Friday, Mar. 28, 2008
KISD rolls 3 bowling teams to state
By BRYCE NIEMAN
Both Central’s boys and girls teams and the Fossil Ridge boys team qualified for next weekend’s Texas high school bowling championships, after their performances in the Region II tournament on March 1.
It is the first trip to state for the Central girls and Fossil Ridge boys – actually a co-ed team with lone female Panther bowler Megan Bentham a vital member – while the Chargers boys team is making its second consecutive trip.
Absent from the state competition this year is Keller – which wrapped up a rebuilding year with only two bowlers returning this season – who had appeared there the previous five years.
Still, the coaches of the KISD teams said sending three teams to state is a big step toward getting the program some recognition.
Organized high school bowling has been around the Northeast Tarrant County area since 2000, but without being recognized as an official sport by the University Interscholastic League – the governing body of high school athletic and academic competition in Texas – the program has struggled at times to attract attention and maintain its numbers.
Keller coach Sam DaSilva has been leading the KHS bowlers since the program’s beginnings. When the bowling season started out this year, he had only four boys, three short of fielding a complete team.
DaSilva said he had to go to Keller High and personally request that an announcement about the team be made, because his previous submissions were not broadcast.
“The next day, I had 15 kids here,” DaSilva said after the word got out to the Indians’ student body.
The coach – who also bowls on the PBA Senior Tour – said he wasn’t expecting a lot out of this year’s team considering only two of his athletes had competitive experience. However, the team tied with Central for the lead in the North Fort Worth District, only finishing second off tie-breaker points.
DaSilva said he enjoys coaching when he’s not on tour, spending four afternoons a week with the program – two days a week for varsity, two for junior varsity.
“It’s been a great experience,” DaSilva said. “I love to coach the kids. Every day, every practice it is something new.”
Fossil Ridge’s trip to Houston next weekend will be a new experience for the Panthers, and Coach Doris Maxwell said she hopes it leads to more exposure for the program.
Maxwell said Ridge too has struggled in the past to get information out about the bowling team’s existence.
The KISD high schools have been resistant at times to pass along information about the team to the student body, she said, mainly because bowling is not a UIL-sanctioned sport.
Maxwell said members of Texas High School Bowling Club are trying to change that, working towards getting the sport to be recognized by the UIL. It’s a long process, however, requiring the group to annually petition the state.
“Our biggest block is the schools have to want it,” Maxwell said, and though the clubs already exist, the financial responsibilities of taking on another extracurricular activity have been discouraging.
“We’re not giving up though,” Maxwell said, noting the persistence of other sports like soccer and softball that eventually got UIL recognition. “We’ll make it some day.”
Not just fun & games
The bowlers that make up the Keller ISD clubs say they enjoy competing, mainly because it’s a fun time with their friends.
“The people that bowl, they’re all some of my best friends,” said Central’s Drew Guinn.
Guinn, along with teammates Patrick Adams, Justin Kogel, Travis Kogel, Matt Moses, Kyle Walker and Chas Whindom have qualified the Central boys team for its second consecutive trip to state.
Central bowlers Danielle Charles, Kymberli Connell, Myranda Fields, Stephanie Neely, Karissa Santana and Danielle Walker make up the girls team making its first trip to state.
Chargers coach Rene Walker – also an employee at Brunswick Zone in Watauga – said that though the team has a good time, there is more to the club than just having fun.
“It provides them an opportunity to get into a sport that lets everyone play,” Walker said. “They also have chances to get into other leagues, and some leagues and tournaments do provide scholarship money.”
Walker said high school bowlers also take away some lessons in discipline as it takes a strong will and consistent practice to become a better competitive bowler.
“We may not get as much publicity (as other sports),” Guinn said, “but people take this pretty seriously.”
Student bowlers are also eligible for physical education credit toward their diploma. To do so, KISD Athletics Director Bob DeJonge said a student would have to meet the district standard of 10 hours per week of coach-supervised practice or competition.
One of the guys
Bentham had been bowling competitively before she joined up with the Fossil Ridge club, but said she’s been impressed with how competitive the tournaments have been.
Still, the freshman said she bowls because it’s fun, and enjoyed being welcomed into the team.
“I like the friend’s I’ve made and the competition between teammates,” Bentham said.
Bentham is the lone female bowler on a co-ed team that competes in the boys division. She is joined on the team by brother Travis Bentham – the team’s top bowler by average – Cody Carter, Kris Kuykendall, Michael Langhan, Justin Mitchell and Eric Wallace.
Megan Bentham said all of her teammates have been welcoming of her to the team this season, though she often has to take some grief from the competition.
“Everybody else gives you stuff and they talk about you,” she said, “but it’s OK.”
The Fossil Ridge and Central teams are all hoping to represent the region well in Houston next weekend.
Central’s boys team was disappointed with its 39th place finish out of 41 teams last year, but Adams and Guinn said they think they can do better this season.
Maxwell said she’s just happy for the success all of the KISD teams have had this year.
“I’m so proud of all of our teams,” she said. “They’re so enthusiastic every time they compete and it’s contagious, passing along to each of the other KISD teams.”
Bentham will also take part in the individual competition as will Central’s Adams, Kyle Walker and Danielle Walker.
The Texas High School Bowling Club State Championships will be held Saturday and Sunday at Copperfield Bowl in Houston.
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