Coronavirus precautions may have necessitated a few changes in format, but on Jan. 25, several area bowling teams got their first taste of competition this year as they officially kicked off the winter varsity season with a slate of matches at Bowlerland. And while the competition might have looked a little different, athletes and coaches alike said it was refreshing to be back in action.

Six high schools were on hand to compete in three matches on Monday, with many of those teams—including Harrison and Mamaroneck—competing for the first time under the newly instituted Covid-19 guidelines for winter sports. Some of the new rules include mandatory masks for all athletes and coaches and a ban on opposing teams sharing lanes. This year, the boys and girls teams from individual high schools will compete on adjacent lanes instead of sharing lanes with their opponents from other schools.

Mamaroneck coach William Byron, who has helmed the Tigers’ program since 2005, said that although the changes were necessary given the fears surrounding the pandemic, the new rules did affect the atmosphere surrounding the matches. Both the boys and girls teams earned Monday victories over Port Chester.

“I think when you don’t have two teams competing side-by-side, five-on-five, and it comes down to the last frame and you have your best bowlers up, it loses something,” he said. “But afterwards, the kids just said they were happy to be bowling with their friends.”

Although Monday’s matches at Bowlerland saw several schools taking on opponents also competing on site—including one that saw Harrison’s boys and girls earn a split against New Rochelle—several of this season’s competitions will be held virtually with teams competing on their own lanes and comparing scores afterwards.

Byron stressed that these minor inconveniences have done little to dampen his charges’ enthusiasm for the sport. In fact, he said, his players’ persistence is a major factor behind the Mamaroneck school district’s willingness to go ahead with bowling in the first place. Under guidelines set forth by Section I, winter sports were permitted to begin as early as Jan. 11, but each school district was given the opportunity to make the decision about whether or not low-to-medium risk sports would participate in the season or not.

“We didn’t get bowling even approved until last Friday [Jan. 22] and my kids were part of the reason we got approved,” he said. “We had parents and students write heartfelt letters to the superintendent and then two days later, we got approved.”

The winter season—which as of last week also includes “high-risk” sports including ice hockey, basketball and cheerleading—will continue until March 14. All state tournaments have been canceled, but Section I is planning on implementing regional postseason play similar to the format used for the Fall I schedule.

Contact: sports@hometwn.com