Etc.
High school athletes take to alleys 鈥� the bowling kind
Laugh, if you will, but easily the fastest-growing sport among high schoolers is ... bowling, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations. By last year, it says, roughly 42,000 students were competing in the sport nationwide, and the number of schools sponsoring bowling teams had more than doubled (since 1971) to roughly 2,000. In fact, interscholastic bowling at the varsity level is offered in about a dozen states. Among the factors that make it attractive: its appeal to students who may not gravitate to other team sports; the social atmosphere (especially when teams are coed); and its low cost, since schools can use commercial lanes rather than their own facilities. The fastest-growing high school sports, based on the percentage of participation growth between 2001 and 2006, using data compiled by the national federation:
Girls' sports
鈥辞飞濒颈苍驳 85.4%
鈥补肠谤辞蝉蝉别 60.4%
鈥rack and field (indoor) 29.3%
鈥ompetitive spirit (i.e. cheer-leading) 11.3%
鈥ross country 11.0%
Boys' sports
鈥辞飞濒颈苍驳 117.1%
鈥补肠谤辞蝉蝉别 55.5%
鈥rack and field (indoor) 17.7%
鈥ross country 10.6%
鈥ce hockey 9.6%
