Jefferson’s Virg Cerveny loves to teach bowling

CEDAR RAPIDS - Virg Cerveny has enjoyed many accomplishments as a bowling coach during his time at Cedar Rapids Jefferson.

Cerveny graduated from Prairie, where he earned several letters in baseball and football. Prairie did not have high school bowling in those days, but he worked part-time at May City Lanes and fell in love with the game.

A U.S. Navy veteran, Cerveny trained and studied to be an electronics technician. He retired from Qwest Communications as a data technician.

'Greg Glass and I ret-started Jefferson boys' and girls' bowling in 1990,” said Cerveny, who is in his 28th year as a coach of JHS teams. 'Greg resigned in 1999 and I took over and I am still coaching the J-Hawks after 27 years.”

Cerveny has coached youth leagues at May City Bowl for 10 years and is in his seventh year as assistant coach for Mount Mercy University's men's and women's bowling.

Cerveny has enjoyed coaching because he likes to share his knowledge with others and help them take their games to another level. He also likes his bowlers to become unified as a team.

The J-Hawk girls' team stands 4-6 and the boys are 2-8.

Cerveny not only has team goals, but coaching ones, as well.

'Even though I am a longtime ol' coach, a day doesn't go by where I do not learn something new that will help me become a better coach,” Cerveny said. 'Whether it is a slightly better way of teaching a method or maybe just the use of better verbiage, if I think it will help, I'll use it.”

Cerveny started coaching because, as one of the top bowlers in the Cedar Rapids area, he often got questions from other bowlers who were looking for tips. He enjoyed helping bowlers improve, even at a younger age.

'To teach as many students as I can the process of becoming better as a bowler, a teammate, a student and as a person and to enjoy it along the way,” he said.

The J-Hawks host Dubuque Wahlert on Friday at May City Bowl, starting at 3:45 p.m.