Hastings Senior High School adds bowling to the list of winter sports for the 21-22 year. The Tiger bowlers started practice on November 15.
Last year the bowling team was just a club playing against different teams. However, this year the NSAA voted to make bowling an official sport for high schools across Nebraska.
“It had been discussed for a number of years because bowling has been very popular throughout the state, NSAA schools had to vote for it to become a sanctioned sport. The vote failed the first time and was passed the second,” Athletic Director Tracy Douglas said.
Bowling has many returners coming back from the club last year. Some of them placed in state last year.
“I am looking forward to working with my coach and being able to hang out with my friends,” junior Dixie Rousseau said.
Although club teams were popular, schools didn’t know if they would have enough students out for the sport.
“Club teams were very popular but many didn’t know if there would be enough interest from schools across the state,” Douglas said.
Districts are not announced yet but state on February 8-9 in Lincoln just like many other sports.
“New student athletes will be able to compete in districts, sub-state, and eventually state. They will also be able to get a varsity letter just like any other sport,” Douglas said.
The boys bowling coach is Pete Theoharis and the girls coach is Kent Rothfuss. They practice at Pastime Lanes. Coach Theoharis has put up flyers around the school to try and get more students to become student athletes during the winter.
“I was asked by our activities director, Mrs. Douglas, if I was interested. I bowled competitively throughout my youth, and my parents ran a bowling center. So it is in my blood,” Coach Theoharis said.
The Tiger bowlers started practice on Monday, and their first meet is December 7 where they host Southern Valley.
“It was really fun and definitely less work than now. I guess there wasn’t as much pressure since it wasn’t a sport,” Rousseau said.
