A sport that’s been rolling along for years is being upgraded to the varsity level by the Iowa High School Athletic Association. Schools across the state have fielded bowling teams on the club level for several years. IHSAA Executive Director Bernie Saggau says the keglers will join the association to compete for state championships in two years. He says they met the 15-percent participation level, but they decided to wait a year to certify bowling so the coaches can get their certification.Saggau says bowling shouldn’t compete with other winter sports as statistics show many of the bowlers aren’t in other activities.Jan Johnston is president of the Bowling Proprietors Association and the commissioner of the league that’s sponsored state championships for the club teams. She says they’re pleased to get certified by the state.Johnston says the popularity of the sports has grown among kids.She says they had some 77 schools last year that field four teams each in their state club tournament. She says bowling is a life-long sport the kids can participate in long after they’ve left high school. The IHSAA competition in bowling will begin in the 2003-2004 season.
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