Bowlers support one of their own

Bowling may not be the prototypical “team sport,” but it’s tough to dispute that the bowlers at Valley Stream South High School aren’t the definition of what a “team” should be.

Chris Schroeder, a junior at South, was an All-County bowler with a 201 average last season. This season, he is unable to bowl due to his recent bout with leukemia. Schroeder was diagnosed with the disease over the summer.

Even though Schroeder hasn’t bowled for South recently, his coach and teammates still consider him a big part of their team. Along with the five other schools that make up the Conference 6 Boys and Girls Bowling League, South hosted “Bowl 4 Schro” on Jan. 10 at Rockville Lanes in Rockville Centre. Conference 6 is comprised of Valley Stream North, South and Central high schools, in addition to teams from Malverne, West Hempstead and Roosevelt.

It was a day to raise some money and also the spirits of Schroeder.

Michele Marcus, South’s boys’ and girls’ bowling coach, said the event had been in the works since late November. T-shirts were designed for the match that students from every school wore while they bowled. They raised $2 for every T-shirt sold and Marcus said there were more than 200 purchased. Schroeder was set to come to the match as a spectator to root on his team, but he didn’t know what he would be walking into.

“It was pretty crazy,” Schroeder said of his entrance to the Rockville Lanes. Marcus made an announcement over the loudspeaker alerting the hundreds of people in attendance that the guest of honor was about to arrive. The entire bowling alley crowded around the entrance and when Schroeder walked through the doors, he was greeted by cheers, high-fives and hugs.

“To see all of the coaches and my friends, it was pretty overwhelming,” Schroeder said. He was tipped off earlier that shirts were made, but he had no idea that all six schools would be wearing them.

“He looked pretty shocked,” said Anthony LaRocco, a sophomore bowler from South. “It was nice to see.”

“That’s probably the quietest I’ve ever seen him,” Marcus said of Schroeder after his entrance. “He’s totally full of personality. He’s the life of the party.”

South Principal Maureen Henry said she was overwhelmed to see all of the different schools come together. “This just reaffirms my belief that students have big hearts and do so many good things,” she said. “It shows the camaraderie of people when someone is down and out that they’ll all stand together and join to support someone and help them get through a difficult time.”

After Schroeder walked in, both Marcus and Henry addressed the crowd and commended Schroeder for his positive attitude over the past few months.

“I have the upmost respect for how he’s battling this because a lot of kids in his position would stay in the house, they wouldn’t want to come out,” Marcus said. “Chris wants to do anything he can.”

Valley Stream Central High School District Athletic Director Scott Stueber was thrilled to see such a large outpouring of support. “I’ve never seen a group of kids from six different schools come together for someone like this,” he said. “This is a great effort by the entire bowling community.”

He added, “You can see people genuinely care for Chris.”

On Dec. 26, Rockville Lanes hosted a fundraiser for Schroeder that was well attended, according to Marcus. The owner of the bowling alley, John LaSpina, said $400 was raised for Schroeder on that day. Marcus announced that Rockville Lanes decided to match the money raised in December and donated $400 of its own to Schroeder, despite LaSpina’s best efforts to keep it a secret.

“For me, it’s a joy to host something like this,” LaSpina said of last week’s fundraiser. “It exemplifies what bowling is all about, which is a lifetime activity. It brings people together for a common purpose and when you put all of the pieces together it doesn’t get any better than this.”

According to Marcus, Schroeder was scheduled to undergo chemotherapy the day of the event, but it was pushed back to Jan. 11 so he could attend.

Schroeder has dropped by several of South’s practices and matches during the season. He said he is currently helping one of his teammates become an All-County bowler — the same feat he accomplished a year ago. “It allows me to do something that I used to do,” Schroeder said. “It helps me reclaim a part of my life that was taken away that I will reclaim soon.”

Schroeder talked with teammates and posed for pictures during the event. It certainly lifted his already high spirits.

“This means a lot,” Schroeder said. “It makes me want to come back better and stronger next year to help my team out.”