While the Lawrence Youth Bowling Association may not be pulling in the participants it once did, it still is producing quality bowlers.

A few youth bowling league products will be on display today at Royal Crest Lanes, site of the Kansas Class 6A state bowling championship.

The girls portion of the state meet starts at 9:30 this morning, followed by the boys at 1 p.m.

“I’m on a statewide board of directors, and that’s actually one of our big issues – bringing numbers back to the sport of bowling because we’ve been losing numbers the last several years,” Free State senior Kenny Altman said. “A lot of kids don’t stay in it, so that’s our big issue, trying to get them to stay in it.”

Altman – along with fellow FSHS senior bowler Melissa Burnside and Lawrence High junior Jessica Wyatt – are three youth league members who are making their third consecutive state appearance since the Kansas State High School Activities Association introduced bowling in 2005.

The city’s other state qualifers are: Tiffany Demaline, Alexah Gudenkauf, Samantha Hays, Malory Hughes-Pfeifer, Becca Stack, and Ben Wyatt, LHS; and Josh Herschell, Nick Kennedy, Tyler Kring, Werner Nelson and Rob Wagner, Free State.

The success of both programs since their inception just three years ago already has begun to have a positive effect in the Lawrence youth leagues.

“Some of the younger kids in some of the leagues that I’ve talked to say that if it wasn’t for the motivation to bowl for the high schools when they get older, they would have already quit,” Altman said. “So I know from talking to kids that that’s kept younger kids in it, and hopefully that’ll bring other kids into it too.”

Those youngsters will get to see just how big of a following high school bowling is beginning to draw.

“It’s going to be crazy. State is usually a crazy, packed house, and it’s going to be so loud in here Saturday. It just makes me excited for it and want to start bowling,” Wyatt said. “I actually don’t look back at the crowd when I bowl. I just sit in my chair and just look out at the lanes and watch everyone else bowl and just focus on myself. If I look back, I just get overwhelmed with everyone. I usually try to stay in one spot and keep a routine going.”

Being able to bowl in front of a large home crowd will be particularly special for the seniors.

“This year, it was really important because it’s my last year of high school bowling, and it’s senior year, and you just want to try and make it your best,” Burnside said. “So I felt a lot of pressure. And then during regionals, I feel like I didn’t do too well, and I really thought I wasn’t going to make it. But I did end up making it, and I was really happy about that.”