Rockford Secures IHSA Bowling Tournament Through 2027

Rockford is an excellent bowling town and it looks like the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) 100% agrees with that sentiment.

The IHSA announced earlier this week that the Girl's State Bowling tournament will continue to be hosted by The Cherry Bowl through 2027. The Cherry Bowl has been the site of the Girl's State tournament since 1993.

High school bowling is something that you might think is kind of a joke until you experience it. My high school alma mater, Harlem, is somewhat of a bowling powerhouse.

The Boys team from Harlem has qualified for the state tournament 12 times, winning the title twice, and holding a state record 11 top 10 finishes.

And the Girls team has performed even better.

The Lady Huskie bowlers have qualified for the state tournament 20 times and lead the state in trophies (a top 4 finish) with 11, and have hoisted the 1st place trophy a state record 7 times.

Harlem isn't the only powerhouse in the area. Hononegah, East, and Jefferson have all been crowned champions at the end of either the Boys or Girls bowling season.

The state bowling tournament is a great money maker for the community, which is why the Rockford Area Convention and Visitors Bureau helped put together the proposal to keep the tournament right here in the area.

If you've never experienced a state bowling tournament, I highly suggest you check it out sometime while it's at The Cherry Bowl. The energy is out of this world and the support these athletes get from their support group rivals any other high school sport.

Plus they're really, really good.

Here's a long video of some of the action at last year's tournament. Just constant energy the whole time.