School board should sanction boys bowling team
I am a longtime bowler and have been an avid supporter of our high school bowling program at the club level throughout the last decade.
It’s been wonderful to see bowling progress from one “open” tournament a year when I was a Newton student in the early 1990s, to the club level sport, and to the sanctioned activity it is today within the IGHSAU and IHSAA.
However, I am disappointed with the Newton school board’s decision to no longer sanction the boys bowling team.
I understand that Newton is shrinking in population and enrollment. We are transitioning from a 4A sized school district to a 3A sized school district. The amount of cuts our school board and Superintendent Steve McDermott will be forced to recommend will not be easy. No school in the state has seen the drop of enrollment that Newton has over the last five years. So bowling is just the tip of the iceberg with cuts to be made yet. While I can understand cuts to the teaching staff, administration and facilities, I don’t understand why boys bowling was cut.
I exchanged several e-mails with Mr. McDermott this past week, so I want to thank him for his professionalism and time to respond to my questions. But I still do not agree with the school board’s decision. I can’t pretend to know all of the financial details but I do know a lot of them. The girl’s bowling coach was willing to coach both boys and girls to keep them on the lanes if necessary. The travel expenses for the boys would not cost the school anything extra since all of the bowling tournaments are boys and girls combined, resulting in both teams riding in the same vehicle. Plus, “The Iowa Bowling Federation” would have paid the school district $500 to sanction the boy’s bowling team, not to mention the extra admission money that would have been collected at the home meets. So where was any money saved by cutting boys bowling?
Twenty-four student-athletes have lost their chance to participate in boys bowling this year. And most of those students are not involved in any other school activity, which is the best reason to have bowling at our school. Bowling reaches a different set of kids who want to compete. Forty-one other Iowa schools with a smaller enrollment than Newton are keeping their boys bowling teams, why can’t we?
I also don’t think our school board understands the drive and motivation the bowling community has to make this a sanctioned sport. We’ve already started a program at the club level and sustained it for 10 years. There is a track record of how dedicated bowlers and bowling organizations are at the state and local levels, not to mention the bowling centers themselves not charging a dime to anyone. I would think with our credibility we would have earned some faith to continue donating funds if required.
Bowling is different from other sports as there are local, state, and national levels of government and organizations that support bowling. And there are multiple organizations within those levels. No other sport within the school system has that kind of support at its disposal.
Bowling also is growing at the college level. Several schools have recently added bowling to their athletic programs and are offering sizable scholarships. William Penn, and St. Ambrose have both added bowling within the last year. Because of growth at the high school level, colleges are seeing the opportunity to attract students to their institutions, which is one more reason to keep bowling in our school.
I don’t want to come across angry or bitter. I understand the perception and political implications of supporting an extra activity when we’re facing the budget issues we are. And academics are obviously the first priority for our school. I am keeping the faith that our school board and superintendent is doing all they can to support our kids. I hope in the future they will reconsider boys bowling.
The girls bowling team has the talent to compete for a state title this year and in the next few years to come. Most of the Varsity bowlers will be sought after by colleges that offer bowling scholarships.
Hopefully I have stood up for our kids and for our bowling community’s vision of promoting bowling as a high school sport. In my opinion the cost to support 40 to 50 boy and girl student-athletes is worth the investment.
I would like to strongly encourage the school board members, Mr. Kalkhoff and Mr. McDermott to attend a bowling event this season to see the passion and excitement that is demonstrated by these wonderful student athletes. The home meets are scheduled for Dec. 19 and Jan. 2.
