Bowling has long been one of the nation’s favorite recreational activities, and as a high school sport it enjoys a small but dedicated following. In the Chicago Public League 55 schools have bowling programs, averaging about ten bowlers per team.
A handful of these teams have competed at the top level
for the last several years and Morgan Park, who has a history of success in the
sport, won both the boys and girls championships this year.
“We have good coaches, we have summer camps, and people
come to us because we know what we are doing,” said Morgan Park boy’s head
coach Veodis Pickenpack, who has helped lead the Mustangs to 11 city
championships and one state bowling title.
But bowling, even more so than some other sports, needs
systematic support to prosper. No CPS school has its own bowling lanes, so
regular travel to neighborhood bowling alleys such as Skyway Bowl, Waveland
Bowl and Habetler Lanes is required. And in addition to that, bowling is no
longer part of physical education, so students don’t get the exposure to the
sport in gym class in school.
“Back in the day bowling was a part of physical education,
but we’re not doing that anymore so kids are not aware of bowling like they
once were,” said CPS bowling coordinator Elizabeth Almaguer.
“We’ve got to find some ways to get bowling back where
kids can pick it up in PE like they do tennis or golf, or volleyball and say ‘I
really can do this.’ “Then they join the team. It’s not the same with bowling,
so we’re trying to get the kids out to bowling alleys and that’s the hardest
thing,” Almaguer said.
Another issue in the development of CPS bowling is
funding. Equipment like bowling shoes, bowling balls, drills, and uniforms have
to be procured, and there are fees to rent the bowling facilities and pay for
and provide transportation to bowling alleys for practice and competitions.
Bowling enthusiasts are lobbying for more support from their schools, but it’s
an uphill battle with tight budgets and other sports that garner more attention
than bowling.
“I know bowling isn’t where basketball is for CPS,”
Almaguer said. “But we do have a lot of support. We want to get more schools on
board and that’s our target.”
In addition to schools pitching in to build their bowling
programs, local communities and businesses can also help out, said Morgan Park
girls bowling coach Norm Whitenhill.
“The owners of the bowling alleys need to understand and
recognize that this is their future clientele. And that they need to get
involved in the youth program at the high school level,” he said.
“Chicago Public Schools need to understand that there are
scholarships and opportunities available at the next level,” Whitenhill adds.
“And that these kids deserve as much recognition and accessibility as any other
sports program out of the 27 sports that are out there.”
The young bowlers at the CPS Championships were generally
exposed to the sport outside of school, and picked it up early in their lives.
They don’t bowl in high school for the glamour, they just enjoy the game.
“Bowling has been in my family all my life so it’s just
something I’ve always done,” said Michael Dunbar, a senior at Simeon who has a
163 average.
“I started liking it immediately, I like the environment
and the excitement around it. And it doesn’t bother me that bowling is not as
popular as some other sports. I like bowling because I grew up with it and
because it’s fun,” he said.
“It bothers me a little because people don’t really
understand all that goes into bowling,” said Morgan Park senior Kerry Epps.
“But as long as I know what I do on the lanes, that’s what matters the most.”
Bowling has also benefited several Morgan Park bowlers in
the form of college scholarships. More than 20 bowlers over the last ten years
have received full and partial scholarships, and this payoff is actually the
most important aspect of the entire bowling process Pickenpack said.
“Education is the most important thing,” he said. “We want
them to get an education, to stay off of the street and become good citizens.
And we want to help the parents who can’t pay for college by themselves. That’s
why I’ve been pushing this bowling thing for years.”
Copyright
2011 Chicago Defender
