SHELBY — Bowlers at Shelby High School will now have a chance to earn their varsity letter.
Instead of the traditional renewal of bowling as a club sport after three years, the school board voted Monday to incorporate bowling as a varsity sport, beginning with the 2018-2019 season.
The motion passed with the backing of Athletic Director Pat Lewis and Principal John Gies.
“Everybody in this room grew up bowling at some time,” said Supt. Tim Tarvin. “Whether it’s golf or bowling, those types of activities and sports are lifelong. It’s fantastic you guys have gotten involved in that.”
Moving forward, bowling will be a varsity sport for both boys and girls in the winter. Shelby now has football, cross country, golf, girls’ tennis and volleyball in the fall; basketball, bowling, swimming and wrestling in the winter; and baseball, softball, boys’ tennis and track in the spring.
“It gives the kids another chance to letter in a sport, and learning the team aspect for the ones who don’t play the other sports in Shelby,” said bowling coach Jamie Williams.
Williams grew up bowling in Shelby. He helped create bowling as a club sport in Shelby three years ago at the urging of his niece. Since then the sport has grown to 10 boys and 10 girls on the team.
“We just keep improving,” Williams said.
Years ago, the city of Shelby had its own bowling alley, Rhythm Bowl, on East Whitney Avenue. Now, the bowling team travels to Dynasty Lanes in Willard for practices and home matches, a 20-minute drive from Shelby.
“That shows how dedicated these guys are,” Tarvin said.
Incorporating bowling as a varsity sport also means the team is eligible to receive more financial assistance from the school, a fact for which Williams is grateful.
“We have the rental fees for the bowling alley, which sports like football and baseball don’t have,” he said.
Williams said he is looking forward to the extended opportunities that becoming a varsity sport will bring to the students on the team. One former Shelby bowler went on to bowl at Muskingum University in New Concord after two trips to state.
“It’s a good thing for the kids,” Williams said.
