[media-credit name=”Crystal Charriere” align=”alignright” width=”300″][/media-credit]The Weber State University bowling team just returned from their first tournament in Reno, Nevada.

“We did fairly well, though not as well as we had hoped,” said Fred Meaders, Wildcat Lanes coordinator and intercollegiate bowling coach. “Collegiate bowling is the most exciting bowling that anyone has ever seen. The competitions are very intense and pressure packed. It is truly a sport in every aspect. It requires a tremendous amount of conditioning and endurance.”

WSU also has a bowling club. It is a student organization that meets Monday through Thursday from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. every week at Wildcat Lanes in the Shepherd Union building.

The bowling club has about 45 members this year. The bowling club consists of a USBC sanctioned bowling league and an intercollegiate bowling team.

“The bowling club is a place for anybody who is interested in getting together and enjoying the game of bowling,” said team captain, Scott McIntire. He has been bowling for 24 years. McIntire began bowling when he was eight years old. Both of his parents were bowlers. “I started bowling in youth leagues when I was 11. My dad started teaching me and I’ve grown from there,” he said.

This is McIntire’s second year at WSU. He is here on an education program sponsored by the Coast Guard. He is getting a degree in Electronics Engineering Technology.

Vice president of the bowling club and member of the team, Shaun Reeve was born and raised in Salt Lake City.

“I got my first bowling ball when I was 12 or 13,” said Reeve. “When I found out there was a bowling team in high school [Juan Diego] it peaked my interest. I made the team and now I’m here at Weber bowling,”  Reeve is currently a certified personal trainer. He plans to go to graduate school to get a master’s degree in exercise physiology. “I want to manage a gym for a while and then open my own facility.”

Club treasurer, Mark Mandell, has been bowling since he was nine years old.

“I started bowling competitively when I was 11,” Mandell said. “Fred recruited me from my high school in Phoenix, Ariz. Bowling is just like any other college sport. They take a look at seniors in high school and keep tabs on the local junior tournaments to see who is bowling well and who’s not, to see who they have an interest in recruiting.”

Students are welcome to check out the bowling team meets.

“We have coaching opportunities Monday through Thursday from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.,” Mandell said. “As long as you come and pay club membership, you can bowl any time and get coaching. We have people that come in averaging about 85 and after eight weeks, they are up to about 110. We have a Facebook page. It is Weber State Bowling Club. This is a great way to keep informed on how the team is doing.”