News : VS Board considers adding bowling as school sport

Jordan Schottmer began bowling at the age of 2 – when he was big enough to pick up a bowling ball, says his father, Kipp.

Now, as he enters ninth grade, Jordan, who has been bowling competitively since age 7, has a good chance to compete for his high school.

The Vinton-Shellsburg School Board heard a presentation from Michelle Gosse, the mom of bowlers Jared and Jacob, on Monday evening. Michelle asked the board to approve adding bowling as a high school sport, and the board seemed receptive to her suggestion.

After discussing the issue for nearly a half-hour, the board agreed to formally consider the request during its July or August meeting.

“A bowling team would give students an opportunity to represent our school well in another sport,” Jacob Gosse told the board.

Michelle told the school board that her older son, Jared, has received a bowling scholarship to Mount Mercy. But, she said, if Jared had had the opportunity to compete in high school bowling, he would have had the chance to learn some delivery techniques before he got to the college level.

Michelle Gosse read an email from Jordan, in which he expressed his enthusiasm for that sport.

“I would love to bowl in high school,” he wrote. “I am not a basketball player or wrestler, but would love to compete in a winter sport. Playing on a high school team could help me improve my techniques and possibly help me earn a bowling scholarship to college.”

Also, he wrote, bowling teams help promote sportsmanship and build friendships among players from different cities.

The teams would practice two nights a week, and normally compete on Friday evenings, Michelle Gosse said.

The main question facing the board is whether to make bowling an officially sanctioned sport. This would allow the participants to earn varsity letters; it would also mean a financial commitment. Mrs. Gosse estimated the annual costs of the program to be around $4,300.

Fund-raising events could include a bowling clinic led by Jared Gosse and his teammates at Mount Mercy, Michelle Gosse said.

Superintendent Mary Jo Hainstock said school officials would look at the expense numbers with a “sharper pencil” before recommending to the school board how to address bowling.

“Obviously there is a lot of interest in this among kids and parents,” said the superintendent. “We need to balance the interest with the financial requirements.”

Michelle Gosse contacted other schools with bowling programs with questions about how those districts handle bowling. She said she received very prompt and helpful responses.

Students Jacob and Alyssa Bunge also wrote to the board in support of the bowling program, saying that bowling would provide a sport that fits well with the schedule of those in band.

Parent Randy Stein called bowling a “safe choice,” saying bowling is another way to help high school students feel good about themselves.

“It’s nice to have choices in athletics as well as academics,” Stein said.

School board member and former PE teacher Mike Timmermans said that bowling has been part of the VS PE program, and that Steve Berry (owner of the local bowling alley) does a great job of teaching and working with students.