Scots strike it big as team
MOUNT VERNON — A number of Highland Varsity jackets sprawled across the back of the chairs at Colonial Lanes on Friday night. The group of fourteen laughed, high-fived, and watched the pins fly. It wasn’t just a night out with a bunch of friends — it was bowling practice. This year marks the first season that the Ohio High School Athletic Association has offered bowling as a varsity sport. Highland is one of about only 213 schools that have adopted the the program.
Head coach Ron Garlinger feels that bowling gives a number of kids who normally wouldn’t participate in a varsity sport the chance to be a part of team, and become a part of an activity they can take part in for the rest of their lives. He encourages others schools in the area to look into starting programs of their own.
“We would love to see schools like Mount Vernon, Fredericktown, Danville get involved in this. We will help other schools any way they want to to get programs started,” Garlinger said. “We will meet with the school board or anything they want to us to do to help them. It is just such a positive for these kids. A lot of them were real bashful and they get into this competition and it opens up a whole new world for them it is exciting to watch.”
The “Highland Strikers” started three years ago as a club team, and after a lot of pushing and hard work by its members was approved to turn varsity. The kids showed up at school board meetings, wrote letters, and really sold the program.
“I was really excited because then I could get my varsity jacket and we wouldn’t have to worry about transportation or anything because the bus would take us,” said third year member Brandy Fell.
The team currently plays its home games at Morrow Lanes, but would like to call Colonial Lanes home next season and are greatly appreciative for the hospitality that Dave Dusenberry offers the kids during practice.
“We really want to emphasize that we want Mount Vernon to be our home lanes next year. They have been so good to us. He comes in and dresses these lanes just for us or he will set a certain shot up on these lanes for us. That is not something he has to do,” Gargliner said.
The team is on a two-year probation period, and, if all goes well after the third year, will implement a junior varsity squad.
“This house (Colonial Lanes) will have the support and lanes for a jayvee team,” Garlinger said.
Third year member Adam Garlinger was excited that his team had been approved to become a varsity sport, and is thankful for the relationships he has formed with his teammates.
“We are defintley like a big family,” said Adam Garlinger.
The Strikers have recieved plenty of support from the school and the community. The parents are present at most of the teams’ practices, bringing plenty of signs and pom-poms to the matches. For the parents, bowlers, and coaches alike the best part of the matches comes during the Baker games.
“They are just crazy, and so exciting,” Garlinger said.
The looks of practice on Friday night was no different than a group of kids out bowling for the fun of it, and while it is meant to be a good time, Garlinger still steps in as a coach to make sure his team is improving while they enjoy themselves.
“I critique them, there are certain drills that if I see them forming a bad habit I will immediatley stop them and do drills with them. In order to coach you have to be ceritified, not anybody can coach this, you have to be trained to do it, said Garlinger.
One training method Garlinger uses that probably isn’t found in most other varsity sports: the dancing.
“We go as a team I line everyone one of them up there on the line and make them dance,” Garlinger said.
In addition to getting the experience to bowl at the varsity level, the sport opens up a door for a variety of scholarship opportunityes. There is 2.2 milliion dollars in scholarship money in Ohio for bowling alone. Each spring Garlinger takes the team to the Pepsi Challenge, an even that gives out scholarship money to its many participants. Last spring Hailey Fellows, averaging 100 all season scored a total of 695 in three games at the Challenge giving her a run for some of the scholarship money as she finished 24th in the state.
“She caught on, and from there she just lit up it was unbelievable,” said Garlinger.
The Highland Strikers may not be as experienced as many of its competitots, but their sportsmanship is at the same level, if not higher.
“Most of the schools we compete against have horse power. Those kids have bowled since they were little and we don’t have that. Some of our kids have never even bowled before and they do very well,” Garlinger said. “If somebody from another team misses a spare they’ll go up and say shake it off you’ll get it next time and that is the sportsmanship I want to intsill in them.”
In the end the most rewarding part of the experience for Garlinger is watching his team grow through their time spent on the lanes together.
“You take these kids that our in shell and see them mold and shape and mature right in front of your eyes, that didn’t even talk in class and the teachers come up and say wow you must have done something because now they are talking and interacting in class and that makes you feel good,” Garlinger said.
The Strikers next home match at Morrow Lanes takes place Jan. 5 against Buckeye Valley starting at 4 p.m.