About three dozen children and teens ranging in age from 5 to 19 participate in the Saturday morning league.
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.
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Berkshire County Homes Celebrating Holiday Cheer
By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
There's holiday cheer throughout the Berkshires this winter.
Many homeowners are showing their holiday spirit by decorating their houses. We asked for submissions so those in the community can check out these fanciful lights and decor when they're out.
We asked the homeowners questions on their decorations and why they like to light up their houses.
In Great Barrington, Matt Pevzner has decorated his house with many lights and even has a Facebook page dedicated to making sure others can see the holiday joy.
Located at 93 Brush Hill Road, there's more than 61,000 lights strewn across the yard decorating trees and reindeer and even a polar bear.
The Pevzner family started decorating in September by testing their hundreds of boxes of lights. He builds all of his own decorations like the star 10-foot star that shines done from 80-feet up, 10 10-foot trees, nine 5-foot trees, and even the sleigh, and more that he also uses a lift to make sure are perfect each year.
"I always decorated but I went big during COVID. I felt that people needed something positive and to bring joy and happiness to everyone," he wrote. "I strive to bring as much joy and happiness as I can during the holidays. I love it when I get a message about how much people enjoy it. I've received cards thanking me how much they enjoyed it and made them smile. That means a lot."
Pevzner starts thinking about next year's display immediately after they take it down after New Year's. He gets his ideas by asking on his Facebook page for people's favorite decorations. The Pevzner family encourages you to take a drive and see their decorations, which are lighted every night from 5 to 10.
In North Adams, the Wilson family decorates their house with fun inflatables and even a big Santa waving to those who pass by.
The Wilsons start decorating before Thanksgiving and started decorating once their daughter was born and have grown their decorations each year as she has grown. They love to decorate as they used to drive around to look at decorations when they were younger and hope to spread the same joy.
"I have always loved driving around looking at Christmas lights and decorations. It's incredible what people can achieve these days with their displays," they wrote.
The Wilsons' invite you to come and look at their display at 432 Church St. that's lit from 4:30 to 10:30 every night, though if it's really windy, the inflatables might not be up as the weather will be too harsh.
In Pittsfield, Travis and Shannon Dozier decorated their house for the first time this Christmas as they recently purchased their home on Faucett Lane. The two started decorating in November, and hope to bring joy to the community.
"If we put a smile on one child's face driving by, then our mission was accomplished," they said.
Many homeowners are showing their holiday spirit by decorating their houses. We asked for submissions so those in the community can check out these fanciful lights and decor when they're out.
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