Cindy and Mark Ellis have been long time coaches of Durant High School bowling. This is completely voluntarily.  Cindy and Mark have two children, who were involved in the sport. The youngest just finished his senior year of being on the team,  The oldest and daughter was a pioneer of high school team in the area.  Though out the years, the Ellis' have maintained a winning record and numerous trips to state.  The whole family has been bowling for many years and competed in not only high school bowling, but also has individuals.

Youth bowling does not have to start at a young age.  Many people do not start until their teens.  One way to learn how to bowling is by joining a high school bowling. I know Oklahoma has high school bowling, but not sure about other states. The teams consist of boys, girls, and/or both.  
    Unlike other high school sports, bowling does not need to be separated by gender.  Teams have a maximum of seven members. Yet, five members participate per game. If there are enough students to make another team that is allowed as long as it is an all boys or all girls team. Since there are 10 frames in one game, that is two frames per bowler. Each player goes in order. For example, if the first bowler bowls the first frame, they will also bowl the sixth frame when the order starts over. The fifth bowler is called the anchor. They will bowl the fifth and tenth frames.  In reality, this is normally the best bowler on the team. 
     Competing works just like all other sports.  High school teams meet up to bowl against each other once a week. Teams bowl eight games per meeting. This may sound like a lot, but it really is not because each bowling only bowls two frames per game. That is only about a game and half per bowler. These small contests lead up to regional and state tournaments.
    Every team is involved in a regional competition. This is where the best teams win a trip to the state tournament.  Normally there is girl winner and boy winner. So all competition is fair. If the team is mixed, they are considered a boys team. Because in most cases there are more boys than girls on the team. 

    Welcome to Bowling with Brittani!  This blog  will give you insight to bowling 101. Through this blog I hope to provide a new interest in the sport of bowling. I have been bowling since I was about four. I have participated in several tournaments, including The National Bowling Tournament. I am still in the learning process, but I know a lot about the sport. 

    Though out my bowling career, I have bowled in several leagues.  It all started with peewee bowling.  This is bowling with bumpers. (This was close to 15 years ago, when bumpers were comparable to what looked like big long balloons to a four year old.)  They were made out of the same material as an air mattress and filled with air. This is the stage of learning when you just throw the ball down the lane.  The age range is about four to eight years. 
     When you are good enough, you can move up in the program.  When I was involved, it was totally different than it is today. Back in the good old days we had preps and majors after we finished peewees.  That has all changed today.  Today, the whole program is all one thing with no divisions. I will attempt to explain how it is now and also how it was back in the day. 
          The Preps division was a league for preteen. Bowling starts without bumpers and the focus was on keeping the ball in the lane.  This also begins the focus on footwork and handling the ball.  Majors was for the “big kids,” who were in their teens and  all the way up to the age of 21. This stage is where you know all of the fundamentals. Most bowlers do not bowl in youth until they are of age, and most move up to adult league as soon as they can after they turn 18.  
    The organization used to be called Y.A.B.A (Young American Bowling Association) now to is just called U.S.B.C (United States Bowling Congress) Youth.  The U.S.B.C is the organization that all American leagues are bowled under. If you bowl in a league at any bowling center you must have become a member and renew yearly to continue to bowl in any league. This is called the sanction fee. Most leagues consist of five team members that meet to compete once a week.  
     Just because you did not start with a youth league does not mean you cannot start right now.  This sport is so easy to learn and master; you will be amazed at how fun it will be. In the league I am currently on, we have 2 beginners, who have never bowled in a league a day in their life. We have been bowling since September and these two women have completely amazed me by how fast they have learned and picked up the skill. I will have more to talk about with them throughout the blog. They are my inspiration for writing this blog.