Wednesday was the first practice session for the newly formed bowling teams at Greene County High School. Coach John Woodford welcomed 20 boys and six girls to Spare Time Lanes in Jefferson, the bowling home of the Rams. The sport has been sanctioned by Iowa’s high school sports governing bodies for 15 years, but it’s year one for Greene County, as the Rams become host of the state’s 115th high school bowling program. The Rams will compete in the smallest of the sports three classes, which is 1A. Class 1A has 51 bowling programs with 32 in both 3A and 2A.

Coach Woodford has had some of the top male bowlers participate in the Spare Time Lanes junior program for several years. He mentioned brothers Carter and Chase Fecher, plus Lane Fields, among the more seasoned bowlers on the Greene County team. The girls out for the sport don’t appear to have much bowling experience, but the coach said he’s looking forward to teaching the sport to the newcomers, as well has helping those with more experience to improve their game.

The Rams open the season on Monday, Nov. 20 at Spare Time Lanes in Jefferson when they host Clarke (Osceola) at 4 p.m.