KUALA LUMPUR: Two teachers built a do-it-yourself (DIY) bowling lane at their school in Kedah to train pupils and expose them to the sport.
Mohd Khairul Farhan Bukhari and Nazar Mahmud from SK Seri Gedong in Sungai Petani began the project in May last year after seeing the positive response to a similar DIY bowling lane at another school in the state.
“We have basic experience in this sport and have trained several students at a commercial bowling centre near our school.
“So when we saw fellow teachers in Padang Terap built a DIY bowling lane, we thought about creating one at our school since there were plans to set up a bowling club,” Mohd Khairul, 36, told Bernama.
The bowling lane, which cost about RM3,000, is built in the corridor next to the school’s Design and Technology lab, using original bowling lane boards purchased secondhand from a commercial bowling centre.
He said the lane follows the original specifications, except that it is 3m shorter to allow space for pupils to move.
“The pin setup is done manually for now, but we plan to upgrade it to an automatic system,” he added.
Nazar, 53, said the bowling lane can accommodate two to six players at a time.
He explained that before this, training was held at a nearby bowling facility at a cost of around RM8 to RM9 per person a session.
“This was a burden, especially for students from B40 families.
“Now, we can train our students at our school, which is more cost-effective and convenient.
“Our students’ interest (in bowling) has also grown, and so far, the response has been very encouraging,” he added.
According to Nazar, several pupils participated in district- and state-level competitions, including the Malaysian Schools Sports Council bowling championship, even before the DIY bowling alley was built.
“With our own lane now, we hope more students can nurture their talent in bowling and no longer see it as an elite and expensive sport,” he said.
