Team G bowling starts early September and ends in November. Practices are held on Sundays at Texa-Tonka lanes in St. Louis Park. Although there are some modifications made for athletes with physical disabilities, most athletes compete under professional bowling rules. We do not use bumpers. Some athletes use a ramp for launching the ball.
When athletes arrive they will check in, get a name-tag and ask for shoes at the desk. Balls should be the proper weight and finger size. We generally have 6 lanes available and practice time allows for a short lesson and 2 games. Scores are gathered each week of practice and are submitted to the State office where divisioning for fair competition (with athletes of similar ability) at Area and State games is established.
We have a wide range of skills on our team but most are beginners. Athletes are generally grouped by general ability and age. Social opportunities are an important part of our practice and we focus on bowling skills as well as sportsmanship and encouragement of fellow bowlers.
Suggested attire for bowling is comfortable, loose pants and t-shirts. Our athletes do get warm during bowling. Park Tavern supplies balls and shoes but many seasoned bowlers have their own shoes and bowling balls. For competition, athletes will wear their Team G t-shirt.
Bowling is a great chance for Unified Partners to compete as “doubles” and for non-athletes to get involved in our team. The partner must be Level 1 Coach Certified through the State. See www.somn.org to register to be a Unified Partner.
Please see specialolympicsminnesota.org/sports/bowling for additional information about this sport.
Bowling details for 2019 season:
- Bowling will be held Sundays from 4 – 5:30 p.m. at Texa Tonka Lanes, 8200 Minnetonka Blvd., St. Louis Park beginning Sunday, September 15th.
- Participation is for athletes 8 – 18 (or until they have graduated high school). ALL paperwork MUST be complete prior to the first practice.
- State Bowling Tournament will be held the weekend of November 23 – 24th. Please check your calendars to make sure this weekend will work for your schedule.
- Priority on the team will go to those athletes who are eligible and available to compete at the State Tournament and have competed with Team G in the past. Final number of athletes and Unified Partners will be based on the number of lanes and volunteer/coaches available. As with all Team G sports, there are limits based on space and coach/volunteers.
- There will be a combination of ramp and traditional bowling available. Ramps will be limited to those who cannot physically get the ball down the lane. There are adaptive bowling balls to use for those who are moving from a ramp to a traditional lane. ALL athletes must be able to bowl at least 2 games and will do so at practice.
- For athletes who may need extra help or require 1-on-1 assistance, we may require parents to sign up as a Level 1 coach to assist at practice and assure a safe and positive experience for all athletes. If you are not interested in becoming Level 1 coach please be prepared to recruit a volunteer.
- If you are interested in volunteering, or know someone who would be interested, please visit our Team G Volunteer & Coach page. You will need to complete the steps to register as a Level 1 Coach before the first practice. If over 18 this includes a background check.
Visit Registration page – open now!
