By Daniel Johnson, Investigative Reporter | Photos by Daniel Johnson
After a year of planning and organizing, the new Bowling Class is no longer just Turkey talk at CNM, said Health and Fitness instructor Scott Romero.
FITT course 2096 is a fitness special topics class that is designed to educate students about the language, scoring, and rules of all things bowling, he said.
“Students will learn definitions of terms like a strike, spare, and how three strikes in a row is a Turkey as well as the basic rules and etiquette of what it takes to be a professional style bowler,” Romero said.
The summer semester will have class at 10 a.m. on Friday mornings at Silva Lanes, and students will spend time learning the scoring process t h e way it had been done in the past, he said.
With the technology that is available today, all people have to do is throw the ball at the pins and the computer will figure out the score for them, he said.
“I want students to know how and why they are getting the scores they are which is why I make them do hand written score cards,” Romero said.
What size of ball should be used, and how to hold or throw one is also discussed in detail as part of the core curriculum, he said.
The fitness benefits of bowling are also part of the curriculum, he said.
Bowling allows a person to burn calories while building muscle and working on cardio, he said.
“It is great physical activity as long as you are not up at the snack bar buying nachos or food in-between every game,” Romero said.
The spring semester of 2014 was the initial semester that the Bowling class was offered and a total of 40 students in two separate classes had passed the FITT 2096, he said.
“After the first two weeks of class most of the students were complaining of sore arms because of the physical strain bowling can have on the body, Romero said.
As an instructor, a desired outcome does consist of student improvement in the field of study, but with bowling it is also nice to see the camaraderie that develops between a student and his peers, he said.
Students worked with one another and rooted for each other no matter what their gender, race, or age had been, he said.
“The positive psychological affect that this class has had on some of these students was an amazing sight for me to see,” said Romero.
Students have claimed that this class is a great way to relax and relieve stress since it is not based in a classroom like normal classes, he said.
One student is actually taking the class again just because of the amount of fun he had in the spring semester, he said.
“Anybody who takes this class will see how much fun it is to be able to get out of the classroom and talk with friends while burning some calories. It is an awesome class,” said Romero.
The collaboration between CNM and Silva Lanes has set students up with some special perks, as Silva has generously set up discounts for students on items at the snack bar during class times, he said.
“Silva Lanes allowed a student in the spring semester to purchase one of their slandered rental balls at a discounted price, so he could use it anywhere he chose to play, just because he showed a love for the game,” Romero said.
The opportunity to work with CNM and interact with the students is wonderful, said Silva Lanes Manager Diana Silva.
“When Mr. Romero approached us with the idea of this class we decided to back him one-hundred percent,” she said.
The process of setting up this class went well and it is a unique opportunity to allow students to get out and be active, Silva said
Silva Lanes wants to encourage the students to continue on with bowling if they find it to be something they enjoy, she said.
“We have also set up a discounted program for students to come and enjoy one game of bowling daily on us,” she said.
A person just needs to show their current CNM student I.D. and pay the shoe rental fee and they can bowl a free game every day over the summer, she said.
It is not recommended that you take advantage of this offer on Friday or Saturday nights though, since it is so busy, she said.
I would love to see the size of the class get bigger and more competitive, so students can try to move on to tournaments and bigger competitions,” Silva said.
Romero said required materials for students consist of pen, paper, and an average log.
A student will then keep their average throughout the semester, so they can see how much they have improved from the start of class, he said.
The class also has a $30 lab fee that covers lane, ball, and shoe rentals, he said.
For more information on this new, fun, and innovative class that gets students out of the class and onto the lanes, contact Scott Romero at sromero141@cnm.edu.
