Coaching Classes Coming This Summer

We get questions all the time about coaching classes, so I'm happy to announce that we'll have two coaching classes coming in August.


The first class is a Dick Ritger Level 1 Coaching course, scheduled for August 20, at Big Apple Lanes in Kearney. The class will run from 9am-5pm and will be taught by Ritger trainer extrordinaire, Bob Rea.


Lunch will be provided during this session. The cost for one coach from each school to attend is $49. The cost for additional coaches from a school is $99 per coach. The registration deadline for this course is August 13.

The next day, August 21, Sun Valley Lanes is hosting an NHSBF Coach Certification Course . Bob Rea will be leading this session too. This session runs from 1-5pm.

One coach from each school may attend at no cost. The cost for additional coaches from a school is $29 per coach. Registration deadline is also August 13.To register, send your payment along with the names of the coaches attending to:

NHSBF, 321 Victory Lane, Lincoln, NE. 68528


Be sure to indicate which session you will be attending. For more information, contact John Losito, 402-475-3469.

As a reminder, at least one coach from each school must either have NHSBF coach certification, USBC Bronze training, or Dick Ritger Academy Level I certification in order for the team to be eligible for competition.

The May Column

Here's the May column, the final one for this season. We've got some good things cooking for the rest of the school year into the Summer. We're going to be working hard to get some more traction for the idea that bowling belongs in the schools as an NSAA-recognized sport. Stay tuned during these next few months!

High School Bowling Confidential

May 2011

For the last column of the season, I would like to prepare you for spreading the word about how cool it would be for high school bowling to be an NSAA sport.

Last month I mentioned that you would run into some nonsensical arguments against this crazy notion of making bowling an NSAA recognized sport. Here’s another one to watch for.

NSAA Recognition Would Keep Students From Participating

I love this one. It has all the ingredients of the short-term thinking that goes into the resistance against making our sport NSAA sanctioned.

The “logic” behind this stems from an assumption that cuts would be made, and there would be a limit to the number of teams formed to compete.

Well, in some programs, cuts are already being made. It happens. How the coach and the bowling center handle this is critical.

The coach and the bowling center need to work together to create a program for students to go into if they get cut. This would be a developmental program, so the students can continue to improve their game.

As far as limiting the number of teams goes, will there be an unlimited number of JV teams allowed? Probably not.

Depending on student interest and budgets, there could be a JV team, Reserve team, and a Freshmen team. Using a roster size of seven for 5-person teams, this would allow 56 students (boys and girls) to be a part of the bowling program.

An Omaha-Lincoln Thing

Which brings us to the other part of this flawed “logic.” Do we think that any other Nebraska community is going to have this problem of too many students? That would be something, but again, a cooperative approach between the coach and the bowling center can deal with this situation, should it arise.

Attitude will determine if these situations are problems or opportunities. For too many years, we’ve let poor attitudes dictate this argument. It’s time to end that streak.

An Interesting Inquiry

            We got an interesting call from an unlikely source, offering support for our efforts to gain NSAA recognition.

            A Nebraska state senator’s office called to see if there was anything they could do to help get bowling the NSAA recognition we’re seeking.

            While this is a very flattering offer of support, we respectfully asked for the state senator to hold off on taking any formal action until we determined if that was necessary. We offered to keep the senator’s office up to date on our progress.

Wrapping Up Another Season

            With another successful high school bowling season behind us, it’s time to say thanks to all the students, coaches, parents, and sponsors for continuing to help move bowling forward.

            Thanks also to those of you who regularly turn to this column for my take on high school bowling in Nebraska. As more news breaks between now and August, I’ll be writing about it at http://hsbowlingconfidential.blogspot.com/

            Last, but certainly not least, thanks to Duane Alstadt for his continued support, and John, Larry, Les, and Steve for their comments on each month’s writing. They are great editors.

            See you in August!

An Update to Saturday's Post

We're learning more about the specifics of the Nebraska USBC meeting where our proposal was to be voted on.

It turns out that there was an individual upset that we would have the nerve to ask a bowling organization for help moving forward on an effort that the national organization these people are supposed to represent thinks is important. All that upset caused our request to go to the finance committee instead of being voted on at the time of our presentation. Okay, the extra research is a sound idea, so three members of the board attended the State Championships back in February.

They must have liked what they saw, because they stayed for nearly all of the Sunday final matches. So, fast forward to their next meeting on March 26, and guess what? No quorum. Not enough people attended the meeting to officially call the meeting to order.

The board will try again on July 30. Hopefully this time there will be enough people able to attend the meeting.

Sometimes You Just Have to Laugh

We're working on some pretty cool ideas to help get bowling the NSAA-reconition we've been working toward all these years. As is sometimes the case when we are taking a few steps forward, we hear about a comment or an action that gets taken which momentarily catches us off guard.

It may come as a surprise to the readers of this little blog, but the effort to get bowling through the NSAA process, along with administering a state-wide program like we have, costs money. John, Les, Steve, Larry, and I give our time for this, because it's going to be great for the sport of bowling. Every year, the State Championships are run flawlessly by a large group of volunteers who enjoy the event and believe in what we're trying to accomplish.

The things that cost are the scholarships, the District and State bowling lineage, the NET telecast, the market research and web re-design we've had done, and other typical expenses like meals, mileage, and lodging for the trips we've taken across the state to promote the cause.

We are blessed to have tremendous financial support from the Nebraska State Bowling Proprietors, the Alan & Marcia Baer Foundation, the Lincoln Bowling Association, along with the thousands of people who have purchased merchandise or paid for admission into District and State competition.

We recently asked the Nebraska USBC for financial support to put forward our most aggressive plan to date to achieve NSAA recognition. The process was moving along just fine until it got derailed by more of the garbage that we thought had stopped getting slung around about our efforts.

The latest load of rubbish comes from a person in Omaha that should know better. Simply put, two of our members, John and Steve, have been accused of using high school bowling as a ticket to financial freedom! Getting rich off high school bowling? Are you kidding me?

John and Steve will probably address this nonsense with facts at some point in the future. And, as it usually is when the facts rear their head, the people spreading the nonsense tend to fade away.

More on this as the story unfolds. It will end well, an we'll probably look back and laugh.

Tournaments Outside the Winter Window

From the beginning we've said that the perfect scenario for high school bowling would be to have the season run during the winter sports season, followed by some out of season competition. For years, the Star City Open has flourished as an out of season event, attracting teams from neighboring states to compete. This year, the Star City Open is going to be carried on the USBC's website, www.bowl.com. This is a first for a high school event.

Another high school bowling event coming soon is a Bakers Doubles event at Mockingbird Lanes in Omaha. There are two squads, 9am and Noon, with the top ten teams coming back for finals once the Noon squad is completed.

For more information on this event, contact Scott Sullinger, at The Bowling Store, 402-991-2660.

There's no reason bowling can't enjoy the same kind of success that volleyball does with school and club competition. An off season program is perfect for getting more students involved and to help them develop the skills needed to continue to compete at the highest level.

Good Enough to Compete? Really?

Back when I was involved in running the Omaha high school bowling league, I used to hear adult volunteers who were organizing teams say that they weren't sure they were going to have a team because they couldn't get enough good players.

Never mind that they had boatloads of kids try out and they had no problem putting teams together, the volunteer was worried that the collection of student athletes wouldn't be good enough to compete against more experienced and talented players. This kind of attitude in someone responsible for coaching is pretty bogus, in my opinion.

Being a part of the Varsity team is something that many student athletes dream of. Sure, you get kids that come through your program that have next to no competitive blood in them. They want to hang out with their friends and be a part of a team, but after that . . . . well, it's just not a big deal. Those students are the exception, in my experience.

Our job as coaches is to get kids to see things in themselves that maybe they don't yet see. Our job is to help them improve their skills and not worry about whether they lose a match. A coach, especially a high school coach, especially a high school bowling coach, should be putting player growth and development above winning and losing. Holding kids back from Varsity competition because they might lose some games, throws growth and development out the window, and may indicate that the coach doesn't have the skills to help his or her players develop.

With all this being said, I've seen and heard some things in the last few weeks that tell me this trend of holding kids back is alive and well in high school bowling.

This came up recently for me when I was looking at the Omaha Metro Bowling league website. I noticed a lack of Varsity teams. Not a big deal, generally, because these things do fluctuate from year to year. But then I looked at the JV standing sheet and saw boatloads of JV teams. Again, generally, this isn't a big deal, because it's great to be able to field several JV teams to give kids the opportunity to compete.

What stood out in this whole thing was how many of these schools with JV teams had no Varsity teams bowling. I looked further at the team breakdown. Check this out:

Marian has eight JV girls teams, but no Varsity girls entry.
Northwest has two JV boys teams, but no Varsity boys entry.
Central has a JV girls team, but no Varsity girls entry.
Ralston has two JV girls teams, but no Varsity girls entry.

Now, it's not like the JV and Varsity bowl on different days and times, so the schedule prohibits the school from putting a Varsity team into competition. And, remember, since bowling isn't an NSAA-sanctioned sport, the schools aren't making these decisions anyway. To Varsity or not to Varsity is a coach-driven decision.

Unfortunately, this isn't just an Omaha thing. The NHSBF faces some of this too. We currently run four classes of competition, similar to most high school sports in Nebraska. We've never had deep numbers at the Class D level, so all those teams are generally making it into the State Championships. On the surface, that's not a bad thing I suppose, but with all the other classes competing hard for a spot in the tournament, it's tough to see the lack of a challenge in Class D.

The obvious answer to me is to only have three classes of competition, or structure the classes differently, so that Class D teams earn their spot in the State Championships. The way to do this is a topic for another day. For now, one of the reasons we haven't merged Class C & D is the fear that some of the Class D schools would drop out of the program entirely. Why? Because they don't think they could compete against the Class C teams.

Just to make sure I"m clear on this, I think this situation is as bogus as what's happening with the teams I mentioned above from Omaha. Holding students back from Varsity competition, or more challenging competition, because the coach doesn't think the team can compete, is offensive to me.

Winning is great, but after spending years hearing coaches tell me they are "in this for the kids," I'm wondering if that's a true statement. Look, bowling is not football, where players who are bigger and stronger are going to be blocking and tackling a smaller and less skilled opponent. Last I checked, bowling is still a sport where you don't block or tackle the members of the other team.

Is there a gap in skill levels sometimes? Sure, but as a coach our job is to help our players get better and enjoy the sport. Teams win and teams lose, but none of that keeps a bowler from improving and enjoying our sport. Losing is tough, but it's a part of our lives. A good coach knows how to coach through losses and keep the student-athletes focused on their goals. If the only goal is winning, it's time for the coach to find a new hobby, and give a real coach an opportunity to motivate and inspire their players.

With another season completed, it's time to renew the effort to get bowling the NSAA recognition our students deserve. It's time to get this program in the hands of the schools, where the mission to give students opportunities outweighs the need for a coach to win games and tournaments.

Class C Boys Final

The last match-up turned out to be one of the best of the day, with Ravenna and Wisner/Pilger fighting for the Class C Boys crown.

Wisner/Pilger, runner-up for the past two seasons, opened with a 178-172 victory. While Ravenna came back to take the next three games, each one was close.

Ravenna won game two 183-164 and then pulled out a 1-pin victory in game three, 191-190. Game four was a see-saw battle, with the Blue Jays finally prevailing in a 187-171 victory.

Congratulations to Ravenna, the Boys Class C Champion.

Congratulations to all the champions today. It was a great day of bowling and sportsmanship.

Class C Girls Final

We had another match-up go the distance when Plainview and Norfolk Catholic met for the Class C Girls title.

Plainview captured the first game of the match, 137-132, but Norfolk Catholic cam back to win games two and three, 164-144 and 158-135.

Plainview rebounded in game four to win 162-139. Plainview started strong in game five, rolling strikes in three of the first five frames, but Norfolk Catholic stayed the course, got good count, got their spares, and won the match and the Class C title, 148-146.

Next up, the last match of the day, Ravenna and Wisner/Pilger for the Class C Boys title.

Class A Boys Final

In a five-game shoot-out, Columbus defeats Lincoln North Star 3-2.

Columbus came out of the box with wins over the Gators, 236-189 and 246-192. North Star didn't buckle, coming back to win games three and four, 214-190 and 226-165.

That set the stage for a game five shootout. Columbus opened with three strikes in a row, taking an early lead. Despite a couple of opens late, they were in control throughout the last game, winning 200-176.

Columbus is the Boys Class A Champion.

Class A Girls Final

Our first final that went the distance. Lincoln North Star and Lincoln East put on a great show in front of a capacity crowd of close to 200 fans. The energy in the arena was fantastic.

The Gators took the first game 187-177. Lincoln East came back to capture game two and three, 183-154 and 163-152. That's when the Gators went to work.

The Gators came back in the last two games, found their strike line, and defeated the Spartans 214-145 and 214-156, to capture the Girls Class A Championship.

The Class A Boys are up next with Columbus and Lincoln North Star competing for the title.

Class B Boys Final

For Class B Boys, it was Hastings and Lexington. It took four games, but the Tigers finished what the Lady Tigers started in the previous match by defeating the Minutemen 3-1.

The match opened with a nail-biter finish, with Hastings taking the victory 161-160. Lexington came out and tossed four out of five strikes to open the second game and finished with a 224-132 victory.

Hastings regrouped after game two and took the last two games, 193-156 and 211-191.

Congratulations to Hastings, the Class B Boys and Girls champions.

Class B Girls Final

Hastings and York squared off in the Class B Girls Final at 11:30 this morning. 45 minutes and three games later, the Lady Tigers are leaving the arena as Class B champions.

York put up a good fight, but it was a case of too little too late. Hastings won the opening match 142-114 and the second match 168-101. In game three, both teams caught fire in the middle of the match, with York tossing a double and Hastings rolling a 4-bagger. In the end, Hastings prevailed, 203-178.

Class D Boys Finals

Humphrey St. Francis and Clarkson met for the Class D Boys Final this morning. It only took three games for St. Francis to come away with their first Class D title. It was a 3-0 sweep over Clarkson.

The first match was a squeaker, with the Flyers winning 133-132. St. Francis won the second game by a little bit more of a margin, 144-137. In the third game, Holden Heesacker closed out the 10th frame with a double and a seven-count to give the Flyers a 166-153 victory and a State Championship.

Class D Girls Finals

It's State Championship Finals day. Larry Punteney and Steve Sempeck are in the booth, the NET crew has their equipment in place, and Jimmy Walker is running the first players meeting of the day with the girls from Alma and Dodge/LoganView.

I'll post the winners of each final round match as they wrap up.

In the first match of the day, the Alma Cardinals defeat the Dodge/LoganView Pirates, 3-2. For Alma, this is their third consecutive Class D title.

State HS Results - Class A Boys

Here are the standings after four games:

1. Lincoln Southeast, 3643
2. Kearney, 3487
3. Columbus, 3414
4. Lincoln North Star, 3358
5. Scottsbluff/Gering, 3296
6. North Platte, 3233
7. Lincoln Northeast, 3201
8. Lincoln East, 3146

Results from the first Baker Round:
Lincoln Southeast defeated Lincoln East 3-2
Lincoln North Star defeated Scottsbluff/Gering 3-1
Columbus defeated North Platte 3-2
Kearney defeated Lincoln Northeast 3-1

Results from the second Baker Round:
Lincoln North Star defeated Lincoln Southeast 3-2
Columbus defeated Kearney 3-1

Lincoln North Star and Columbus will meet in the Class A Boys Final on Sunday at 3:45pm in the Sun Valley Lanes Arena.

Class A Boys Top Five Singles Finishers
1. Ryan Moats, Lincoln Southeast, 646
2. Nathan Reidel, Lincoln Southeast, 602
3. Dylan Ganskow, Columbus, 594
4. Zachary Zornes, Lincoln North Star, 581
5. Brandon White, Scottsbluff/Gering, 579

State HS Results - Class C

Here are the results from Class C. There are no team scores available from the first four games.

Class C Girls Standings after four games:
1. Ravenna
2. Norfolk Catholic
3. Burwell/Ord
4. Plainview
5. Wayne
6. Wakefield
7. Chadron
8. Doniphan/Trumbull

Results from the first Baker Round:
Ravenna defeated Doniphan/Trumbull 3-1
Plainview defeated Wayne 3-0
Burwell/Ord defeated Wakefield 3-1
Norfolk Catholic defeated Chadron 3-2

Results from the second Baker Round:
Plainview defeated Ravenna 3-2
Norfolk Catholic defeated Burwell/Ord 3-2

Plainview and Norfolk Catholic meet for the Class C Girls Final Sunday at 5pm in the Sun Valley Arena.

Class C Girls Top Five Singles
1. Beth Reed, Norfolk Catholic, 528
2. Jenna McCleary, Norfolk Catholic, 502
3. Torri Dethlefs, Ravenna, 480
4. Sydney Gay, Ravenna, 479
5. Kayleen Roberts, Wakefield, 463

Class C Boys Standings after four games:
1. Wayne
2. Ravenna
3. Burwell/Ord
4. Doniphan/Trumbull
5. Wisner/Pilger
6. Hartington
7. Chadron
8. Crofton

Results from the first Baker Round:
Wayne defeated Crofton 3-1
Wisner/Pilger defeated Doniphan/Trumbull 3-1
Burwell/Ord defeated Hartington 3-1
Ravenna defeated Chadron 3-1

Results from the second Baker Round:
Wisner/Pilger defeated Wayne 3-2
Ravenna defeated Burwell/Ord 3-2

Wisner/Pilger and Ravenna will meet in the Class C Boys Final Sunday at 6:15pm in the Sun Valley Lanes Arena.

Class C Boys Top Five Singles
1. Preston Wilson, Burwell/Ord, 628
2. Trevor Beza, Wayne, 586
3. Kelly McFadden, Ravenna, 558
4. Seth Howell, Hartington, 536
5. Dexter Behrendt, Ravenna, 532

State HS Bowling Results - Class A Girls

Here are the results from the Class A Girls Opening Round Action:

Standings after four games:
1. Lincoln North Star, 3482
2. Grand Island, 3392
3. Lincoln East, 3336
4. Lincoln Southeast, 3218
5. Columbus, 3180
6. Scottsbluff/Gering, 3053
7. Lincoln Northeast, 2964
8. North Platte, 2935

Results of the first Baker Round:
Lincoln North Star defeated North Platte 3-2
Columbus defeated Lincoln Southeast 3-1
Lincoln East defeated Scottsbluff/Gering 3-1
Grand Island defeated Lincoln Northeast 3-2

Results of the second Baker Round:
Lincoln North Star defeated Columbus 3-0
Lincoln East defeated Grand Island 3-0

Lincoln North Star and Lincoln East will meet for the Class A Girls Final Sunday afternoon at 2:30 in the Sun Valley Arena.

Class A Girls Top Five Singles Results:
1. Amy Fischer, Lincoln East, 602
2. Jaimie Siegler, Lincoln North Star, 592
3. Stephanie Williams, Grand Island, 580
4. Shelby Clark, Lincoln East, 554
5. Lauren Johnson, Lincoln Northeast, 547

State High School Results - Class D

Here are the results from the opening round of Class D action.

Class D Girls Standings with Four Game Totals:
1. Alma, 2193
2. Newman Grove, 2176
3. Dodge/Logan View, 2174
4. McCool Junction, 2092
5. Clarkson, 2007
6. Scribner/Snyder, 1594

Results from the first Baker Round:
Dodge/Logan View defeated Scribner/Snyder 3-1
McCool Junction defeated Clarkson 3-0

Results from the second Baker Round:
Alma defeated McCool Junction 3-0
Dodge/Logan View defeated Newman Grove 3-1

Alma will meet Dodge/Logan View in the Class D Girls Finals on Sunday at 9am in the Sun Valley Arena.

Class D Boys Standings with Four Game Totals:
1. Dodge, 2291
2. Humphrey St. Francis, 2257
3. Leigh, 2251
4. Clarkson, 1896
5. Alma, 1715

Results from the first Baker Round:
Clarkson defeated Alma 3-2
Humphrey St. Francis defeated Leigh 3-2

Results from the second Baker Round:
Clarkson defeated Dodge 3-1

Humphrey St. Francis and Clarkson will meet in the Class D Boys Final Sunday morning at 10:15 in the Sun Valley Arena.

Class D Girls Top Five Singles Results with Totals:
1. Lynae Soderholm, Alma, 498
2. Brooke Nelson, Newman Grove, 453
3. Savanah Wells, Alma, 430
4. Heather Gall, Clarkson, 424
5. Kelly Sindelar, Dodge/Logan View, 419

Class D Boys Top Five Singles Results with Totals:
1. Brandon Bayer, Dodge, 556
2. Justin Reininger, Leigh, 533
3. Brett Greisen, Humphrey St. Francis, 467
4. Chris German, Humphrey St. Francis, 442
5. Taylor Ryan, Dodge, 438

State HS Standings - Class B

Class B competition is in the books, and the Class A teams are being introduced as I write this update.

Here's how the Class B Girls finished after the first four games:
1. Lincoln Pius X, 3316
2. Alliance, 2987
3. York, 2927
4. Hastings, 2891
5. Lexington, 2857
6. Waverly, 2755
7. Sidney, 2721
8. Adams Central, 2669

In the first Baker round:
Lincoln Pius X defeated Adams Central 3-0
Hastings defeated Lexington 3-1
York defeated Waverly 3-2
Alliance defeated Sidney 3-1

In the second round:
Hastings defeated Lincoln Pius X 3-1
York defeated Alliance 3-1

Hastings and York will meet in the Class B Girls Final at 11:30am Sunday morning in the Sun Valley Arena.

For Class B Boys, here are the top 8 finishers after four games:
1. York, 3682
2. Lincoln Pius X, 3517
3. Waverly, 3503
4. Hastings, 3356
5. Gretna, 3290
6. Lexington, 3184
7. Aurora, 3141
8. Elkhorn Mount Michael, 3033

In the first Baker round:
York defeated Elkhorn Mount Michael 3-2
Hastings defeated Gretna 3-0
Lexington defeated Waverly 3-0
Lincoln Pius X defeated Aurora 3-0

In the second Baker round:
Hastings defeated York 3-1
Lexington defeated Lincoln Pius X 3-2

Hastings and Lexington will meet in the Class B final at 12:45pm Sunday in the Sun Valley Arena.

We're going to have a new Boys Class B champion tomorrow.

Here are the top five Class B Girls Singles finishers:
1. Stephanie Beyea, Gretna, 569
2. Kelly Machacek, Lincoln Pius X, 532
3. Brooke Punteney, Lincoln Pius X, 520
4. Tara Sadd, Hastings, 514
5. Jessica Lierz, Lincoln Pius X, 507

Here are the top five Class B Boys Singles finishers:
1. Dustin Bandt, York, 662
2. Toby Lewis, York, 605
3. Cameron Brei, Adams Central, 598
4. Justin Denham, Waverly, 594
5. Drew Miller, Lincoln Pius X, 589

It's Tournament Time in Lincoln!

It looks like we're going to get a beautiful weather weekend for the State High School Bowling Championship Tournament. That is such great news!
The opening ball will get rolled over at Sun Valley in a few minutes, at 7:30am.

I'll be at Sun Valley all weekend, reporting on the results as I get them from each Class of competition. I'll also post a quick recap of tomorrow's finals as each of them wraps up.

There are some pretty interesting story lines as we head into the first day of the tournament.

In Class D, the Alma Girls return to compete for their third consecutive championship. They wrestled the crown from five-time champs, McCool Junction, two years ago, and they haven't looked back. McCool Junction will be part of the Class D field this weekend, so will they get to reclaim their crown?
For the Class D Boys, Leigh are defending champions. The pressure is on for them to repeat.

In Class C, the Burwell Girls are coming back to compete for their fourth consecutive title. This is a lively group, and I believe they have a new coach at the helm. It will be fun to watch the girls go for number four.
Wayne is the Boys two-time champion in Class C. They will be looking for the three-peat at this year's tournament.
There will be a newcomer to the Class C Girls field this year. Doniphan-Trumbull makes their first State Championship appearance.

In Class B, we'll get a new Girls champion this year. Scottsbluff/Gering moved up to Class A this season.
For the Boys, Lincoln Pius X will be rolling for a third consecutive championship. If they make the finals, the golden voice of John Losito will join Steve Sempeck in the booth for the Class B broadcast, so play-by-play announcer Larry Punteney can join his charges for their finals match.
Some new faces appear in the Class B mix for this year's event. Waverly's Boys and Girls are making their first trip down the road to State Championship-ville.
Returning to Lincoln after being absent for a year are the Aurora Boys and the Boys and Girls teams from Lexington. The Minutemaids have two State titles to their credit, so this is their chance to reclaim some past glory for their school. The Minutemen have one title under their belt, so they are also looking to get back into the winner's circle.

And then there's Class A. The Boys defending champions, Elkhorn, are not part of the field this year, so a new champ will be crowned. Scottsbluff/Gering joins the Class A field for the first time, and they have an impressive resume. Undefeated during the past two regular seasons, two-time District champs, and yet the boys haven't been able to get to the winner's circle. Will this be the year?
For the Girls, Grand Island returns to defend their crown. The Scottsbluff/Gering Girls will be a formidable opponent, should they meet in the finals. Like the boys, the Lady CatDogs have been undefeated in regular season matches over the past two years. And, they were Class B champs last year. Their resume is pretty solid too.
Elkhorn's Boys made the adjustment to Class A pretty well last year, so the CatDog teams have that going for them too.

So, the table is set. Now, it's down to what happens on the lanes today. Who will make the Arena-style finals tomorrow?

Stay tuned.

February Column

February 2011

Hey kids, what time is it?

With apologies to Howdy Doody, it’s Nebraska High School Bowling State Championship Tournament time!

Lincoln will welcome again all the teams that are going to come to town with the goal of being the best in their class. It’s a great weekend, and our host centers do a fantastic job of putting on the opening rounds.

Opening Round Action

All the opening round action begins Saturday, February 12.

Class A Boys action takes place at Sun Valley Lanes, beginning at 2pm.

Class A Girls compete at Madsen’s, beginning at 8am.

Class B action for Boys and Girls will be at Sun Valley Lanes, with a start time of 7:30am.

Class C competition for Boys and Girls will be hosted by Parkway Lanes, with a 10am start.

Class D competition for Boys and Girls will take place at Hollywood Bowl, with a 9am start.

Get There Early

The teams need to be at their host center on Saturday at least an hour before the times listed for their class. This gives everyone the time they need to get checked in and settled in.

Finals on NET

Once again we have the great fortune to have the State Championship Finals taped for broadcast by NET.

The Girls finals will air on Sunday, February 20, from 8am – Noon.

The Boys finals will air the following week, February 27, from 8am – Noon.

Thanks to our Sponsors

We continue to be appreciative of our great sponsors who make it possible for the arena-finals to be broadcast.

This year again, we say thanks in advance to the Alan and Marcia Baer Foundation, the Lincoln Bowling Association, and Qubica/AMF for their support.

Let’s Meet the Teams

Class A Boys

Lincoln North Star, Lincoln Southeast, Scottsbluff/Gering, Columbus,

Kearney, Lincoln East, North Platte, and Lincoln Northeast.

Class A Girls

Lincoln North Star, Lincoln East, Scottsbluff/Gering, Columbus, Lincoln Southeast, Grand Island, Lincoln Northeast, and North Platte.

Class B Boys

Lincoln Pius X, Aurora, Lexington, Hastings, Gretna, York, Waverly, and Elkhorn Mt. Michael.

Class B Girls

Lincoln Pius X, York, Lexington, Hastings, Alliance, Waverly, Adams Central, and Sidney.

Class C Boys

Wayne, Burwell, Ravenna, Chadron, Doniphan, Hartington, Wisner/Pilger, and Crofton.

Class C Girls

Norfolk Catholic, Burwell, Ravenna, Chadron, Plainview, Wayne, Wakefield, and Doniphan.

Class D Boys

Dodge, Leigh, Humphrey St. Francis, Clarkson, and Alma.

Class D Girls

Dodge, Alma, Newman Grove, McCool Junction, Clarkson, and Scribner/Snyder.

Watch for results next Month.

NET Press Release

We're pleased that NET is going to tape this year's State Finals again. Here's a press release that we put together to accompany NET's press release on the broadcast.

For the fifth year in a row, the Nebraska High School Bowling Federation (NHSBF) State Championships will be taped for broadcast by Nebraska Educational Television (NET).

Lincoln’s Sun Valley Lanes hosts the event February 12-13. NET will tape the final round of the tournament from within the specially constructed “arena” inside the bowling center on Sunday, February 13.

Opening rounds of the tournament take place Saturday, February 12, at Hollywood Bowl, Parkway Lanes, Madsen’s Bowling & Billiards and Sun Valley Lanes. The cooperation among Lincoln’s bowling centers is one of the keys to the continued success of this event.

“The NHSBF partnerships with the Lincoln Bowling Association, the Nebraska Bowling Proprietors Association, QubicaAMF, and the Alan and Marcia Baer Foundation, make an event of this size and scope possible,” according to NHSBF Commissioner John Losito.

Losito adds, “The volunteer group that handles recording scores, managing the gate admissions, constructing the arena, and everything in between, is the reason this tournament remains the premier bowling event in Nebraska.”

Recognition for high school bowling by the Nebraska School Activities Association (NSAA) is the main goal of the NHSBF. “We have the support of many athletic directors across the state,” noted Losito, “but we continue to urge parents and students to talk with their school administrators about approving bowling as an NSAA-recognized sport.”

NET’s broadcast schedule for this year’s State Championships is Sunday, February 20,
8:00 – Noon Nebraska High School Girls Bowling Championships (taped) and Sunday, February 27 8:00 – Noon Nebraska High School Boys Bowling Championships (taped).