By:Andrew Coen
Recently, however, his hopes for a career in the sport faded. The team was one of the casualties when School District 15 was forced onto a contingency budget for the second straight year after the public voted down its proposed budget. The Lawrence High bowling program was one of the extracurricular programs eliminated, meaning that Rothbard will not get to bowl his senior season.
But his mother, Cori, is trying to salvage the program for her son and his teammates through some fund-raising efforts. At the school board's Aug. 10 meeting, she proposed that the school resurrect the team if parents agreed to help raise money and provide transportation for the team, in addition to finding a teacher to serve as a volunteer coach.
"This is something that is important to my son, and I would like to see it be reinstated," Rothbard told the board.
Rothbard and some of the other parents of the 20 members of the former bowling team are prepared to take on the fund-raising efforts.
Eric Rothbard has been bowling since he was 2. He averages better than 200, and was named All-County last year. "I want him to be able to do bowling his last year, and I want to help him be able to do that," said his mother. "I feel as a mother, I don't want him to have to say that he didn't play four years of bowling."
To help minimize the costs of running a team, the parents have offered to carpool the students in minivans to practices and competition, meaning that no transportation would have to be provided by the district, and that only insurance costs would need to be worked out.
Cori Rothbard also said that a teacher in the district has offered to coach the team voluntarily for the season, which runs from mid-November to early January. In addition, the owners of Woodmere Lanes, where the team practices, have offered to help out. "The parents are willing to reach into their pockets," Rothbard said.
According to Cedarhurst resident Joseph Fitzgerald, whose son Matthew was a team member and an All-County bowler last year as a sophomore, some local businesses are willing to open their doors for fund-raisers for the team. Woodmere Lanes co-owners John Ryan, Ray Aitken and Nick Paxinos have offered the use of some of their 20 lanes for a fund-raiser, and will allow the team to practice on its own during the season at a discounted rate.
"Whatever [the parents] are willing to do, we are willing to help," said Paxinos, who, in addition to helping arrange practices for Lawrence, also coaches the Hewlett High bowling team. "I really hope it works out for them. I would hate to see these kids not get to bowl."
The major expense that would need to be covered is the cost of holding the competitions at Baldwin Lanes, which is the team's home facility.
"We are going to try and squeeze out some money to restore some clubs," said Lawrence schools superintendent Dr. John Fitzsimons.
The elimination of bowling at Lawrence came just a week after a scholarship had been set up for the highest-scoring Lawrence bowler in the name of Matthew Fitzgerald's grandfather, Robert, an ex-chief of the Lawrence-Cedarhurst Fire Department and an avid bowler who attended all of his grandson's matches.
Last season, the Golden Tornadoes went to the county bowling tournament, where the top 16 teams competed. "[The team] would do some damage next season if they get the opportunity," said Joseph Fitzgerald. "They have some good bowlers, and [the budget cut] is coming at the wrong time."
If Rothbard, who is the lone senior on the team, is unable to compete for the Tornadoes during his last year of high school, he and his teammates will have the option of bowling for the rival Hewlett Bulldogs, since students are allowed to play for a neighboring school when their high school does not offer a certain sport.
"They're good kids, and I'm sure there would be no friction, but they want to bowl on their own team," said Fitzgerald.
