, you’ll never know if bowling will be the sport for you. Come out, even if the last time you bowled you were in 5th grade, we will teach you how to roll the bowling ball, get strikes, make spares, have fun, and win.”
Since the announcement of Boys Bowling informational meetings, the upcoming bowlers have been putting up posters around the school to get people to attend. The team’s players have even set up an unofficial Instagram account, @nnboysbowling. Not only that, but some members have even spoken with members of the Student Activities Department, the Athletic Department, and school based media groups like North Star Broadcast. These efforts appear to have worked, with 12 different people attending the informational meetings and an alleged 24 people planning to try out, and possibly compete, for Boys Bowling this year.
“Bowling is a lifelong sport,” Boys Bowling coach Matt Holbrook said. “You know, other high school sports you play, but after high school you play a little recreationally. But bowling you can play up until your golden years. There’s guys bowling in the local alleys and they are O, L, D, even older than me. If you drive past Classic Bowl during the day, it’s packed with all these senior citizens, so it’s something you can do your whole life.”
While Boys Bowling is on the rise, since the COVID, Girls Bowling has seen a dramatic decrease in participants. Because of this, the Girls Bowling coach is doing everything he can to garner support and get girls into bowling.
“Since COVID, we have actually seen a decline in Girls Bowling,” Girls Bowling coach Richard Lee said.” Prior to that, we had about 20 to 24 girls come out for the team, and then COVID hit, and it steadily declined. Last year, we had only four girls. I have done everything I can possibly try to do, talked to (Athletic Director) Mr. Bildstein, talked to the girls on the team, etc. I’ve been trying to reach out to different avenues to get the word out that we are looking for bowlers. I had two girls graduate last year, so if we’re talking about rebuilding, that’s where I’m at right now. I’m just hoping to get enough people to fill the Varsity and JV team, so 12 girls; I need help. Many girls feel there’s a negative astigmatism attached to bowling. A lot of girls think bowling is lame so they don’t consider it a sport or bother trying to come out. If you don’t come out and learn at practice, how are you going to get any better?”
Meanwhile, the players of the Boys Bowling team has great expectations for the future of the season and for the upcoming competitions North will be participating in.
“I’ve been asking a lot of people, ‘Hey, are you doing anything, and if not, would you like to join Boys Bowling,’ and a lot of the time they say, ‘I’ll check it out,'” junior and Varsity bowler Jared Belen said. “Our team captain has been grinding his butt off promoting the team; he’s made posters, been trying to get people to join, going all around the school trying to promote it, and I think it’s starting to bring attention to this sport, so I applaud him for that. I hope that we get more people who are interested and want to learn how to bowl than last year. For the competitions, I hope we can win more games. We weren’t the best team in our conference, but we have a lot of returning faces, and we’re all trying to improve. So I think that we’re going to be able to get some wins this year.”
The season’s start is Oct. 23 and the Boys Bowling team encourages all interested boys to come to the Old Commons after school on that day for a quick school bus drive to Classic Bowl to get to know the environment. The first competitions are less than three weeks away as well, and almost any new beginner has a chance of making it into Varsity or JV with the right flexibility and dedication. Given such expansive promotional efforts, given how many players trying out this year, and even the expectations of the knowledgeable players, this looks to be one of Niles North’s best years in Boys Bowling.
