A New Frame: Storm, Rams bowling look to reignite sport

RIO RANCHO — This past week, one of Rio Rancho Public Schools’ most decorated sports returned to action.

It wasn’t on a turf field, a hardwood court or even a swimming pool.

It was at the bowling alley.

Rio Rancho High School bowling will hosted its first informational meeting of the year Wednesday, open to all grades and skill levels, urging students to come “Roll with the Rams.”

“It is a great opportunity for them to come and learn how it works,” Lorena Medina, bowling club sponsor for the Rams, said.

Don’t let the welcoming atmosphere fool you; the city of Rio Rancho knows its bowling. The Rams have won multiple state titles, including taking home the 5A title in 2024. Over at Cleveland High School, they hold a similar prestige, having won a handful of titles, with their latest coming in 2023.

“Cleveland bowling started when the school first started in 2009. Bowling was actually the school’s first state championship,” Storm bowling head coach John Abrahamson said. “I definitely recognize where we’ve been and the degree of quality that we’ve had in bowlers and on the team.”

Rio Rancho and Cleveland’s rivalry quickly turned into more than just a cross-town battle, with the two schools consistently taking home state titles at the lanes. Since the NMAA started recognizing bowling, the Rams and Storm have combined for 14 championships.

But as both schools hold championship pedigrees, their biggest competition may be the wavering popularity of the sport. Abrahamson notices a difference in the club from the early days to now, as he once was a high school bowler for the Storm.

“Engagement isn’t as high,” Abrahamson said. “I remember when I was a senior, we probably had around 60 kids on the team. I was told that they had numbers as high as 100 one year, but since COVID, I’ve had about 20 to 25 consistently.”

Abrahamson was a Cleveland High School student back in the early years of the school, coming back to teach at his alma mater in 2020. With a coaching vacancy at the time, Abrahamson returned to his former team, now in a new role.

Aside from Abrahamson’s return, 2020 was a tough year for high school bowling.

“(Numbers) dropped off pretty significantly, and we haven’t really gotten back to that,” Abrahamson said. “And it shows not just at our school, but some of the other schools have had trouble with engagement, and some programs that used to be robust are either not nearly as big as ours or gone completely. A lot of bowling alleys closed during COVID as well. Only two or three of the bowling alleys that were around when I was in high school are around anymore.”

Cleveland was not alone in their recent engagement struggles, with the Rams losing their club sponsor last season. Seeing the club in need, Medina decided to step in.

“I’m basically new to bowling,” Medina said. “I had to step in at the beginning of last year, but we’re trying to keep these kids going because we have really great bowlers in Rio Rancho, and we don’t want them to stop bowling just because we don’t have a sponsor.”

Not just any bowlers, but Medina’s children are currently a senior and a freshman on the bowling team, giving her the motivation to step in at a time of need.

But where the teams may lack in quantity, they make up for it in quality.

“We even have a couple of eighth graders who last year, believe me, they ended up at some big tournaments,” Medina said. “So we want to keep on going as much as we can.”

Keep going, they will, as the teams prepare for some preseason practices before the season ramps up in October.

“I say this to any kids that are even mildly interested: it’s for everyone,” Abrahamson said. “We all try to help each other out. A lot of the friends that I made in high school on the team, I’m still friends with today; it’s a lot of fun.”

For more information on how to get involved, email lorena.medina@rrps.net for Rio Rancho and john.abrahamson@rrps.net for Cleveland.