There are many sports to pick from at Lafayette. The Lafayette Bowling team is one of the many that are provided but not one that is most recognized. The team is split between boys and girls and coached by Sandy and Paul Shafer.

Things to Know
Bowling has been a sport at Lafayette since 2011. The bowling season is usually from October to mid-February and is available to anyone wanting to join, regardless of experience. While many think about basic sports such as volleyball, basketball, football, etc., not many people think about a bowling team. So every year, the team is grateful to have newcomers be a part of the team.

Since the team has two coaches, they are split by gender. Sandy Shafer coaches the girls, and Paul Shafer coaches the boys. The girls’ team has an estimated 8-10 bowlers this year. Many of these members will be new so that Coach Sandy will guide many of them through their first bowling season. Also, Coach Paul estimated that for this season, they would have about 15 boys on their team.

The team manager is Anna Crabtree. Anna’s job as team manager is to email the kids and parents for information on the jerseys’ designs and schedule the other important details for the team.

Requirements
The team does have some requirements to join. You must be in 7th- 12th grade and have an up-to-date KHSAA sports physical. You do not need to be a good bowler to be on the team, everyone is welcome to join. Once you have joined the team, you will need to buy a team jersey, black pants for the guys, and white skirts for the girls. You cannot wear shorts, sweatpants, blue jeans, and/or leggings. If players go against the dress code, the team will not be allowed to play in matches and tournaments.

Goals for the Season
On the bowling team, the main goal is to win regionals, make it to state, and win overall.
“My goals for this season are to be competitive, have fun, and win state!” coach Sandy Shafer said in an interview.

In the 2021-22 season, the girls placed 3rd in regionals and barely made it to state. This year’s goal is to win regionals and crush it in the state.

“The goal on the guys’ part this year is to develop as a team, not a group or individuals, and to improve on the basic skill set,” said coach Paul Shafer. Last year the boys team won 1st place in regionals, beating the Dunbar team, and went on to the state level.

While bowling can be a fun game to go out and play with friends on a Friday night, it is also a real sport, and it is taken very seriously by many people on the team, especially the captains. Every year the team has a captain for the girls’ and boys’ teams. Captains keep hopes high and serve as someone on the team who are strong leaders that can guide their teammates through the season.

Bowling at Lafayette has only been around for about ten years. Because of this, only a few parents know about the team. Many people don’t think bowling is a sport and just a fun activity to play with friends, but this school year, the school is doing much more to inform people about what the bowling team offers. The team has made announcements about the tryouts and has had flyers on almost every bulletin board in the school. The team had their first match against Tates Creek on October 16, 2022, and unfortunately lost, but the following weeks, they had another match against Great Crossing and had a great win on the boys’ and girls’ part!