ARLINGTON, Texas – Nine schools and three school districts will have the opportunity to incorporate bowling into their educational plans during the 2024-2025 school year.

Twelve recipients have been chosen by the International Bowling Campus Youth Development team to receive Bowler’s Ed kits and curriculum information through the Bowler’s Ed Grant Program, which directly impacts over 62,000 students. Bowler’s Ed is a curriculum- and equipment-based physical education program designed to introduce students to the lifetime sport of bowling.

Each Bowler’s Ed kit provides teachers and supporting staff with the equipment and tools needed to enjoy the sport in the most convenient way – bringing a bowling-center-like atmosphere into classrooms, gyms and recreational spaces.

Through the grant program, schools and organizations are able to teach students and young athletes about bowling in an educational and fun setting. Each kit provides six sets of the following: a carpeted mobile bowling lane, rubber bowling ball, plastic pins, step-by-step curriculum and an instructional video on the fundamentals of bowling, which includes etiquette, safety, scoring and fitness activities.

The schools and school districts selected to receive Bowler’s Ed kits for the 2024-2025 school year were determined based on applications submitted by the Dec. 31, 2023, deadline. The kits will be received by the following schools and districts: 

•    Bernice Vossbeck Elementary School – Lynden, Wash.
•    Conrad Weiser East Elementary School – Wernersville, Pa.
•    College Community School District – Cedar Rapids, Iowa
•    Eau Claire Area School District – Eau Claire, Wis.
•    Harmony Hills Elementary School – Silver Spring, Md.
•    McVey Elementary School – Newark, Del.
•    P.S. 121 – South Ozone Park, N.Y.
•    Riverdale Elementary School – Mt. Blanchard, Ohio
•    Saint Martin de Porres Academy – New Haven, Conn.
•    San Antonio Independent School District – San Antonio
•    Southwood Elementary School – Kinston, N.C.
•    Wellington School – Winnipeg, Manitoba

The curriculum includes lessons that put a new twist on subjects that students are already learning about such as math, language arts, social studies, problem solving, computer skills and more. It also introduces the students to a sport that they can play for a lifetime while providing great exercise, building endurance and developing hand-eye coordination in a fun way.

“I want to thank Bowler’s Ed for awarding the bowling grant to our school,” said Michelle Wright, a physical education teacher at Bernice Vossbeck Elementary School. “We are excited, along with our PTA, to partner with our local bowling centers. Our goal is to continue a love for bowling and foster lifelong fitness for our students and families.”

IBC Youth Development works with local associations, schools and bowling centers throughout the country to deliver the In-School Bowler’s Ed kits. Each kit is valued at $2,200.

The initiative is supported by the bowling industry and aims to bring bowling centers and associations together with schools and non-profit organizations in their communities, allowing physical education teachers and other instructors the opportunity to make bowling one of the sports they teach to their students.

Since 2010, the Bowler’s Ed Grant Program has awarded 341 grants valued at over $750,000. More than 4.7 million students from 46 states and provinces across the United States and Canada have been impacted by the program.

For schools, facilities or organizations interested in applying for a Bowler’s Ed grant, the application portal is open once again. The submission deadline for this round is June 30, 2024.

Information on the Bowler’s Ed program can be found at BOWL.com/BowlersEd, and applications for the Bowler’s Ed grant can be found at ibc.smapply.net. IBC Youth Development is supported by the Bowling Proprietors’ Association of America and the United States Bowling Congress.