Following the 1956-57 basketball season and during the Easter recess, the Gowanda High School was moved from the Center Street School to the new building on Prospect Street. That would also be the last time a varsity sporting event would be contested at the Center Street facility.
Once everything was settled in the new high school, the district added the sport of bowling to their athletic program for the 1958-59 season. Bowling would coincide with the established sports of basketball and wrestling. And with the new lifetime sport on board, it gave the boys in grades 9-12 a choice to participate in one of three winter sports.
Sports for girls did not exist at the high school level until Title IX legislation was passed in 1971. In 1958-59, the girls attending GCS could try out to be a basketball cheerleader or a baton-twirling majorette. Both of those activities (cheerleading was not considered a sport yet) took place during the winter months.
The school’s first varsity boys bowling coach was Howard Hillis. He was also the school’s athletic director but had turned over the basketball coaching reigns to Harold Hollenbeck three years earlier. That gave Hillis the opportunity to start a bowling program while he remained the head coach for Panthers varsity baseball and football squads.
Once the varsity bowling program was up and running, Hillis turned to Gordon Kidder to direct the boys. All of their practices and home meets were held at K&L Lanes that was located underneath the Red & White Supermarket now called Shop N Save. Coach Kidder guided the keglers for three seasons.
When the 1962-63 bowling season began, first year Social Studies teacher Dave Conrad was appointed the new coach. Conrad would stay on as the GCS varsity boys bowling coach for ten consecutive seasons. The last year that Conrad coached in 1971-72, the Panthers won seven matches and lost eight.
Chemistry teacher Dave Weins took over the duties during the 1972-73 season and Gowanda posted an overall record of 16-8 losses. The next season, Gowanda tied for second place in the ECIC. Weins continued to coach the team for another six campaigns.
Girls high school physical education teacher Geraldine Plumer then guided the boys bowling team for one season. However, the sport was cut the next year by the Board of Education during a financial budget crisis.
It would be several years before the sport of bowling would return to the athletic program at Gowanda Central School. But when it did, there was both a girls and boys team. Both squads still practiced and held their home matches at K&L Lanes.
In the last five years, both GCS bowling teams having either won or been in the running for the league championship under the guidance of Coaches Ryan Lipinski and Lois Piscitelli. The student participation in the sport is also very good. A strong feeder program sponsored by K&L Lanes for many years has no doubt led to the current success of Gowanda Central School co-ed varsity bowling teams.
