Even though they are not an officially recognized extracurricular sporting group, a band of Salisbury High School bowlers are taking to the lanes and competing independently in unofficial matches with other valley youth.

Salisbury math and physics teacher Paul Koba, unofficial advisor to the students, has been a bowler for five decades and recognizes the exercise, competitive and social advantages of the sport. He is hoping to get Salisbury education officials behind the effort to make bowling, and the group of student enthusiasts, a recognized school activity club.

The students say they are involved because the activity gives vent to their competitive enthusiasm, and “just because it’s a lot of fun.”

Koba credits his longtime bowling league involvement as the genesis for the school’s annual turkey toss event held each year on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.

That activity involves Koba’s physics students who look for extra academic credit, and an educational diversion, as they use the principles of simple machines to fashion catapult-like devices to toss a standardized frozen turkey down an athletic field.

The frozen turkey is saved from year to year by Koba to assure a level competitive field from one class to the next. Koba first conceived the idea of the competition years ago when his bowling prowess won him an excess of prize turkeys.

Koba says the extracurricular turkey toss, as well as the sport of bowling, provide a creative, educational and sportsmanlike atmosphere for students who are not inclined to more traditionally recognized sporting activities.

While the students were full of competitive enthusiasm for their match against the Emmaus students, the Emmaus team beat the Salisbury team by three games out of three.

At the end of the match, Salisbury bowlers still retained their sporting enthusiasm, urging officials to recognize their team. “Let’s get something going – it’s just a lot of fun,” one remarked.