Lakers Football Team Hosts Bowling Fundraiser

football team might not have crossover talent in bowling, but that wasn’t the point Wednesday night as the team raised $430 at Waterford Lanes to benefit the Booster Club.

Varsity head coach Ron Bellamy chuckled while admitting that he had seen freshmen, junior varsity and varsity players all throw gutter balls, adding that he hoped the event would help benefit the team’s sense of bonding as well.

“We’re having fun, but it’s also about raising money for some of the necessities of the game — warm clothes to wear in the cold, maintaining our helmets and feeding our kids before the game,” said Bellamy, who coached the Lakers to a 2-5 record last season in his first as head coach.

“In this day and age, the reality is that you’re going to have to fundraise for that, and that whole sense of charity is something the players can take with them for the rest of their lives,” Bellamy said.

Booster Club President Julie Root said the money will go toward new jerseys for the varsity team and for basic maintenance necessary to maintain a standard of safety for equipment such as shoulder pads and helmets — which can cost upward of $10,000 for one team, she said.

Root reported that 65 parents, players and community members came to bowl two games and eat pizza Wednesday, all included in the $15 entrance fee. Among them was her son, senior and starting center Zach Root, who said he felt that he was helping to form a bond not only with his varsity teammates but with freshman and junior varsity players as well.

“A lot of the guys (on the varsity team) are new this year, so it’s good to get a chance to feel like we have each other's backs,” said Root, a second-year varsity player. “Coach Bellamy has everyone practicing together now, so you get to know the freshman players, and it builds that sense of community that he’s going for.”

Bellamy agreed, saying that he was pleased with the turnout and that he hoped the sense of community would carry over to the season opener Aug. 26 versus Farmington High School.

“This is how you build a bond and make it so that Friday night in West Bloomfield is the place to be in the community,” Bellamy said. “We’re hoping for a changing of the guard this year.”