Bowling has been operating as a club sport for several years now, but earlier this year, the NSAA decided to make it an official state sport. This announcement allows schools to form official bowling teams and the chance to compete at the state competition. Thirty-one Nebraska high schools are forming a bowling team to compete in the first season of NSAA Bowling. Millard South is one of these schools, and as a result, they had a number of important tasks to do before the beginning of the season.
The first task was to hire coaches. “We interviewed two candidates for the boys and girls head coaching positions,” Athletic Director Steve Throne said. The team would need a set of coaches with the skills and knowledge to lead the team into their first season. The athletic department ended up hiring teachers Amber Nicholson and Nathan Wragge as head coaches. “We are excited about both of our new coaches,” Throne said.
Geometry teacher Amber Nicholson has been a life-long bowler. “I have been bowling since I could walk basically,” Nicholson said. Nicholson bowled often when she was young and competed in junior leagues all throughout high school. This experience has prepared Nicholson well to take the role as head coach of the girls team.
Algebra teacher Nathan Wragge also has a history with bowling. “My background in bowling includes 6 years of league bowling,” Wragge said, “I started out just as a beginner, but progressed into someone who really loved the game.”
While the coaches are confident going into the season, they are also aware of the challenges they’ll face. “The hardest part is recruiting, […] getting bowlers and students to be involved.” Nicholson said. With bowling being an all new program, the coaches are having to work to get students to take a chance and try out for the new team. Despite the difficulties, they have been very successful in recruiting and have around 38 students planning on trying out for the team.
Another problem the program faces is the restrictions imposed by COVID-19. “We’ve been able to stick with our initial plan of being no-cut, but we will have limits on how many bowlers we can take to competitions,” Nicholson said. To maintain COVID safety, the team is only allowed to bring 20 bowlers to each competition. “All of this will be new for us, but it will be something we [have to] roll with,” Wragge said, “Any time a new program gets on its feet, there are many things to overcome and think about.”
Even with the challenges they face, the coaches are still very confident for the season.
Nicholson and Wragge have been looking ahead and deciding what goals they have for their teams. “Our main goal for the girls is to establish a consistent team,” Nicholson said, “With the boys, I think we can be very competitive because we have a lot of club bowlers coming over.”
With this new opportunity, many athletes are making the choice to switch from the club team to the school team. Senior Ryan Manuel is one of these bowlers who has chosen to try out for the school team instead of the club team. “I thought it was a good opportunity and the obvious choice,” Manuel said.
Manuel has noticed a large number of people switching from the club team to the school team along with him. “More people went out for high school than for regular club [this year].” There are a number of benefits that have convinced club bowlers to join the school team. One of these factors is the recognition of being a Millard South athlete. “It’s really cool to get recognition and a sense of legitimacy,” junior Jackson Martin said. Another thing that has encouraged athletes to move over is a more competitive practice schedule. “Something also new is that the school schedule has more practices than club,” Manuel said. With both new and experienced bowlers, knowledgeable coaches, and a new season ahead of them, the bowling team is ready to compete.
