Bowling – Competitive Season

Season: Competitive Season - Fall (August through December)

SOMO Pin Pals

Email: bowling@somdmontgomery.org

Overview:

Ten-pin Bowling, commonly called “Bowling” in the US, is a competitive sport in which a player (the “bowler”) rolls a bowling ball down a wooden or synthetic lane with the objective of scoring points by knocking down as many pins as possible.

Although Bowling does not belong to the Olympic sports, it is among the most popular sports in Special Olympics. It is a particularly beneficial sport to people with intellectual disabilities, irrespective of their age or sports abilities, since it ensures physical exercise and, at the same time, participation and social integration.

It is a fun sport and accessible to all, including athletes in wheelchairs. Our coaches are dedicated to building athlete skills and fostering a strong sense of community.

Important Details

Coaches

Head Coach – Rich Domros
Coaches – Lee Abigail, Bill August, John Barpoulis, Enrique Chaurand, Tricia Han, Mike Maryn,
Rachel Maryn, David Reinhold, Jill Rogers, Linda Shaffer

Team Manager – Tricia Han

Sport Director – Rachel Maryn

Season Dates & Times

Practices: Saturdays, starting August 29, 2026
No practice: November 14
Time: 10:00 AM to 12:15 PM for 2 game practices or
10:00 AM to 1:15 PM for 3 game practices
*Athletes who arrive after announcements begin (shortly after 10:00 am) will not be allowed to practice and will be considered absent.*
Location: Lucky Strike Gaithersburg (Clopper Rd)

Qualifiers: Regional Bowling Tournament – Sunday, November 15, 2026, Location TBD
State Games: State Bowling Championship – Sunday, December 6, 2026, Location TBD

Signup Begins: Sunday, July 26, 2026 at 6 PM

Athlete & Volunteer
Registration
Expiration Date

Sport’s State Games competition date: December 6, 2026

All Forms must be up to date before the signup date (third Sunday in July).

The expiration date on an Athlete’s Registration form, or a Volunteer’s certification, must be after the above State Games competition date to participate in the upcoming season.

Check athlete status here.
Check volunteer status here.

Special Bowling Signup Considerations:

Our Bowling program is very popular, fills up within an hour after signup opens, and is usually oversubscribed. Bowling follows SOMO’s Guidelines for Managing Roster Caps to allocate team slots to interested athletes. Please note that if you missed two or more practices during your previous bowling season, it could adversely affect your team placement for this bowling season. This season, if you have three or more absences, you will NOT make the bowling team the next season you sign up for. Therefore, if you already know you will miss more than two practices, please consider NOT bowling this season.

Athletes can improve their chances of making the team by following the steps below:

Commit to Bowling as Your Only Fall Sport: Athletes who sign up for Bowling should plan to commit to Bowling as their ONLY Fall Sport. Athletes who also sign up for other Fall sports will only be considered for Bowling if there is space available after all Bowling-only athletes are accommodated.
Make Sure Your Athlete Registration Forms are Current: Athletes must have current registration forms on file with SOMO, before they can participate in bowling practice. Athletes with current forms will receive priority over athletes whose forms are not current. An Athlete’s forms are current if all pages of the Athlete Registration Form have been cleared by the Registration Team at least 4 days before Signup opens.
Sign Up for Bowling as soon as you can. Order of Signup is one of the tiebreakers for allocating team slots.

If the program reaches its roster cap and we have a wait list, all athletes must commit to attending all qualifiers and the State Competition in order to make the team.

If you know you must miss a competition, talk with the Head Coach at (or before!) season start. Athletes who miss qualifiers or competitions without advance notice and approval cannot participate in bowling next season.

Special Olympics Resources for Bowling

You can find the official Special Olympics Rules, Fact Sheet, Coaching Guide, and other resources at this link: Special Olympics Bowling.

Equipment:

SOMO provides athletes with bowling balls and bowling shoes. Athletes are free to bring their own bowling balls and/or bowling shoes. Where appropriate, SOMO also provides bowling ramps for athlete use.

Uniform Requirements:

For practice, bowlers are required to wear bowling shoes (with socks) on the lanes at all times. Athletes should wear their yellow SOMO athlete t-shirts if they have one.

Athletes should not wear headphones or music earbuds at any bowling practice (or competition). Hats (baseball caps, etc.) can be worn during practices but cannot be worn during competitions (unless worn for religious reasons).

For competitions, SOMO provides Athletes with a team polo shirt, which is to be returned after each competition. Athletes are required to wear khaki pants or shorts with their polo shirt. Denim, fleece, mesh, or stretch material not acceptable. If a bowler is not wearing the correct pants, they will not get to participate! Requirements stated above regarding socks, headphones, and hats still apply.

Practice Overview:

Location: All practice sessions will be held at Lucky Strike Gaithersburg: 1101 Clopper Rd, Gaithersburg, MD 20878, phone 301-330-5200.
Timing: Practices occur on Saturdays mornings from 10 AM to 12:15 PM or 1:15 PM, depending on the number of games for that practice. Practices start mid- to late-August and run every Saturday until the State Tournament in December, except for the weekend of the regional tournament.
Check-in is between 9:30-9:45 AM. Athletes & volunteers will receive their lane assignments, get their bowling shoes on, and place their balls at the assigned lane. Practice begins promptly at 10:00 AM. **Athletes who arrive after announcements begin (shortly after 10:00 am) will not be allowed to practice and will be considered absent.**
Activities: Athletes will be assigned to a team and will bowl either 2 or 3 games each week to meet the 15-game minimum to qualify for regional competition. They will warm-up for 10 to 15 minutes, and then start bowling. Volunteers will be assigned to each pair of lanes to keep everyone on track. Coaches will float, overseeing several lanes at a time.
- Family caregivers should return at least 30 minutes prior to the end of each session to be available for pickup.
- Staff caregivers are to remain at the bowling alley during practice, close to where their athlete is bowling.

Qualifiers:

Athletes must complete Special Olympics Maryland’s 15-game minimum requirement by the cutoff date in mid-October to be eligible for the Regional Bowling Tournament.

- Regional Bowling Tournament – mid-November & Location TBA

State Competition:

The State Bowling Championship occurs in early December. The Team Manager will announce the location and time after season start.

Eligibility for State Competition:

Athletes must participate in the Regional Bowling Tournament, and thus must qualify for this tournament by completing the 15-game minimum (see Qualifiers section above). Selection for advancing to the State Bowling Championship is based on results from this Regional competition. ALL Gold medalists advance, and some Silver medalists advance based on a random drawing.

Bowling Volunteers Needed and Welcome!

The Bowling Management Team invites parents, siblings, counselors, and friends to consider becoming certified volunteers! Many volunteers are needed to keep practices and competitions running smoothly. Your support of our bowlers is deeply appreciated, and you will find that the time you dedicate proves rewarding and meaningful for both the athletes and for YOU! For more information, click here.

Montgomery County

Special Olympics MD