It has been a long time coming, but bowling finally has broken through the middle school glass door in one Illinois school district.
Rockford Public Schools (RPS 205) has had a middle school bowling program for more than 30 years — a program in which there were no cuts and everyone had an opportunity to compete, provided they paid a $90 fee for the whole season.
But this season saw a change: Those in RPS 205 now don’t pay a cent because bowling has been elevated from a club sport to an official school sport, meaning it is on the same level as football, baseball and other sports. Middle schools not in RPS 205 still have the $90 fee for the season, which includes all practices, matches, tournaments, bowling ball and shoe rental and uniforms. Brad Sommer leads the program for the district.
“I think (being free to join) and having no cuts has been a driving force for a lot of parents to try and convince a student that’s never done a school sport before,” said Sommer. “It reduces a barrier of entry and helps participation knowing that a kid is going to make the team.”
He said that there has been about a 40% increase in sign-ups this season after having 357 middle schoolers participate last season. A majority of those that join the program continue into high school and continue bowling as adults — some 30 years later.
“They’re embedded in adult leagues now, their families bowl and they have kids who are joining bumper and youth leagues,” he said. “It’s a great way to get families involved in the sport and see it carry on from generation to generation.”
Prior to this season, bowling was classified as a club sport at the middle school level, meaning that those who joined had to pay the $90 fee to cover the costs. “We just had to find that one person in the district or in the schools that [was] going to fight for [us], and [then] you can make magic happen,” Sommer said.
That one person in Rockford was Dawn Williamson, the director of athletics, activities and program development in RPS 205, who helped lobby to make bowling an official school sport at the middle school level in the district.
“Supporting bowling at the middle and high school levels is a no-brainer in my opinion,” said Williamson.
“It’s no small financial feat, that’s for sure,” she added, alluding to the need for uniforms, equipment, coach stipends, transportation and so on. “But it’s well worth it.”
Sommer credits Williamson for getting other athletic directors on board with a fully funded middle school program.
“(Dawn) was able to sell it (to the athletic directors) in that bowling was the perfect sport because you don’t have to be the strongest, fastest or tallest in your class to achieve success; you just put in hard work and practice and can make something of it for yourself.”
Joining Williamson in this endeavor was Abigail Oleson, the athletics specialist for the district, who is “thrilled to see the level of interest in young bowlers grow” after partnering with Sommer.
“By eliminating the burden of costs for our families, we were hopeful that it would provide more opportunity for our students to explore the sport,” said Oleson. “I believe it’s done just that, and we are looking forward to seeing the positive impact this has on the bowling community and our families in years to come.”
Those who join the middle school program get coaching from high school coaches.
Other school districts around the country have also begun to offer bowling as a club sport at the middle school level, showing that bowling has room to grow. Now, those school districts can look to RPS 205 as a blueprint on how to elevate bowling into an official school sport.
Brad Sommer is the son of John Sommer Jr., who helped build the Ladies Pro Bowlers Tour in 1980 and created High School Bowling USA (now USBC High School). The elder Sommer also is known for his involvement with Bowler’s Ed and In School Bowling.
Bowling Center Management Online 
Leave a comment