The Lee County School Board recently voted to make bowling a high school varsity letter sport. The program starts in August when the 2011-12 school year begins.

Bill Hanson, owner of All Star Lanes in North Fort Myers, was one of those campaigning to get this accomplished.

“We met with the principals of the schools in February and met with them again in April,” said Hanson, current president of the Southwest Florida Bowling Proprietors Group, “and the proprietors group basically agreed to fund the sport.”

Bowling will be offered as part of the fall sport lineup along with football, volleyball, swimming, cross country and golf.

“Anytime you can expand offerings to students – both academically or athletically – is a positive step,” said Lee Schools Communications Director Joe Donzelli. “This will provide an opportunity for students that they didn’t have previously, and we’re hopeful that many will take advantage of the chance to participate.”

“Now that the word is out students will be banging the door down,” said Mariner athletic director Vito Mennona. “The roster limit is eight and five will bowl each match. I might be wrong, but you could get cut in the Cape. If 10 try out, two get cut.”

Statewide, bowling is a one-class sport. All 13 Lee County schools have been assigned to District 6 for 2011-13. The FHSAA Finals are slated for November.

“Since there are no other schools in Southwest Florida with bowling, two schools from our district will advance to the state,” said Mennona.

Six bowling centers will participate, including Friendship Lanes and Bowland in Cape Coral, along with All Star Lanes and others in the area.

“The catalyst for this was Mike Cannington,” Hanson said. “He is the director of operations for Bowland Centers of Southwest Florida.”

It was a personal cause for Hanson. Now he and others from his group hope to get the ball rolling again at local schools.

“We’re trying to get our fund raising committee together to raise funds for the sport,” he said.

Bowling will be free to the high school teams with shirts and other items also taken care of.

“Our only cost, possibly, will be transportation,” said Mennona, “but that’s not decided 100 percent yet.”

According to county policy, with parental permission bowlers can provide their own transportation or carpool with teammate parents or coaches to sites within the county.

Hanson also is involved in a national summer program to offer free bowling to kids.

Children throughout the area can bowl for free as part of a national effort by bowling centers, schools and other community organizations to launch a fun summer activity program.

“We know how the economic times have affected a lot of people, and they have affected us too, and it is an opportunity to have parents have their kids bowl two free games every day until Aug. 31, an opportunity to give them something to do to keep kids active this summer,” said Hanson.

Children 15 and under can be registered by parents or guardians online at www.kidsbowlfree.com. For more information call (239) 995-0413.

Breeze sports editor Jim Linette contributed to this report.