It’s a new era for Decorah bowling, but the Bruening family legacy lives on

DECORAH — As the 2023-24 season unfolds, the Decorah bowling program finds itself in familiar, yet new territory.

At 4-0, the Vikings sit atop the Northeast Iowa Conference standings. That’s the familiar part.

However, this season makes the first in program history without a Bruening on the roster.

“I always had a Bruening in my program until this year,” Decorah Coach Keith Bruening said. “I always had Michael. I had Katherine, who’s now a senior at Drake University. And my daughter Rebecca is at Kansas.

“It’s much harder to coach your own kid and to coach the other kids, so this year is just different.”

Fortunately for Keith, there’s still another Bruening tied to the program.

Michael, a key member of Decorah’s inaugural boys’ bowling team in 2016, is his dad’s right-hand man.

“I’m better with the kids who are struggling,” Keith Bruening said. “Michael's really good at helping them get their releases down, and Quinton Bohlen (another assistant coach) finishes it off. We all work really well together.”

Michael was one of the driving forces behind the conception of the Vikings’ high school bowling program. The idea originated when he was in middle school.

“My son came to when he was in eighth grade and asked me, ‘could you go start the program?’” Keith Bruening said.

Despite initial reservations, Keith obtained his coaching certificate and established the program in time for Michael’s junior year — something Michael appreciates to this day.

“He is the whole reason Decorah has a bowling alley,” Michael said.

Michael has since paid it forward, now in his fifth season as an assistant coach, helping his father develop younger bowlers — which included his sisters.

Katherine, a 2020 grad, chose bowling over basketball her junior and senior seasons to experience the sport with her family.

“(Bowling) means a lot,” Katherine Bruening said. “My brother started bowling and we all kind of all got into it. He started getting us only bowling balls for Christmas presents. My mom (Amy) even bowls in a league now.

“I feel like in a way, it’s something we all share together.”

One of Keith Bruening’s fondest coaching memories came during Katherine’s senior season.

“Her senior year, they won conference,” Keith Bruening said. “Charles City won the state tournament that year, but the conference baker tournament in Northeast Iowa, our kids beat them. We threw five strikes in a row to win the game by 10 pins.”

Lastly, there’s the youngest Bruening, Rebecca, a 2023 grad and one of the most decorated bowlers in program history.

As a senior, she reached the state tournament as an individual for a second consecutive season, secured a district championship and was a key contributor to the Vikings' second-place team finish at state.

“I think she watched the other two and absorbed it,” Keith Bruening said. “She was the first kid to be at the state tournament (individually) and that was a proud moment.”

While she felt the pressure on occasion, it’s an experience she wouldn’t trade.

“I feel like I have something special that a lot of people probably never get to say they got to do,” Rebecca Bruening said. “I mean, I had my dad and my brother coach me for four years.

“We definitely had times where we argued and didn't really see eye to eye, but at the end of the day, I couldn't have done it without them.”

Now, she bowls for KU’s club team.

“When I went to college, I kind of wanted to get away from it,” Rebecca Bruening said. “My whole life was kind of go, go, go with bowling and I just kind of wanted to chill. Then I got there and started to feel homesick, kind of missing something familiar. So, I looked into the (club bowling) team and it’s been really fun.”

With the Bruenings now empty nesters, bowling has become an even more cherished family activity.

“We usually get together and bowl a few times when we're home for the holidays,” Katherine Bruening said. “I’d say it's definitely competitive — a fun, competitive.”

“I think bowling will always be something we all share,” Rebecca Bruening said.