Bowling
College and High School Bowling on a Roll
Windy City Classic in Waukegan Features Top Women College Bowlers
LAKE FOREST, Ill. (March 15, 2007) – The Windy City Classic bowling tournament in Waukegan, Ill., March 23 – 25, will showcase star performers in one of the nation's increasingly popular and newest scholarship-granting college sports.
The tournament, sponsored by Brunswick Bowling & Billiards, will feature top women's teams, including defending NCAA Women's Bowling Champion Fairleigh Dickinson and the University of Nebraska, winner of last year's Windy City Classic. Also competing are Elmhurst College, Fontbonne University, Minnesota State, University of Central Missouri, Sacred Heart University and University of Wisconsin White Water.
The teams will bowl qualifying rounds on Friday night and Saturday afternoon, and then the top eight teams will be seeded in a double elimination bracket. The action takes place at the Brunswick Zone at Waukegan's Fountain Square, 631 Lakehurst Rd.
There will be a youth bowling clinic held in conjunction with the tournament on March 22 from 5 – 7 p.m. The clinic will be hosted by certified coaches and costs $40. There will also be a session for parents outlining the many benefits and scholarship opportunities in collegiate bowling.
“The Windy City Classic is one of the top college tournaments of the year,” said Stefan Cox, national marketing manager for Brunswick Bowling & Billiards – Retail. “We're delighted to support this event as it shows how the sport of bowling continues to evolve. Some of the participants in this tournament are able to finance their college education partly on the basis of their exceptional bowling skills. You can't help but learn a few things by watching them play.”
Women's bowling was recognized by the NCAA as an emerging sport in 1994. In 1997, the University of Nebraska's women's team awarded the first college scholarship for bowling. Today, more than 170 colleges and universities offer intercollegiate bowling programs. There are 29 Division I and 15 Division II NCAA colleges and universities offering at least partial scholarships for bowling. NCAA schools also have men's bowling programs, however, at this time only women compete for the NCAA national championship in the sport.
The rising popularity and status of college bowling parallels the growing participation in the sport among high school students. Bowling is recognized as a high school varsity sport in 19 states, making it one of the fastest growing interscholastic sports. In the 2005-2006 academic yearthere were 42,101 participants, which is more than double the participants in 2000, according to the United States Bowling Congress (USBC). Recognized by the NCAA and the National Junior College Athletic Association as bowling's intercollegiate governing body, the USBC also serves as a national resource for high school bowling programs.
Carolyn Dorin-Ballard, the USBC's official spokesperson for high school bowling, knows well what an important stepping stone high school bowling can be. The former Professional Women's Bowling Association Player of the Year has had a distinguished bowling career that dates back to her childhood in New Jersey. Before achieving bowling success at the collegiate and professional levels, Dorin-Ballard was a standout bowler at Linden High School in Linden, N.J.
Following her scholastic years, Dorin-Ballard moved on to West Texas State University, where she earned All-America honors three straight seasons from 1987-89. She also led her team to back-to-back Intercollegiate bowling championships in 1987 and 1988. In January, she and her husband,, former national bowling champion Del Ballard, signed on with Brunswick to serve as bowling coaches. They'll lead clinics and work with players of all levels at Brunswick Zone centers across the country.
“I was really fortunate to be able to participate in high school bowling,” Dorin-Ballard said. “It opened so many doors for me, and there are more opportunities than ever before to participate and improve and play the game to your fullest potential. For talented players who apply themselves, bowling can be an important factor in college admissions, and may even defray the cost of college. But whether it leads to a scholarship or not, bowling provides many lessons that will last a lifetime. ”
About Brunswick
Headquartered in Lake Forest, Ill., Brunswick Corporation has been a leader in the recreation business for more than 160 years. Founded in 1845 to make billiards tables, Brunswick Corporation is a Fortune 500 company and the leader in bringing Genuine Ingenuity™ to everything it makes. Brunswick Bowling & Billiards is one of the largest operators of full-service bowling and family recreation centers in North America; is a full-line supplier of bowling equipment, supplies and consumer products, and designs billiards tables and accessories. For more information, visit our Web site at www.bowlbrunswick.com.
For more information, contact:
David O'Dowd or Mary Pettersen
Cushman/Amberg Communications
312/263-2500 or dodowd@cushmanamberg.com
