Bowling was brand new to Vassar High School this season. It was also brand new to all but one of the bowlers on the team.

“None of them had touched a ball (competitively) before our first practice on November 14,” Vassar coach Kevin Lindsley said.

So, imagine Lindsley’s surprise when his team qualified for the match play portion of the boys Big Thumb Conference Championships – and finished among the top six of the league tournament this past weekend.

“Oh yeah, the first thing I asked, and I was kind of being funny, was ‘Do you guys give out Coach of the Year?’” Lindsley said. “We just took a team that had never touched a bowling ball three months ago and placed. As soon as my son bowled his 300 (at the league singles tournament Jan. 31) and they announced it, the first thing people said was, ‘Vassar has a bowling team? When did they get a bowling team?’”

The Vulcans are entering their first postseason Wednesday and Thursday in the Division 4 Regional at Monitor Lanes in Bay City. The team competition is Wednesday, and the singles on Thursday.

They will be rolling for a spot in the Division 4 Finals on Feb. 27 and 28 at Skore Lanes in Taylor.

“My son, Zander, we’ve always bowled and he knows a lot of kids from Genesee County that he grew up with, and they’re all starting to bowl in high school,” Lindsley said. “He wanted to bowl, and I wanted him to bowl in high school, so last year I took it upon myself to try to start a team. We tried to get a team last year, but it didn’t work out. With me getting out there more and a little more word of mouth, this year it worked out way better.”

A total of eight bowlers came out for the program’s inaugural year: seven boys and one girl. And even more important for the future of the program, five of those eight – Zachary Nott, Bradley Dantzer, John Adams, Zander Lindsley and Maci Noyce – are freshmen. There are also three seniors in the program: Caeleb Partridge, Devin Patterson and Edman Wood.

With the numbers to start a team, and a home alley at Brentwood Lanes in Caro, Kevin Lindsley then had to help them become bowlers.

“A couple weeks before the season, I took them to get new balls, and they were used balls, but we got them all cleaned up, professionally fitted, drilled new holes,” Lindsley said. “They all got a ball, bag and shoes. Basically, what I coach or teach them is from my experience. I teach them the details of bowling, to read lane conditions, angles, spare systems, wrist technique, for, basically like you do for any sport. Then, when you actually get to competition, when you put somebody across from you, you say, ‘OK, now go out and outscore them.’ It’s a totally different feeling than when you’re just having some pizza and beers and chucking balls and high-fiving and giggling with your friends.”

One bowler who was not starting from scratch in November was Zander Lindsley, who has been bowling since he was 5 years old. 

In his first high school season, he took the lanes by storm, bowling the aforementioned 300 game on his way to the Big Thumb Conference individual title. It was the first 300 game of his life.

“I didn’t even realize that I was at the 10th frame and had 10 strikes in a row,” he said. “I was just bowling to bowl. It hit me right away when I did it. I turned around and saw my dad and he was so pumped. We chest-bumped. Everyone was yelling and screaming, it was awesome.”

Amazingly, Zander had to come down from the high of a perfect game and win more matches to become the conference champion.

“He said it was very hard and that he was pretty exhausted after the 300,” Kevin Lindsley said. “It took a lot out of him. And another thing, his dad is his coach, so I’m literally behind the lane talking him through this. Once it did happen, we were kind of emotional about it. It did add a little exhaustion to the task.”

Zander now has his eyes set on bigger postseason goals.

“Well, first I’m trying to qualify for Regionals and qualify for states,” he said. “And hopefully win states.”

That would be quite a cap on a first season that has already exceeded expectations in Vassar, but one the Lindsleys are hoping is just the beginning of bigger things for Vulcans bowling.

“Fingers crossed, yes,” Zander said.

Paul Costanzo served as a sportswriter at The Port Huron Times Herald from 2006-15, including three years as lead sportswriter, and prior to that as sports editor at the Hillsdale Daily News from 2005-06. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Genesee, Lapeer, St. Clair, Sanilac, Huron, Tuscola, Saginaw, Bay, Arenac, Midland and Gladwin counties.

PHOTOS (Top) Vassar bowling coach Kevin Lindsley, right, and son Zander pose for a photo during the program’s inaugural season. (Middle) Zander Lindsley holds up the bracket after winning the Big Thumb Conference boys singles championship Jan. 31. (Photos courtesy of the Vassar bowling program.)