Sport Management students host charity bowling event

By Ben Jedlovec     4/10/08 7:00pm

The Rice Sport Management program teamed up with the Athletic Department to host the first Rice Owl Bowl fundraiser on March 31 at Dave and Buster's on Katy Freeway. Over $11,600 in event proceeds will benefit the new Rice Tickets-for-Kids charity and the Sport Management Program.The inaugural event was produced by Sport Management students in Kinesiology 366: Event and Facility Management. At the beginning of this semester, the students were prompted to organize an event to raise money for charity and the department. Kinesiology Professor Tom Stallings provided support, but the students were responsible for the planning and execution of the event.

The students chose to organize a bowling fundraiser.

Stalling said this event offered the attendees a chance to get to know the athletes and the other participants.

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"Bowling is unique because it's something that anybody can do and would take place in an enclosed area where [the attendees] would have lots of opportunities to interact with everybody," Stallings said.

Event attendees were provided dinner and the opportunity to bowl alongside Rice athletes and coaches, including Hanszen College sophomore Ryan Berry, Brown College senior Chase Clement and Head Football Coach David Bailiff. Each registered team was paired with an athlete and competed for various individual and team prizes.

Stallings said the event helped spread the idea that Rice athletes are also students who play a role in the community.

"The feeling is that Rice athletes are students first and athletes second," Stallings said. "They represent the university well and are great ambassadors for some of the things we're trying to do."

In addition to the bowling competition, attendees bid for Rice memorabilia and autographed items. The silent auction raised an additional $1,700 for the Tickets-for-Kids charity, which encourages elementary and middle school children to improve their reading skills by offering tickets to Rice home athletic events as an incentive.

Stallings said he was pleased with the outcome of the event and proud of the students' effort. He said he is optimistic about the success of similar Sport Management events in the future.

"Based on feedback from students, athletes, coaches and attendees, the event was an overwhelming success," Stallings said. "It will be up to next year's class to decide if they want to do the bowling event or something even better.

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