cOUl Classes
Bowling for college credit
By Josh Work, Copy Editor
February 10, 2008 | 6 a.m.
In one particular class taught at Ohio University, students are earning college credit for getting strikes.
PED 129, the recreational bowling course, grants students one credit hour for showing up and bowling as much as they want within the hour-long class period. The only stipulation is that the students pay a $30 fee to pay for shoe rentals and other bowling expenses.
"As a PED course, it’s only one credit. Students pass as long as they don't miss more than two days," said graduate student Jonathan Ginther, who teaches the course.
The class, which is taught mostly by graduate students in OU’s sports administration department, meets twice a week at Rollerbowl Lanes at 28 Palmer St. Classes typically meet some time between 10 a.m. and noon, but times are also available as late as 4 p.m.
"All you have to do is go to class and bowl," said sophomore Casey Smith, who took the class fall quarter. "There’s not much more to it."
So, one hour out of every week, the students take a break from the classroom atmosphere of the typical lecture-oriented course and make their way off campus to the bowling alley. Entering the glass doors of the stylized building, they approach the oddly shaped table found only in bowling alleys and sign in to confirm their attendance.
The students then make their way to the individual lanes as the lights come on, and the television screens light up, showing the scoreboards for the day's bowling match.
On certain days, the students arrange themselves into groups based on their average scores for the sake of competition. Each lane serves as a contest between similar players, though losses are not reflected in their grades.
"I try to have a tournament in my classes," Ginther said. "About half the days we have a competitive tournament, but we also have free days where they can just bowl."
During free days, students play as long as they like. Between turns, they are free to relax and chat with fellow students as the best of the '80s and '90s one-hit wonders pump in through the sound system.
The relatively small room serves as a brief haven from tests and assignments, giving the students time to socialize and improve their bowling averages while earning credit toward graduation.
"It's awesome," bowling student Kyle Lewis said. "I'm getting college credit for bowling. It's relaxing, and I don't have to think at all.”
The fundamental charm of the course, Ginther said, is that it differs strongly from any regular class that a student might take.
"It's a good way of getting some physical exercise," he said. "It forces you to get out, and it's also a good break in your day between hard classes."
Sophomore Michael Schenk, who took the course last quarter, recalled a typical day in PED 129.
"When I first arrived at class, I would go to the front desk and say, 'Size 12 please,' to the man who worked there," Schenk said. "He was always very nice. Then I would go find my trusty black-and-purple ball and head over to the lane I went to every class. My lane consisted of the same people every class. I didn't know them before the class, but we all became friends and had a blast. We would all bowl at least a game and then more if we had time.”
The students are not the only ones who enjoy the class. Graduate student Jason Goss, who teaches the course, also sees the hour of bowling as a reprieve from work and a chance to play a few games in the middle of the day.
"It's a good break from course work for me, too," Goss said. "I get to interact with the students and meet new people."
Ginther agreed. "I wanted to do something where I can enjoy myself," he said.
Goss, like other instructors of the course, keeps track of the students' scores each day and presents them with their average scores at the middle and end of the term so that students can see if they have improved. Some of the students have noticed progress.
"I'm a better bowler," Lewis said. "I'm still terrible, but I'm a little better."
Reflecting on what he got from the course, Schenk said, "I became a lot more consistent at bowling because of this class."
Like many recreational sports classes, PED 129 tends to fill up fast at registration.
"Interested students should schedule as early as possible," Ginther said. “PED classes tend to fill up quickly."
So, for students looking to fulfill one more credit hour in a schedule full of busy classes, recreational courses such as PED 129 offer an alternative to the typical test-oriented lecture class.
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