NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The Gary Superneau Youth Bowling League is still going strong and has a new partnership that opens it up to more families.

 

League organizer Brent Lefebvre said because of the new financial partnership with MountainOne, the longtime youth bowling league will be able to teach more children how to bowl.

 

"The youth bowling league has been around for a very long time. I bowled in it when I was a youth and it was around before I came along," Lefebvre said. "This partnership will help us grow the sport of bowling by providing opportunities for children to bowl who normally would not be able to due to financial strain."

 

The league has been around for some time now and was renamed this year in memory of local bowling legend and champion of youth bowling Gary Superneau, who passed in 2016. Superneau and his father had managed and owned the bowling alley for many years. 

 

The group meets up Saturday mornings at Greylock Bowl & Golf where U.S. Bowling Congress registered and certified coaches are available to guide the youngsters.

 

"The mission of our league is to provide a safe and fun environment for the youth of our community to learn the sport of bowling," he said. "Children in the league will learn sportsmanship, teamwork, perseverance, and many other important skills useful in everyday life."

 

Lefebvre said there are 35 kids currently in the league and ages range from 5 to 19. The league is split into a peewee division and a junior/senior division.

 

"This is where they learn the fundamentals of bowling, proper form and technique, and the general rules of bowling," he said. "As the kids move up in age and skill, they move to the junior/senior division."

 

Lefebvre said once in the upper division, they learn more advanced skills.

 

"This is where, with the help of our coaches, they will hone their skills and learn the more advanced techniques of bowling," he said. "Things like how to use a reactive ball, how to read the lanes and where to throw the ball depending on what the oil pattern is doing."

 

Lefebvre said there is a cost to the bowling program and now that the MountainOne financial services firm is offering financial aid to families, the cost of the program can be offset, and more children can learn how to bowl properly. 

 

Bowling is different than other sports and the young bowlers are learning something they will be able to enjoy for the rest of their lives, he said.

 

"It's a lifelong sport. Similar to golf in the fact that it's something you can do at age 5 as well as age 70," he said. "It's not a high-impact sport so the wear and tear on your body is much less than that of football or basketball. Bowling requires hand-eye coordination, timing, balance and a large amount of focus."

 

Signups for the league were earlier this summer but anyone interested in participating can contact the league through its Facebook page here. 

 

Disclosure: Greylock Bowl & Golf is owned by iBerkshires.com Publisher Osmin Alvarez.