For the first time since 2019, Silver Bay has a high school bowling team back in the conference rotation, and the early weeks of competition have already shown how much potential has been waiting in the wings.
Coach Logan Fischer said the return has been years in the making. The program didn’t disappear because interest faded. It simply aged out.
“We just didn’t have the kids in seventh through twelfth grade in our program,” he said. “But we had a lot of kids in the second, third, fourth grade area.”
Those younger bowlers stayed with the sport, grew into high school ranks, and finally gave Silver Bay enough athletes to field a team again.
The first week of competition was a learning experience. Silver Bay bowled seven athletes, rotating frames and leaning on their top bowlers to carry more of the load.
“We didn’t get the best scores,” Fischer said.
Week two brought a shift. With eight athletes available, Silver Bay formed what the league calls an emerging JV team. It is designed to give younger bowlers full-game experience while allowing the varsity lineup to settle into a consistent rhythm.
“It is a way to get them more experience,” Fischer said. “And then they will have a more dedicated varsity team.”
The results came quickly when Silver Bay opened the day in Virginia with a match against International Falls.
“We won the first match 180 to 111,” he said. “Then 191 to 141. Then 189 to 175.”
With the match already secured, the team used games four and five to test equipment and reactions on the Virginia lanes.
The second match, against Rock Ridge, had more drama. Silver Bay took the first two games, dropped the next two, and entered the deciding fifth game with the match on the line.
“We won the fifth game 205 to 182,” Fischer said. “It was fun.”
The final match of the day came against Duluth Esko, one of the strongest teams in the conference. Silver Bay opened with a burst of firepower.
“We had one stretch where we had six strikes in a row,” Fischer said.
Duluth Esko won the game 246 to 160, but Silver Bay’s run of strikes was one of the highlights of the afternoon. The remaining games were close, each one slipping away by narrow margins. Silver Bay lost the match, but not the momentum of the day.
By the end of the afternoon, the varsity squad had won two of its three matches and averaged 170 across 15 games. The JV team swept nearly everything in sight.
“They won 14 out of 15 games,” Fischer said. “Everybody’s getting more playing time.”
The excitement stretches beyond this season. Silver Bay has more bowlers waiting in the wings, and Fischer expects the program to stay competitive for years.
“We’ve got several more in sixth grade,” he said. “They’re chomping at the bit to get into seventh grade so they can bowl.”
The schedule ahead is busy. On October 3, Silver Bay will bowl a doubleheader, starting at Skyline in Hermantown at 9 a.m. and finishing downtown at Incline at 2 p.m.
“It’ll be a long day,” Fischer said. “But it should be good.”
The team has a break this coming weekend due to a statewide USBC meeting, then returns to competition on the 11th in Hibbing. Silver Bay’s home match is set for October 24, and the conference championship will be held November 1 in International Falls.
Spectators are welcome at all meets.
“There’s no ticket charge to get in,” Fischer said. “Just remember it’s a bowling alley. Depending on which one it is, there can be limited space to sit. It may be standing room only.”
The conference itself is a wide-ranging group: International Falls, Rock Ridge, Hibbing, Grand Rapids, two Duluth teams, Superior, Two Harbors, Hermantown, and Silver Bay.
Travel is part of the identity of Mariner sports, and bowling is no exception. But the program is back. The kids are learning, and the scores are rising.
Fischer said the first week felt like shaking off the rust. The second week felt like remembering how to bowl.
“It should be interesting to see how the rest of the season plays out,” he said.
Silver Bay’s bowlers are ready for the road, ready for the competition, and ready for the long days ahead. After all, they have already waited seven years for this one.
