Bowling at Millikin is rising to the occasion faster than expected in comparison to other student organizations on campus since September, looking more favorable than ever.
At the beginning of the fall term, freshman instrumental performance major Reese Oller was informed after enrolling that the school did not provide a bowling team or related programs. Soon after, Oller immediately took action to create change.
“I was astounded that in a hundred and twenty-three years, no one cared enough about bowling to set something up. That was a crime to me,” Oller said.
Since age five, Oller had been greatly influenced by his father and grandfather competing in the game. Already being exposed at such an early age to the sport worked in Oller’s favor, as over the years, Oller has been able to gradually make progress in not only sharing his skills in the game but also sharing his love for the sport to others.
The logistics of beginning the club was a large part of the battle due to funding as well as understanding the best method to get word out to students. Once funding was approved and students were able to sign up for free, the program had already received up to twenty members from news about the club through social media—proving its value towards students from various different studies.
In order to best conduct a way for students to feel welcomed rather than potentially feel intimidated after signing up, Oller created a system that allows students how to play the game while learning all the necessary tools to get better while providing a place to build community with one another.
“Yeah, it’s a fun place to hang out. You might learn some things if you want. It’s free,” Oller said. “If you’re free and you want to hang out, chances are at least one of your friends has joined this club already.” 
Although there is still plenty of ground to cover regarding the formation of a potential team that Oller and club members hope to see in the future, it all starts with students on campus recognizing a welcoming and enjoyable community when they see one.
One of the main incentives that Oller mentioned for inviting future students to the club is that when organizing for future tournaments that there would eventually be bowling ball prizes to give away to participants at the end. Either way, students are walking away after an evening of fun not only with a prized memento to cherish, but also students gaining experience in a brand new activity that could be new to them.
The future of this program, which has already started off the fall semester strong, can potentially continue to win over students to partake in a club on campus that anybody can join by participating in a friendly competition that ultimately grants a student, new or current, a great introduction to life on campus.
Oller and the club aim to make bowling one of the recognized sports at Millikin, thereby creating an actual team to be able to compete against other schools as opposed to only members in the club. With potential sponsorships to secure more funding for future activities, the club’s outreach could expand to more interested students in joining, eventually paving the way for future bowlers to have an opportunity to represent their school.
