Illinois school district makes bowling free to join for middle schoolers
February 06, 2025
Middle school students practice at Don Carter Lanes, one of the three centers used in the Rockford Public Schools bowling program.
ARLINGTON, Texas – School bowling programs in the United States have always been popular, and one school district in Illinois has made it so that middle schoolers who want to join can do so for free.
Rockford Public Schools (RPS 205) has had a middle school bowling program for over 30 years where there are no cuts and everyone has an opportunity to compete, provided they pay a $90 fee for the whole season. This season saw a change. Those in RPS 205 now don’t pay a cent after bowling was elevated to an official school sport from a club sport, meaning bowling is on the same level as other sports like football and baseball in the area.
Middle schools not in RPS 205 still pay $90 for the season, which includes all practices, matches, tournaments, bowling ball and shoe rental plus uniforms.
Brad Sommer leads the program for the district, where practices are twice a week until the first match of the season before going to one practice and one match per week thereafter. Brad is the son of John Sommer Jr., who helped build the Ladies Pro Bowlers Tour in 1980, which later became the Professional Women’s Bowling Association, and created High School Bowling USA (now USBC High School). John was also most known for his involvement with Bowler’s Ed – In School Bowling program.
“I think (being free to join) and having no cuts has been a driving force for a lot of parents to try and convince a student that’s never done a school sport before,” said Sommer. “It reduces a barrier of entry and helps participation knowing that a kid is going to make the team.”
He says that for this upcoming season there has been about a 40% increase in sign-ups after having 357 middle schoolers participate last season. A majority of those that join the program continue into high school and even beyond after graduating, some even 30 years later.
“They’re embedded in adult leagues now, their families bowl and they have kids now who are joining bumper and youth leagues,” he said. “It’s a great way to get families involved in the sport and see it carry on from generation to generation.”
Prior to this year, bowling was classified as a club sport at the middle school level, meaning that those who joined had to pay the $90 fee to cover the costs.
“We just had to find that one person in the district or in the schools that’s going to fight for you, and you can make magic happen,” Sommer said.
That one person was Dawn Williamson, the Director of Athletics, Activities and Program Development in RPS 205, who helped lobby to make bowling an official school sport at the middle school level in the district this year.
“Supporting bowling at the middle and high school levels is a no-brainer in my opinion,” said Williamson. “Our school district eliminated athletic fees years ago, so the district is committed to offsetting the costs for student participation. Brad is passionate about bowling and its positive impact on students, which made partnering with him an easy decision.
“It’s no small financial feat, that’s for sure (uniforms, equipment, coach stipends, transportation, etc.), but it’s well worth it!”
Sommer credits Williamson for getting other athletic directors on board with a fully funded middle school program.
“(Dawn) was able to sell it (to the athletic directors) in that bowling was the perfect sport because you don’t have to be the strongest, fastest or tallest in your class to achieve success; you just put in hard work and practice and can make something of it for yourself.”
Joining Williamson in this endeavor was Abigail Oleson, the Athletics Specialist for the district, who is “thrilled to see the level of interest in young bowlers grow” after partnering with Sommer.
“By eliminating the burden of costs for our families, we were hopeful that it would provide more opportunity for our students to explore the sport,” said Oleson. “I believe it’s done just that, and we are looking forward to seeing the positive impact this has on the bowling community and our families in years to come!”
Those who join the middle school program also get coaching from those who coach at the high school level and are paid by the district to help out the middle schoolers.
Again highlighting the backing they have, Sommer said, “The other schools in our area are all volunteers, but the Rockford schools really got behind it. They (RPS 205) let us suggest which coaches to hire at the middle school level; it’s the real deal for sure.”
Other school districts around the United States have also begun to offer bowling as a club sport at the middle school level, showing that bowling has room to grow and continues to bring a younger group into the sport. Those school districts can look to RPS 205 as a blueprint on how to elevate bowling into an official school sport.
Sommer said, “There’s some other hotbeds around the country that are doing similar things with middle school bowling, but if we could make this grow nationwide, who knows where it could take us.”
For more information, visit https://doncarterlanes.com/rps-205-student-registration.
If you're interested in starting a middle school bowling program, USBC Youth offers a guide to help you get started. This guide provides strategies for generating interest, steps for setting up a program, insights on how middle school bowling can feed into high school teams and ways to expand youth participation in local bowling centers. You can access the full guide here. Visit this resource today to bring bowling to your school and grow the sport at the grassroots level!
ARLINGTON, Texas – School bowling programs in the United States have always been popular, and one school district in Illinois has made it so that middle schoolers who want to join can do so for free.
Rockford Public Schools (RPS 205) has had a middle school bowling program for over 30 years where there are no cuts and everyone has an opportunity to compete, provided they pay a $90 fee for the whole season. This season saw a change. Those in RPS 205 now don’t pay a cent after bowling was elevated to an official school sport from a club sport, meaning bowling is on the same level as other sports like football and baseball in the area.
Middle schools not in RPS 205 still pay $90 for the season, which includes all practices, matches, tournaments, bowling ball and shoe rental plus uniforms.
Brad Sommer leads the program for the district, where practices are twice a week until the first match of the season before going to one practice and one match per week thereafter. Brad is the son of John Sommer Jr., who helped build the Ladies Pro Bowlers Tour in 1980, which later became the Professional Women’s Bowling Association, and created High School Bowling USA (now USBC High School). John was also most known for his involvement with Bowler’s Ed – In School Bowling program.
“I think (being free to join) and having no cuts has been a driving force for a lot of parents to try and convince a student that’s never done a school sport before,” said Sommer. “It reduces a barrier of entry and helps participation knowing that a kid is going to make the team.”
He says that for this upcoming season there has been about a 40% increase in sign-ups after having 357 middle schoolers participate last season. A majority of those that join the program continue into high school and even beyond after graduating, some even 30 years later.
“They’re embedded in adult leagues now, their families bowl and they have kids now who are joining bumper and youth leagues,” he said. “It’s a great way to get families involved in the sport and see it carry on from generation to generation.”
Prior to this year, bowling was classified as a club sport at the middle school level, meaning that those who joined had to pay the $90 fee to cover the costs.
“We just had to find that one person in the district or in the schools that’s going to fight for you, and you can make magic happen,” Sommer said.
That one person was Dawn Williamson, the Director of Athletics, Activities and Program Development in RPS 205, who helped lobby to make bowling an official school sport at the middle school level in the district this year.
“Supporting bowling at the middle and high school levels is a no-brainer in my opinion,” said Williamson. “Our school district eliminated athletic fees years ago, so the district is committed to offsetting the costs for student participation. Brad is passionate about bowling and its positive impact on students, which made partnering with him an easy decision.
“It’s no small financial feat, that’s for sure (uniforms, equipment, coach stipends, transportation, etc.), but it’s well worth it!”
Sommer credits Williamson for getting other athletic directors on board with a fully funded middle school program.
“(Dawn) was able to sell it (to the athletic directors) in that bowling was the perfect sport because you don’t have to be the strongest, fastest or tallest in your class to achieve success; you just put in hard work and practice and can make something of it for yourself.”
Joining Williamson in this endeavor was Abigail Oleson, the Athletics Specialist for the district, who is “thrilled to see the level of interest in young bowlers grow” after partnering with Sommer.
“By eliminating the burden of costs for our families, we were hopeful that it would provide more opportunity for our students to explore the sport,” said Oleson. “I believe it’s done just that, and we are looking forward to seeing the positive impact this has on the bowling community and our families in years to come!”
Those who join the middle school program also get coaching from those who coach at the high school level and are paid by the district to help out the middle schoolers.
Again highlighting the backing they have, Sommer said, “The other schools in our area are all volunteers, but the Rockford schools really got behind it. They (RPS 205) let us suggest which coaches to hire at the middle school level; it’s the real deal for sure.”
Other school districts around the United States have also begun to offer bowling as a club sport at the middle school level, showing that bowling has room to grow and continues to bring a younger group into the sport. Those school districts can look to RPS 205 as a blueprint on how to elevate bowling into an official school sport.
Sommer said, “There’s some other hotbeds around the country that are doing similar things with middle school bowling, but if we could make this grow nationwide, who knows where it could take us.”
For more information, visit https://doncarterlanes.com/rps-205-student-registration.
If you're interested in starting a middle school bowling program, USBC Youth offers a guide to help you get started. This guide provides strategies for generating interest, steps for setting up a program, insights on how middle school bowling can feed into high school teams and ways to expand youth participation in local bowling centers. You can access the full guide here. Visit this resource today to bring bowling to your school and grow the sport at the grassroots level!