Rams succeeding in 1st year bowling

Sportsmanship, relationship building and learning a lifelong sport. That's what bowling offers to students, along with it being an alternative to mainstream sports. For two local schools, the ability to provide one more avenue for a sport for students that want to be in sports, but not in the traditional ones offered, has spurred an interest that they weren't expecting and caused bowling teams to be produced from them. The Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) officially sanctioned bowling as a high school sport during the 2006-2007 school year, though some schools had them as early as the 2000-2001 school year. In terms of local schools though, in 2020, Clyde, Columbian, Fostoria, Lakota, and Old Fort started theirs, and except for Fostoria, currently compete in the Sandusky Bay Conference. The Northern 10 Athletic Conference currently doesn't have enough bowling teams to form a league, so schools in the N10 have had to come up with an alternative league to compete in. Schools like Seneca East, who started their bowling program two years ago, joined the Northwest Ohio Bowling League (NOBL). Currently, there is SE, along with Bucyrus, Colonel Crawford, Fostoria, Liberty-Benton, North Baltimore, and Wynford. Joining the ranks this season as a newly minted program is Upper Sandusky. At the end of May of 2024, coach Paul Mates knew that US had been wanting to start a bowling program, as they saw other schools in the area start theirs. He approached current athletic director Blake England about being the coach. England wasn't so sure and wanted to be informed. "When I was first approached about starting a bowling team, I wanted to know more about it," England said. "I wanted to know how many students were interested, how the league works, and what alternatives to the N10 was open to us. I have to thank Diane Kaple for that." The job was posted during the summer, but with the uncertainty of whether or not it would happen, no one came to it. Mates jumped on the opportunity at the start of the current school year. He felt confident that with his previous football coaching, and having coached his children's soccer and youth flag football teams, that he could take the helm. He is also a teacher in the district, teaching math as well, and likes seeing students excel beyond the classroom. "I have always enjoyed coaching," Mates said. "Seeing players mature in their craft, while developing a love for the game and the knowledge and teamwork skills they develop is inspiring." Once England got confirmation through winter "open lanes," a day and time during the week that kids came out and bowled, they used that information to determine whether to go full on varsity or club sport. "I felt confident jumping in directly to a varsity sport," England said. "It's been a good investment as we now have both JV and varsity boys and girls teams." With having four teams, they needed an extra coach, and Caleb Carroll joined Mates at the helm, and thus, the Rams bowling program was born. Much like other schools, US allows for athletes to be dual, and with how many are on the team, that is a benefit. With 30 students initially signing up for the inaugural teams, it was a huge success for numbers. Add another 5-10 students who are eighth graders this year, and possibly some more high school students, and the teams will expand. That isn't the only thing expanding either. "I absolutely love the fact that we now have bowling at USHS," England said. "It provides an opportunity for a different demographic of our student population to get involved in high school sports, but also allows us to continue community partnerships and utilize a local business as our home facility for bowling matches." The Rams call Wyandot Lanes home, which Mates admits that without their partnership, there would not be a bowling program. The current girls team have 2-3 girls that have experience. The remaining seven are brand new to the sport. As for the boys team, half of them are brand new to the sport too. For experienced coaches like Mates and Carroll, that doesn't discourage them. "We have a great group of kids," Mates said. "These kids, the ones helping us establish our program, work hard at practices and improve their skills." The other advantage that coaches remind the team of is that the Rams only have three seniors, which means the majority will be back next year. "We have a lot of freshman and sophomores," Mates said. "They are learning what it takes to compete at the varsity level. They have high expectations of themselves and get discouraged at times. We remind them that the quality of competition they face in the NOBL are heavily weighted with upperclassmen, and not to give up." Accomplishments so far include the girls teams finishing in the top half of the NOBL kickoff tournament, as well as them advancing to the championship round of the Kenton Holiday Baker Bowling Tournament, earning the fifth seed. They also competed against Findlay (Division 1) and won one of five games. Current members to watch include Olivia Griswold, Brynn Routzahn, Dalton Schock, Afton Green, and Wyatt Barrett. The goals for the teams this season include finishing in the top half of the NOBL, and possibly making a run, whether it's team or individual, beyond the first round of the OHSAA tournament. England has gotten nothing but extremely positive support from the community. "Our community has always been fantastic about embracing and supporting our athletic programs," England said. "Bowling just added a sport to show support for. As it becomes more well known and concrete in our general athletic events, I believe the support will continue to build." The uniqueness of the sport helps, along with a good following, it being the first bowling team helped propel the popularity. While England would love a trophy, it's not what the school is after at the moment. "Increasing the number of student athletes is the ultimate goal," England said. "Giving more opportunities for athletes to participate is going to allow us to be more competitive and successful for many years to come."