Strange, new world for high school bowling

No raucous crowds packing the concourse, just an occasional subdued cheer — high school bowling, like most other sports, is noticeably different this season.

“As a coach, every year is a little different but, now, every day is different,” Centerville coach Andy Parker said. “I’ve had to adapt continually and so have the kids. The nice thing about my kids is that they’re resilient and able to adapt to whatever we need to do.”

From reduced rosters to regular temperature checks and matches with few, if any, fans in attendance, change has been a constant this season. And schedules are anything but set in stone.

“We had three weeks off because of COVID,” Fairmont coach Jeremy Fleck said. “Now we have a match, tournament or practice on 12 of the next 14 days.”

The Elks are in a similar situation as a result of canceled or postponed competitions.

“We have six straight days with matches or a tournament,” Parker said.

The rigorous schedules become even more challenging as teams are only permitted to have six, instead of the usual eight, bowlers on the roster.

“I have girls who I’d like to get varsity experience but it’s really difficult with only being able to have six bowlers,” Troy coach Rob

Dever said. “It’s really difficult to do the things I’d normally do as a coach.”

Some leagues, like the Miami Valley Conference, are only allowing play within the conference and tournament participation is not permitted until the postseason. The limited pool of competition can be a source of frustration.

“When you bowl with or against good teams, you get better,” Dever said. “There is some good competition in the conference, but you’re not going to gain any tournament experience if you can’t bowl in any tournaments.”

While dealing with scheduling and rescheduling and disappointed parents, who long to cheer on their bowlers, can be headache-inducing, programs have found a new and useful tool in Facebook Live. Many teams have created their own pages and, now, livestream their matches.

“Some people really like watching the matches from home,” Parker said.

The videos have also been a helpful tool for bowlers who can watch them after the match and make adjustments the next time they are on the lanes.

And no amount of new policies or protocols can diminish the excitement of the bowlers and coaches alike this season.

“Going into the fall, we didn’t know if we’d even have a season,” Parker said.

“We’re not going to use any of the changes as excuses, we just need to go out and bowl and have fun,” Dever said.

Fleck agrees.

“I’m just glad we can bowl,” he said. “We all just want these kids to enjoy it.”