FITT course – The CNM Chronicle

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.

img_20170210_114824509 — Scott Romero watched his students bowl. He said “You get to know them in a much more intimate level than just lecturing in front of a class.” (Hay/CNM Chronicle)

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.

CNM student Emily Hoffman bowls with her class mates every week at Silva Lanes in NE Albuquerque, and also said she would like it if CNM offered more active classes like swing dancing. (Wade Faast/CNM Chronicle)

DSC_5320 Copy.jpg — Connie Hoffman watches her ball closely; the moments after release may tell her what the ball is likely to do. (Wade Faast/CNM Chronicle)

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.

Bowling class (FITT 2096) for the Summer Semester, CRN 95559			Instructor: Scott Romero
May 15^th to August 6^th, Fridays	10:00 am – 1:15 pm	Location: Silva Lanes Bowling, 3010 Eubank Blvd NE

By Daniel Johnson, Investigative Reporter | Photos by Daniel Johnson

Bowling

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.

Tag: FITT course

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