Question of the week: Why has bowling been embraced as a varsity sport?

Source: The Star

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Hayhow

Kriss

Ottens

Morgan

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Kansas varsity bowlers have their state tournaments Saturday in Topeka and Wichita. Still relatively new at the varsity level in this area, the sport has grown in popularity among Kansas high school athletes in recent years.

Why has bowling been embraced as a varsity sport?•Nathan Kriss, Sumner Academy junior: “You don’t have to be big. You don’t have to be small. Anybody can do it. A lot of people say it’s not football, it’s not basketball, but it’s just as hard as any of the sports. If you come up to that state (tournament), it’s just as hard. People need to start cutting us some slack. I’ve done all the sports, and bowling is by far the most competitive I’ve ever done.”

•Renee Stevens, Shawnee Mission West coach: “It provides another opportunity for all those great things that high school sports provide for kids. And it’s really exciting, and it’s really loud. … It’s a great atmosphere. I really think that if people came out to watch it, they would get it. They would understand why high school bowling is growing.”

•Shannon Morgan, Olathe South senior: “It enhances your mind … because it is a sport where you have to think. It’s not maybe a contact sport, but it’s a sport where you have to think about every shot. And it’s also a team sport.”

•Christian Smith, Sumner Academy junior: “Most people don’t think bowling is competitive, but it’s real competitive. I play all the other sports, and it’s by far one of the most competitive sports. It’s intense. Only you control what you do. It’s all on you.”

•Garrett Hayhow, Olathe South sophomore: “It’s not as easy as it looks. It’s also mental because you can’t get down on yourself. So it’s all around a pretty tough sport. … People really actually get into it. It doesn’t seem like a really competitive sport, but people do get into it.”

•Sarah Ottens, Sumner Academy senior: “Because anyone can do it. It doesn’t matter your size, how tall you are or anything. It’s not like basketball. Anybody can do it. It’s very versatile. I’m just really glad it came about because I’ve been bowling my entire life. And I think once more people see the success that other schools are having in it, they’re going to embrace it.”

Basketball games to watch•No. 2 Bishop Miege boys at St. Thomas Aquinas — The 19-2 Stags and 13-8 Saints meet for the third time this season, in the 5A substate finals at 7:45 tonight at Aquinas. Aquinas is one of two teams to beat Miege this season, but the Stags won last week when the teams met at Miege.

•No. 3 St. James Academy boys vs. No. 2 Basehor-Linwood — This Kansas 4A substate semifinals game at 7:30 tonight at Spring Hill is as good a matchup as any around. St. James, 17-3, is having a breakthrough season, while Basehor-Linwood, 15-5, has been nearly unbeatable the second half the season.

•Sumner Academy boys vs. Pittsburg — These teams bring matching 17-4 records into their Kansas 5A substate championship game at 5 p.m. tonight at St. Thomas Aquinas.

•Blue Valley North girls vs. No. 2 Blue Valley — Last season, Blue Valley lost to Blue Valley North in substate after beating the Mustangs twice during the regular season. Now, after beating Blue Valley North twice this season, the 20-1 Tigers will try to avoid a repeat of last year. The game is at 5 p.m. today at Shawnee Mission East.

•SM West girls at SM East — It’s a matter of speed vs. size in the Sunflower League matchup at 7:45 tonight at SM East. SM East is undersized but makes up for it with its up-tempo style. SM West, on the other hand, likes to slow it down and take advantage of its height in the post. Should be fun.

- 2008-02-28 22:38:02