Next year, North is adding two new sports to the athletic program. Starting in the fall of 2014, girls golf will be an official program, and boys bowling will be added in the winter.

The question is, why are new sports being added now?

“We have been asking for additional sports and opportunities for the students here,” said athletic director Tina Woolard. “Last year, we had a chance to send girls to golf Sectionals, and we did very well. We now have enough girls to get together for a co-op team with Central.”

In the past, students have petitioned to make boys volleyball a sport. That has not been added, but boys bowling has.

“We have to be financially responsible for what we add and what we offer. Winter has had only two sports for boys, and now we have bowling as well. Volleyball is a spring sport for boys, and we already have four boys sports in the spring,” Woolard said.

The two new sports will be helping more students to get involved in the athletic program.
“It’s sometimes intimidating for the girls to golf with the boys. Now they can stand on their own two feet,” Woolard said.

The new bowling team will be helping boys in a similar way.

“I’m excited for the boys because basketball is limited (they usually have about eleven kids) and wrestling is a specialized sport. With bowling, we are reaching a part of the student body that we could not before,” Woolard said.

The school hopes that the new programs will have a lot of interest.

“I think the turnout will be good. Coach Hough has been trying for years to get a women’s golf team, and I believe with my success and the success of my teammates, it really proved to everyone we could be successful,” said junior women’s golfer Ireland Dunne.

As of right now, coaches have not been hired for the two sports.

“We just started interviews,” Woolard said. “We have a lot of things to get done, like finding the home golf course and bowling alley and ordering the uniforms.”