Bowling as a sport is on the rise in high school students’ eyes: in fact, it has already surpassed lacrosse as a high school-level sport in Ohio. Bowling is a game of skill in which practice is key.
The bowling club will start its WCHS career under the guidance of Dan Thompson, owner of Capri Lanes, and an extremely talented bowler; he has bowled 23 games with a score of 300. Under his guidance, the team should flourish.
Mr. Thompson is not new to starting bowling leagues; in fact he has initiated three: Desales was first, in 2001-02. He was head coach there for two years and won the team’s first state tourney with the girls’ team. He also initiated the Westerville North Bowling program in the 2004-05 season and coached them for two years, going to states both times. He also started the Olentangy Liberty bowling program with its 2006-07 season.
The Worthington Christian Bowling team will not be starting with all novice bowlers; Jared Shields, a current junior, is a bowling aficionado who will definitely be an asset to the team. Jared has bowled for eleven years and finished this season on April 18th. His highest game this season was a 257. When asked what he thought of a bowling team, he said “It’s about time!” Jared’s attitude will be a major motivator in the success of the team: the fact that the team members enjoy bowling.High school bowling in the state of Ohio began in 2001.The two goals were simple: get more teenagers involved in the sport, and help high school bowling to become a Varsity sport. These goals were met, and, in fact, high school bowling is becoming one of the fastest-growing Varsity sports in Ohio.
In high school bowling, Varsity and Junior Varsity teams both need at least five bowlers, with a maximum of eight bowlers. The Bowling program at Worthington Christian will begin as a “club level” sport, and we hope, with enough interest, that it will become a Varsity sport.
When the Bowling program at WCHS begins its first season, it will be hosted by Capri Lanes, which will become WCHS’s “home house,” where the team will hold its practices and its home matches.
The team will begin optional practices in November and will hold tryouts at the end of November. Once members of the team are selected, mandatory practices will start in December. By the middle of December, the team will be bowling in matches. After these matches, district, regional, and state tournaments will follow from late February to early in March.For anyone interested in trying out for the team, Capri Lanes will be holding open bowling on Saturday nights this summer. So even if you haven’t bowled much, but have an interest in the sport, come out to the open bowls so that you can hone your skills and be ready for tryouts in November!
