Youth bowling scholarship program starts this season

The Las Cruces United States Bowling Congress (LCUSBC) announced that they will be hosting a youth bowling scholarship program for the upcoming season.

The program is open to kids aged 4 to 18 and in addition to learning how to bowl, they can also earn scholarship money that can be used for up to eight years after they graduate from high school.

If they do not use the money, the money can be transferred to a sibling. 

LCUSBC board member Linda Goff said that this can be a great way to get kids involved in an activity and make money for college at the same time.

“Several years ago, we had a young man that graduated from high school who had been bowling for a long time and turned 18 and was going to classes at NMSU. He had almost $4,500 just in scholarship money from bowling,” Goff said.

Goff said that the money comes from member payments to the league which then get put into one pot and then distributed at the end of the season.

“Part of that money goes to the house to pay for bowling, and the other part goes into the scholarship fund pot. At the end of each season the pot is distributed based on team standings,” Goff said.

The amount of money handed out at the end of the season varies based on how many teams join and other factors but Goff said that the club handed out $303 dollars to bowlers last season.

Goff continued by saying that in addition to the money, bowlers will meet new people and may develop a love for the game. She recalls getting involved in bowling by watching her parents play when she was a kid.

“My sisters and I went to the bowling alley with them every Wednesday evening and they bowled up in Albuquerque. That's how I got started and then I started in what they call junior leagues, now they are called youth leagues,” Goff recalled. 

While Goff said she does love to bowl, she said that her favorite part is the fact that there are “a lot of nice people” involved in bowling.

“I have made some good friends over the years, people that I have bowled with since moving to Las Cruces in ‘94. I went to the bowling alley to find where it was and then what kind of leagues there were and which ones had openings available and when they were going to start. That's how I got into it in Las Cruces and I like the camaraderie,” Goff said.

Bowlers can participate at Roadrunner Lanes on the White Sands Missile Range or at Starmax Lanes in Deming. 

The 2025/2026 season starts on September 21.