This past fall, competitive bowling returned to Oregon State University for the first time since the ‘90s. 

Led by club president, Jacob Berger, the team plans to continue expanding the program in the future, aiming to inspire a new wave of collegiate bowling in the Northwest.

Berger, a third-year math and computer science major, has accumulated a wealth of bowling experience throughout his life, hitting the lanes all throughout high school and well before. However, prior to the formation of the new team, he had put a one to two-year hold on his bowling career, as the facilities on campus were lackluster for competitive play. 

Berger’s hiatus ended when he became the head mechanic at the Memorial Union’s Lanes & Games, allowing him to take matters into his own hands and work on the university’s bowling alley himself, steadily bringing it back into shape. At the same time he was fixing up the lanes, Berger gauged his peers’ interest in potentially forming a bowling team.

“I slowly met people and gathered names,” Berger said. “This last summer, things just came together, and we applied for the club.”

Since meeting for the first time in the fall, the team has grown to over 20 members and competed in multiple major events. Their first foray into inter-university competition came on Jan. 26 in a scrimmage against the University of Washington’s also newly-formed bowling team, in an event dubbed the inaugural “Columbia River Rivalry.” The Beavers ended up coming out on top, and a trophy to commemorate their efforts can now be found displayed at Lanes & Games.

A few days after the joint scrimmage, the OSU bowling team flew to Las Vegas to compete in both the Sin City Tournament and the Rebel Classics Tournament. The varsity team placed 5th and 4th, respectively, while the JV team placed 6th and 9th. 

Travel and lodging logistics were a daunting and unfamiliar prospect for the young club, but they pushed through.

“That’s the biggest tournament in the West Coast at this time of the year,” Berger said. “So we wanted to make it for that one.”

While bowling has a significant presence in various parts of the United States, the recent history of collegiate-level bowling in the Pacific Northwest has been bleak. In fact, before this past summer, there were no collegiate teams in the area. Now, UW and OSU’s teams are building up a new bowling scene from scratch, and people are taking notice.

“Three or four colleges have reached out to me personally and said ‘We’re thinking of starting a team,’” Berger said. “It just takes one dedicated student, like me, to start a whole team. That’s all you need.”

Students interested in joining the bowling team can apply through the OSU Ideal-Logic website or reach out on social media to get more information. Applicants should have some level of serious bowling experience (bowling league, PAC classes, etc.) as the level of competition would be difficult for most newcomers to handle. 

For students unable to join the club directly, there are plenty of opportunities to show support from outside. The team will be fundraising during DAM Proud Day on April 30, and they currently have a GoFundMe running as well. Beyond that, the team plans to engage with the community in other ways.

“We definitely want to host some non-sanctioned, more fun tournaments for all the students or high schools or stuff like that at Lanes & Games,” Berger said. “And our coach has a really good relationship with (Brunswick Bowling Products), so we might do some deals with them where we can raffle off balls, shoes, and stuff like that.”

As the team continues to find its footing, Berger looks towards the future. “I’m hoping to build this program out as big as possible in my next year and a half while I’m here … so we can keep doing stuff with new leadership and make it self-sustaining,” Berger said. “Watch out for us. Follow the socials: Instagram, Facebook, you can find us there … If anyone’s interested, definitely reach out. We’re always looking to go out and find new people.”