HUTCHINSON – As the clock begins ticking on Hutchinson High School’s second Unified Bowling practice, special education teacher and Salthawks coach Megan Doyle is in constant motion.
 
From checking in bowlers with The Alley’s front-desk person to organizing them in five-player teams to explaining the Baker game format to tying the occasional shoe, the allotted hour is fast and full.
 
Much like a day in Doyle’s classroom.
 
“Oh, 100 percent,” Doyle said shortly after senior Sean Minner, one of 18 athletes with intellectual disabilities on Hutchinson’s inaugural Unified Bowling team, rolls the first ball.  “Most of these are my kids because I teach them.”

 
Hutchinson is one of 12 schools across the state offering Unified Bowling for the first time this fall after 31 schools launched the Kansas State High School Activities Association’s newest sport a year ago. KSHSAA partnered with Special Olympics Kansas in May 2021 to encourage and develop Unified Bowling among its member schools.
 
Unified Bowling is part of the broader Special Olympics Unified Sports, an inclusive activities program that combines students with intellectual disabilities and students without intellectual disabilities on competitive teams. KSHSAA conducted the first Unified Bowling state championship – won by Goddard Eisenhower – last November.
 
Hutchinson’s program is in its infancy. In addition to the 18 special-education student-athletes, five partner student-athletes attended Thursday’s practice. Most have little to no bowling experience.
 
“On Tuesday, we just let them bowl,” said Doyle, who will oversee two weekly practices leading up to the Salthawks’ first tournament Oct. 11 in Salina. “They each just bowled 10 frames and we just wanted them to get used to it.
 
“This practice, we’re teaching them the Baker style and getting them used to alternating. We have two more practices to learn how to do this.”
 
It’s a learning process for Doyle, as well. With Hutchinson boys and girls bowling coach Leann Gleason coaching freshman volleyball this fall and her assistant, Charlie Pierce, leading the Salthawk girls golf program, Doyle took the lead in directing Hutchinson’s maiden voyage into Unified Bowling.
 
Julia Johnson, an HHS art teacher, assists Doyle. Darcy Raker and Kyle Unruh take turns as practice volunteers.
 
Doyle, a recreational bowler, said, “I’ve bowled more the last month than I ever have.”
 
“At the beginning of the year, I really leaned on Leann a lot,” she added. “A lot of those questions like, ‘Could I only have one team? Could I have more than one team?’ Just information she would hear from other coaches since we didn’t have it last year.”
 
The learning curve doesn’t overshadow one of Unified Bowling’s core missions – fostering an environment of social inclusion. Doyle invited sophomore Hannah Nisly to be one of the partner athletes after she connected with several of the special-education students by bringing a therapy dog to their classroom.
 
Among those she befriended was Minner, whom she bowled with Thursday.
 
“I did this because they needed more regular-ed kids,” said Nisly, who doesn’t bowl regularly. “Even when we’re on the bus, everybody is just excited. It gives (the special education) kids the chance to do something with their friends outside of school that doesn’t feel like work. I think it makes a lot of them happy.”
 
Doyle is hopeful a recent KSHSAA rule change allowing Salthawk bowlers who compete in the winter to participate in both offseason leagues and Unified Bowling will bring more partner bowlers to the team. At least three had expressed interest, she said.
 
“It’s great to have so many of our special-ed students out for the team,” Doyle said. “It’s a good problem to have. But if we don’t get more of the regular-ed kids out, some will only get two meets instead of four.
 
“One of our freshmen saw the flyers that were posted about it at the beginning of the year and it caught his attention. He’s loving it and making new friends. That’s what it’s all about.”