It may not be well known on campus, but UNM has a bowling team.
In 2008, head coach Johnny Martinez began the UNM bowling club with five members.
Since then, with recruiting and promoting, Martinez has created a 20-student bowling squad that is ranked 63rd in the country out of 150 schools, according to CollegeBowling.com.
For the last three years, the Lobos, a member of the Southwest Intercollegiate Bowling Conference, have competed against schools across the nation. Last year, UNM finished 144th.
Last season the Lobos had a men’s and women’s team, but Martinez merged the two teams this season due to the lack of female players.
The team plays against other co-ed teams, but sometimes has to play a starting five consisting of only males.
“Some people look at it as a weakness, going against five guys,” Martinez said. “But our ladies bowl pretty good, so it’s not bad at all.”
One of the females on the Lobos is senior team captain Erin Kathmann. She joined the bowling team in 2008 after reading about the club inside Johnson Center.
Kathmann said she has no problems playing against men.
“It’s a bit more challenging, which I really enjoy,” Kathmann said. “It’s more competitive.”
The team gets anywhere from $2,000 to $3,000 each season from the University to pay for trips to competitions and uniforms, but Martinez said it’s not enough.
“To go through the current schedule that we’re on, we have to pay around $11,000,” Martinez said. “So we have to do a lot of fundraising.”
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Martinez organizes bake sales, raffles and bowl-a-thons and is looking for sponsors to cover the costs. Martinez said if his team keeps winning, money shouldn’t be a problem.
“Now that we’re getting more competitive, some businesses are taking notice,” he said.
The team takes a bowling theory class taught by Martinez every Monday in the SUB. It practices every Tuesday at different locations around the city. The team also plays in a league at Holiday Bowl with gamelike conditions on Wednesdays to avoid getting rusty.
In competition, the lanes are oiled down and have a harder surface than bowling lanes in non-competitive situations. Martinez said the difference between the two types of lanes is similar to comparing putt-putt golf courses and a PGA golf course.
“People don’t really see how physics and angling is in bowling,” Kathmann said.
For now, the Lobos travel to compete in tournaments and will travel to Baton Rouge, La., in January to compete in their last regional competition.
Next year UNM will host its first event early in the season. The season goes from late September to May with a national championship tournament at the end.
“Bowling is a very competitive sport,” Kathmann said. “And with a lot of dedication and a lot of motivation to do well, we can succeed.”
