CENTERBURG – Centerburg students Ethan Kent and Zack Jagger asked the school board Monday to recognize bowling as a varsity school sport.
The board did not vote on the matter, but board president Lynn McCann said it would consider the request throughout the next year.
Currently, bowling is a Centerburg club sport with a volunteer coach and 14 members as of the recently concluded winter season. Each student pays $200 to participate which defrays the cost of fees, such as renting space at Colonial City Lanes in Mount Vernon, which is the team’s home base. The team also supports itself financially through fundraisers.
Superintendent Mike Hebenthal expressed concern about recognizing bowling, or any additional sport, on a varsity level due to costs to the district.
“I just think we really need to think hard about if you approve this, what are you going to say to soccer, what are you going to say to boys volleyball,” Hebenthal said.
During the board’s March meeting, representatives from Centerburg’s soccer board voiced a goal to eventually make soccer a school club.
Regarding the mention of boys volleyball, Hebenthal sees Title IX as a factor when thinking about adding additional school sports.
Earlier this year, the Ohio High School Athletic Association Board of Directors voted unanimously to add girls wrestling and boys volleyball as emerging sports beginning with the 2022-23 school year, which means teams for both boys and girls for these sports must be offered if there is interest under Title IX.
Title IX, passed as part of the Education Amendments of 1972, prohibits sex-based discrimination in any school or any other education program that receives funding from the federal government.
