Chaminade Julienne’s athletic department is happy to announce that Don MacLeod is Chaminade Julienne’s new bowling coach.
“We are truly grateful to have Don MacLeod leading our bowling program,” said Anthony Turner, the athletic director. “Don not only understands the mission and values of CJ, but he lives them every single day. The MacLeod family has been a cornerstone of CJ bowling for many years, and Don’s leadership continues to strengthen the tradition and spirit of our program.”
McLeod isn’t new to the Chaminade Julienne community or the bowling team community. MacLeod has been teaching at CJ for 12 years. In the first ten years, he taught in the Life Skills Department, and in the last two, in the Social Studies Department. As for bowling, he has been part of the team in one capacity or another since his son joined in 2018. His involvement with CJ Bowling grew naturally from being an active parent.
“Since I was at everything, I joined the staff as the score keeper (building spreadsheets is fun). This is my seventh year on the team, and I’ve learned a lot from the coaches we’ve had before,” said MacLeod
His role with the team became more official when the team needed an assistant coach during the 2021/2022 season.
“While I did not consider myself a ‘coach,’ most of the bowlers and their families did,” said MacLeod. “I also took over parent communications at that point as well.”
For MacLeod, staying active in sports has always been a driving force. Before moving to Ohio, he spent many years holding his Massachusetts soccer refereeing license. His coaching journey began when he and his wife started coaching their children’s youth soccer teams—an experience that has now grown into more than two decades of coaching involvement.
“I’ve been coaching for more than two decades now,” said MacLeod. “Being part of the CJ Bowling Team Staff, I’m excited about the prospect of shaping the team and how far we can take it.”
MacLeod’s connection to bowling stretches back to his childhood, when he participated in a local kids’ bowling league. While attending the University of Dayton, he took a bowling class to learn 10-pin, having grown up with Candlepin Bowling.
He explains, “The size of the balls and pins is one of the biggest differences, as the Candlepin ball is much smaller than the 10-pin ball.”
The 2025-2026 bowling team consists of 11 boys and seven girls. All the girls will be playing on the varsity team. For the JV team boys matches, the boys will be split roughly five and five. For boys varsity-only matches, we’ll have two players rotate onto the varsity team throughout the year.
Looking ahead, MacLeod hopes to build on the momentum developed last season. His priority this season is a return to the basics and getting CJ bowlers prepared for their first, hopefully of many, seasons to come.
MacLeod said, “With our returning players on our boys’ team, I want to continue to build on what we had last year and continue to cultivate them. We have a potential GCL Bowler of the Year, whom I would like to continue to see improvement from as both a bowler and a leader on the team.”
According to MacLeod, the girls’ team is in the early stages of its own rebuild after losing two starters—including the GCL Bowler of the Year. The girls team also welcomes four new bowlers, two of whom will start this season.
To MacLeod, bowling is a life skill sport. He wants to help students learn basic skills and know how to participate in a league.
“I want to continue a welcoming environment that we’ve developed over the last few years, where students feel a sense of belonging and part of a competitive team environment,” stated MacLeon.
He explained that while bowling is mainly an individual sport played simultaneously with others, it is ideal to maintain a team atmosphere.
MacLeon explained, “It is important to build a team dynamic where the players help support and encourage each other. I want to help facilitate team camaraderie. Being part of something bigger than yourself is more important than spares and strikes. With these team-building skills, bowling can be played competitively throughout one player’s life in professional or amateur leagues.”