H.S. Bowling On The Rise In Florida

At Riverdale High School’s open house earlier this month, the hot topic wasn’t football or volleyball, it was bowling.

“School hadn’t even started yet and I had parents and students asking me where they could sign up,” said Raiders bowling coach Tim Nenow.

“We had our first team meeting today and there were probably 70, 75 males and females there.”

Students throughout Lee County are clamoring for the eight boys and eight girls spots on their high school’s varsity bowling teams.

Six Lee County bowling alleys (All Star Lanes, Gator Lanes, Lehigh Lanes, Pin Street, Coral Lanes, Friendship Lanes) are sponsoring bowling as a varsity sport for Lee’s 13 public high schools for at least the next five years.

The bowling centers are footing the costs for coaches, uniforms, facility time, etc., in exchange for drawing a new, younger demographic to their facilities.

Athletic directors and coaches from Cape Coral, Mariner, Dunbar and East Lee County reported having 40-plus kids

interested in joining their school’s bowling teams. In less than a week, Lehigh had 103 students sign up for its teams.

“If we had a longer period to advertise, we would probably have more,” Lightning bowling coach Tanya Roach said.

Lee coaches and ADs met with area bowling proprietors and the FHSAA’s bowling administrator Harvard Jones on Saturday to discuss rules and put together an outline of the pending fall season. Bowling tryouts begin at most schools this week.

“With bowling we’re reaching a segment of the student population that hasn’t been affected by athletics before,” Mariner High athletic director and Lee County Athletic Conference chairman Vito Mennona said.

“Every student has a switch that keeps them in school … Here’s a segment of the student body, and we’ve found their switch.”

Coaches acknowledged the sign-up numbers have likely been inflated by kids hoping to get a free shirt and a few complimentary rounds at the lanes.

But Jones said make no mistake – bowling is a very real, very competitive sport.

“My personal best is a 299,” said Austin Brewer, a tournament bowler who averages around 200, and a junior who will be trying out for the North Fort Myers High team this week.

“I never thought I’d be bowling for my high school. I had no idea it would become varsity, but here it is. It’s pretty exciting.”

Not all schools will field bowling teams.

Estero High has opted out, citing the distance from the school to Gator Lanes, its assigned alley for practices and games. South Fort Myers High AD Bill Blakemore said interest at his school has been light.

But at schools such as Riverdale, some tough decisions will be made this week.

“We’re going to cut to 15 tomorrow and eight on Thursday so we can get our uniform orders in,” Nenow said.

“I’m flabbergasted. I’ve never seen interest like this.”