Bowling for Fun and Credits

February 20, 2017.  Story by Heather Hay

CNM’s ongoing bowling class, taught by part time instructor Scott Romero, offers students more than just a lesson in bowling, it’s a fun stress release exercise and an inspiring place to meet accomplished students and new friends, said Romero.

The class is scheduled for 10 to 1:15 pm on Fridays this summer semester and will prepare students with everything needed to know to join a league and is held at Silva Lanes on Eubank and the class is a mixture of all experience levels, said Romero.

Romero said “People don’t know this exists, even though we’ve been doing it for three years,” and he also added that it transfers to the bowling classes offered at UNM.

The class is very active with each game being about 800 steps, so in the beginning of the semester the class learned proper etiquette and warm up exercises so students know how to take care of soreness, for the rest of the semester each student has played three games a day, he said.

Even though there were no quizzes or tests, Romero said Silva Lanes keeps track of the averages throughout the semester so students can see their progress.

Silva Lanes also runs specials for CNM students who are not enrolled: one free game a year when you show your student ID, and two dollar shoes and two dollar games daily, said Diana Silva of Silva Lanes.

At the end of every semester Silva Lanes shuffles 20 color pins that day just for the students and you win a five dollar gift certificate if you knock the colored pins down, he said.

“Even if you are the shyest person, or if you are a little introverted, everybody here is so welcoming,” said Romero, and he added that the class is designed to accommodate bowlers of all experience levels, and almost all fitness classes (FITT in the catalog of classes) are offered with no prerequisites.

“It’s fun and you can make friends.  It’s a good way to take away stress from other classes,” said bowling student Dulce Estrada.

“Students who take a fitness class in general, it transitions over, there is a correlation between grades and taking a fitness class,” said Romero.

Romero said he used to bowl professionally when he was younger, then he was a case manager for troubled teens and then got involved with youth coaching before working at CNM five years ago.

Bowling student ,Emily Hoffman, said Romero is her partner for unified bowling, which is an athlete paired with a professional, for the Special Olympics in the summer every year, and Hoffman and Romero won state Special Olympics in unified golf.

Connie Hoffman, who has gotten a Business Graphics Design from CNM, Angie Molina and Emily Hoffman said they started taking the classes three years ago and they all participate in Special Olympics.

Connie Hoffman said she continues to do graphic design work by making the fundraising posters for Special Olympics where she competes in Bowling, Golf, and Bocce Ball and wishes CNM would teach Bocce.

Over the years, Scott said there have been at least 5 students who have taken his class and Special Olympics, and said he always participates in fundraising events for the program since the state cut funding for Special Olympics.

The use of a bowling ball and shoe rental are covered by the cost of the class, however you can buy your own ball there from Silva’s Pro shop and the cost is about a hundred dollars for a ball, bag and shoes said Romero. (Hay/CNM CHronicle)

Manuel Lujan, CNM staff member with Ace Computer Labs and Bowling student shows off his own bowling shoes he found online. (Hay/CNM CHronicle)

For more information on the bowling class at CNM, contact Scott Romero at sromero141@cnm.edu.  For more information on bowling classes at UNM, contact Gary Skidmore at gskid@unm.edu.