THE OFFICIAL SITE OF
Hancock High School Athletics

NEWS

BOWLERS READY TO ROLL ON OWN LANES WHEN ALLEY

Hutchinson High School bowling coach Leann Gleason just couldn’t explain it. She can’t quite put her finger on how her senior bowler Jon Hornbaker makes the sport look so easy and routine. Nearly a year removed from the last time he laced on some bowling shoes at the 2014 state tournament, Hornbaker didn’t have to shake off any cobwebs during an early season practice at the Salthawks’ home alley in Sterling. He casually notched a 212 game. Yes, he said it was the first time he stepped foot in a bowling alley since state. With long hair and a natural, rhythmic bowling stroke, Hornbaker can pick up a bowling ball and make it look effortless with no recent preparation. It’s like watching Kelly Leak pick up a baseball bat and instantly become a sensation in the movie “The Bad News Bears.” “I don’t know how he does it,” Gleason says shaking her head. “He shows up and bowls a 212. How do you do that?” Hornbaker, who finished second in 6A State as a sophomore and 18th last year, is in no way a slacker. He’s bowled a lot since as early as he can remember. Just the past couple of years, coinciding with his high school career, he hasn’t really had an opportunity to work on his craft too often. “I don’t practice,” Hornbaker said. “Without a bowling alley here I don’t have time to go to other places. I just have to wait. It kind of comes naturally to me nowadays.” But next year, Hutchinson will have a bowling alley once again. No longer will the Salthawks have to make a half-hour journey to Sterling to practice. High school bowlers won’t have to venture to alleys in cities such as Wichita and McPherson in order to stay sharp. Gleason, who has 30 bowlers between her girls and boys teams this season, said having a bowling alley in their backyard will be a game changer for the Salthawks. “We have been very fortunate that Sterling has allowed us to come over here,” Gleason said. “But it will be completely different. Kids will bowl on Saturdays. Kids will bowl for fun. We don’t have that going right now because they have to drive an hour to get anywhere.” Buhler coach Tracy Tanley concurs. Tanley actually will be the general manager of The Alley when it opens. Right now, the Crusaders practice in Newton at Play-Mor Lanes. The travel makes practice time scarce. “It is going to be so exciting,” Tanley said. “Because it does take away from kids being able to participate. My kids’ practice time will double or triple compared to what they are getting right now.” With a local bowling alley coming soon, the future is looking bright for the Crusader and Salthawk programs. Gleason said she is just happy the programs survived without an alley in town. Over the past several seasons, the sport’s costs have escalated with transportation needed both for practice and meets. According to Gleason and Tanley, bowling is the only sport many of their boys and girls participate in during high school. Gleason said keeping the sport around has done wonders for so many teenagers. “I’m glad they have, because just look at our kids,” Gleason said. “They are having a great time and it is good for them on so many levels. Not just bowling, but socially, educationally because we keep track of grades. It’s so good.” Both the Salthawks and Crusaders had to make cuts this year because of the high volume of bowlers trying out. Numbers should only increase in the future. For Hornbaker, he hopes his senior year is a great one. His goal is to win state. But he also wants to be a leader for the Salthawks. It’s a role he’s embraced. “I’m not a natural born leader, but it feels kind of good to be at the top for once and actually have people who would look up to me,” Hornbaker said. “Because that doesn’t always happen in life. So I’m pretty happy with that.”

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