ABOVE: Team Captain Brooklyn Peterson (right) throws the bowling ball down the lane while Ruben Pena (left) waits for his turn as the Fairmont-area bowling team practices at Bowlmor on Wednesday.

FAIRMONT–As they near the end of their second season, the Fairmont-area youth bowling team is looking to keep the momentum going.

The program is not associated with the schools but is open to student bowlers from all local school districts. The 11 members currently represent Fairmont, Granada Huntley-East-Chain (GHEC) and Martin County West. Kids in grades 7 to 12 bowl for varsity and JV, while 5th and 6th graders bowl JJV.

When competing against teams from other schools, Baker-style bowling is played. This style uses teams of five, where each player bowls two frames in a 10-frame game. Team official Deb Klujeske said this format makes the sport all-inclusive.

“No one sits on the bench,” she said. “Every player has equal playing time. This develops team cohesion, as they are not scored individually, but collectively. During each meet, the team bowls two schools, each in a head-to-head five games set, for 10 games.”

Throughout the season, practices are held Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. in the Bowlmor. Assistant coach Travis Petersen said the coaches work with students on fundamentals. Head coach Mike Klujeske said the program has brought in students of varying skill levels.

“We have anywhere from people that have never picked up a bowling ball before to people that are experienced,” Klujeske said. “We try to coach all the kids up and what have you. We set goals for each of them that are realistic. We noticed with a lot of these kids; if it wasn’t for bowling, they wouldn’t have any extracurricular athletics.”

With Baker-style bowling emphasizing team play, Klujeske said the kids learn as much from each other as they do from the coaches. This is especially true of Jalin Jackson and Brooklyn Petersen, who are expected to be role models for the team and uphold expectations. Jackson said it’s like being a secondary coach, and he enjoys that role.

Petersen said she enjoys being on the team because she knows everyone has a chance to participate and compete. Jackson is also on the basketball and golf teams, and he said the focus and investment in practice are similar between all three.

With the program finding steady legs, Mike Klujeske said the goal is to fully flesh it out and have a development system in place.

“We’re constantly working on building year after year,” he said. “We want to get to the point where we have enough for a varsity A, B, and C team, and then we’d have younger elementary teams we can build up and progress throughout the years.”

This year, Fairmont’s Bowlmor Lanes is hosting the High School Bowling Conference tournament on Sunday, Nov. 3. Teams from Mankato, Janesville, Waterville/Elysian, Fairbault and Owatonna will compete against each other and Fairmont.

“It is rare for any sport to bring a conference tournament to Fairmont,” Deb Klujeske said. “It is unheard of to be awarded the conference tournament in the 2nd year of the team’s existence.”

Jackson said everyone is feeling the nerves, but they are all excited to show what they can do on their home lanes.

While the fall season is co-ed, there is a girls-only high school bowling team that starts in December. For more information on Fairmont-area student bowling, call or email Mike Klujeske at 507-399-9015 or msklujeske@gmail.com