Wayland High School math teacher and boys’ bowling coach Sherry Miklusicak has earned a $1,500 Bowler’s Education grant this past summer and last week received the equipment.
Miklusicak and girls’ coach Bill Holbrook will use the money and equipment to build the schools’ bowling program, both in interscholastic competition and as part of the physical education curriculum
“My goal is to build the bowling program starting at the elementary level,” she explained.
Milkusicak is beginning her second year as varsity bowling coach and her colleague Holbrook is a veteran guiding youth on the lanes, having won Coach of the Year honors state-wide in Division 2. One of his prize pupils, Sydney Urben, was Division 2 state runner-up last winter as a sophomore.
“We see an extreme need to promote the sport of bowling in our area,” Miklusicak said in her application. “Our teams competed against ‘career’ bowlers, kids who have bowled many years in the junior leagues. I only had two boys who I would consider had this kind of experience and the other coach (Holbrook) had maybe two as well. The junior leagues in our local town have all but diminished from two full Saturday morning leagues (we are an eight-lane house) to maybe just a couple three-man teams.
As an employee of Wayland Union Schools and parent of a 10-year-old, I know that our school system hasn’t had the finances to support a physical education curriculum that includes bowling on Fridays as it has in the past.”
So the two mentors intend to implement a bowling education curriculum in elementary physical education.
“Our plan is to introduce bowling at the elementary levels, with the bowling kits on a rotating basis so all kids have instruction on proper bowling techniques,” Miklusicak explained. “The carpeted lanes would rotate through our three elementary schools and possibly a fifth and sixth grade building. We have verbal commitments from a couple of our physical education teachers at those levels to devote around two to three weeks on these skills. I have a copy of the ‘Bowler’s Ed’ curriculum printed out and can assist them in their lesson planning.
“If we can get this
program implemented, our next step is to approach our school board to reinstate busing to our local bowling alley so eighth-graders through high school can re-develop their programs. We envision the addition of a middle school bowling program, in addition to our high school program, if we can build enough interest in the sport at the younger grades.”
Miklusicak said the Airport Lanes proprietor is very devoted to supporting youth bowling.
“He allows our high school teams to practice far more than any other bowling alley in the bigger cities within a short drive,” Miklusicak said. “A distant goal would be to rebuild the youth leagues that were here when we were youths.”
The idea also is to provide recreation and physical activity for a Class B school with 79.6% of students eligible for free or reduced price lunches and 42.5% economically disadvantaged. The school district’s population is just under 3,000 students, with 1,595 in grades K-6 (the levels they would to target in this grant).
“We are not an affluent district and our kids need to be introduced to a sport that is affordable,” Miklusicak said.
In the early elementary grades, classes will be structured in 20-30 minute lessons with skill development and increase in length until they reach fifth and sixth grades where the lessons and practice will approach an hour. There will be at least two weeks devoted to bowling and then kits will be rotated so about 1600 students will be instructed.
Some of the measurable outcomes will be lessons on knowing what fingers go into a bowling ball, the proper stance, armswing, release and four- or five-step approach.
“Another way to measure the success of the program and a way to get the local bowling alley involved is with free bowling passes when kids complete the program in school,” Miklusicak added. “We can easily measure how many passes are turned in for free games. This can help the bowling center as well by stirring interest in joining a junior league. The manager will know when to promote junior leagues when given the free passes.”
The improvement plan also must consider funding for replacement of equipment as it wears out. The school’s physical education department has a budget and if the program is successful, it is possible that each building may want their own sets of equipment, or at the very least replace the components that wear out.
“We plan to approach our board of education after a successful year of implementation at the elementary level,” Miklusicak said. “We will be asking them to implement transportation back into the physical education department and consider adding a middle school bowling club/sport.
“The role and responsibility of our local bowling alley will be to donate and keep track of the free bowling passes used as well as any increases in the number of junior bowlers in their Saturday morning leagues.”
PHOTOS: Sherry Miklusicak Bill Holbrook
The bowling apparatus that will make the round in elementaries, thanks to a $1,500 grant.
