Facing dwindling registration numbers for its youth league, The Zone Bowling Centre put on a free bowling camp Saturday afternoon with nearly 100 young bowlers attending.
“The league base is getting older and it’s like any other sport: You have to build it from the kids up,” said Ryan Reid, who became the centre’s manager six months ago.
The camp was mostly attended by young children and offered the opportunity for them to bowl for one hour and receive tips from one of the centre’s five coaches, many of whom have attended national championships.
“You don’t always get an opportunity to get coaching,” noted Tanedo Goteng who took his seven-year-old son Tristan Goteng to the camp because Tristan likes to bowl and doesn’t like hockey. He said he would likely register Tristan in the league.
“He’s having so much fun. It’s a good program and it gets the kids away from computer games,” he said.
The youth league, which starts in September, is for anyone from ages five to 21.
Parents pay a $65 registration fee and then $8.25 every Saturday afternoon for three games, which includes a warm-up and coaching.
Coach Nathan Nerona, 14, has bowled at the Zone for the past decade. He reached the national championships when he was 11 years old and understands the myths that need to be knocked over for more youth to join.
“Everyone thinks it’s not a sport because they think it’s just inside throwing a ball, but it actually takes a lot more focus and physical ability to do,” he said.
Indeed, bowling is recognized by Sport Canada and the league operates under the rules of the Canadian Ten Pin Federation.
Reid, 33, himself a national bowling champion from his college days in Missouri, also stressed that bowling still has to overcome some preconceived ideas. It has many of the same benefits as any other sport, such as teaching children responsibility, honesty, and teamwork in a competitive environment, he said.
“It’s highly social for kids, it’s not as expensive as hockey and you don’t have to be a prime athlete to compete,” he said.
Certainly competing with other events is a challenge. Saturday was a hot sunny day with the PNE and Steveston Dragon Boat Festival garnering much of the attention around town.
When the league starts, it will run up against popular sports like soccer and hockey. But as camp attendee and Grade 7 student Wilbur Lam put it, bowling is cool in many ways other activities are not. “I like bowling because you can get exercise inside. After I do this I can go outside and do something else. And it has air conditioning in here,” he said.
The league runs until April. Reid said he hopes to register at least 30 bowlers.
