Did You Ever Win a Bowling Trophy?

[SGOS]

I started bowling when I was about 10 or 11 in a Saturday morning kid's bowling league in Chicago.  A friend got me to go, because his Dad was a bowler and decided to put Jimmy in a children's bowling league, and Jimmy said he wanted a friend to go with him.  I was happy to go.  It was fun hoisting that heavy ball off the rack and the walking and sliding up to the foul line while gracefully swinging that huge ball, sending it rumbling down the alley, occasionally making a resonant <Ka-thump, Ka-thump, Ka-thump> when the ball rolled over its finger holes on the wooden floor.  Sometimes it would go straight in the gutter, and the rumble would change to a steady drone as the gutter guided the ball pass the pins.  A gutter ball reminded me of a train going down the tracks, and I always wished I could make the ball go as straight as it did in the gutter.

A barrier (called the gate) would then come down, pick up all 10 pins, and put them down again.  I always wondered why they reset the pins after a gutter ball because the pins were always left standing in the right place when the ball went down the gutter. 

Jimmy used to race up and grab his ball when it was his turn, because he liked to get his ball rolling while the gate was still down as it reset the pins after the previous bowler.  It was his "Jimmy thing."  He would time it so his ball was 3/4 of the way down the alley before the gate lifted up just in the nick of time to have his ball fly through the middle of the pins scattering them in all directions with a breath taking clatter, and everyone would remark, "Wow, Jimmy, that one was really close!" 

Once, the gate didn't lift up in time, and Jimmy's ball crashed into it.  It wasn't as spectacular as I thought it would be.  The gate just stopped the ball dead in it's tracks.  When it lifted up, I think the ball just sat there and a guy (called the pin spotter) swung down from above and reached around to pull the ball into the pin bin.  He reminded me of Santa Clause coming down into the fireplace, and when he was done, he just disappeared back up from where he came, and was again hidden from view.

I always wanted to know what was going on out of sight back there behind that fireplace looking area.  I never got a tour, but I think that guy was busy.  I always wondered if that guy had a name.  Was it always the same guy every Saturday, or did someone else do it once in a while?  I thought it would be fun to be the guy that was back there, a nameless man of mystery, out of sight, controlling everything with levers and buttons.  I thought I might like to do that when I grew up.

Jimmy was a better bowler than me, even though he was a year younger.  In fact, Jimmy was better than me at everything, baseball, basketball, football, running, jumping, and other games we just made up.  But I was smarter than Jimmy, because I was older, and when he was in 7th grade, I was in 8th grade, but I think most of the kids in Jimmy's class were smarter than Jimmy too, so being smarter than Jimmy wasn't all that big of a deal.

One of the kids on our team was a girl named Gloria.  She had curly blond hair, and chewed gum all the time.  She would chew gum with her mouth open, and she could talk really fast and chew at the same time, which was interesting to watch.  She was like a gum junkie.  Her words would mix with this smacking sound from the gum, and the words would just pour out of her.  One time, she started a conversation with Jimmy and I, and she wanted to know if we ever watched bowling on TV.  Of course we had, but we were mesmerized by the fact that she was talking to us, and we just stood there.  So she explained professional bowling to us in great detail.  She said some of "those guys" were bowling games and getting scores upwards of 270, which we already knew, but it was still impressive, because few of us in the Saturday morning league ever got scores above 90.  Occasionally, one of us would break 100. 

"Yeah," Gloria finished, "Bowling on TV is really high class stuff.  All of those guys are really high class." Bowling is high class?  I decided Gloria must be a floosy, although kind of a hot floosy, and I was happy she was on our team.  At least we had one of the hot girls on our team.  She may have been the first girl I was ever attracted to, but I don't think she talked to us much after that.  I always wished she would start another conversation, but I don't think she did.

[Mike Cl]

Bowling.  I earned some money in high school by setting pins.  I went to HS in a small community next to an 'ammo dump', which was 7 miles from the main road in the high dessert.  Anyway, the entertainment facilities we had access to were from WWII when there were several hundred GI's billeted there.  So, we had a 6 lane bowling alley and the pins had to be manually set .  I did that for about a year on Wed. evenings.  I covered 2 lanes for a men's league.  Nothing like being on the pin end of the lane and watching a bowling ball coming at you at 100 mph (or it seemed like it)!  Dodging flying pins was a bunch of fun too!  Good times!

[aitm]

Yes...yes I did.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

My mother joined a league as an absolute rookie when she was in her 30s. That year she got "Most Improved Bowler" and "High Game" for her league and her team won their tournament. She was hooked from then on.

[Draconic Aiur]

My mother joined a league as an absolute rookie when she was in her 30s. That year she got "Most Improved Bowler" and "High Game" for her league and her team won their tournament. She was hooked from then on.

Was this in the 50"s? Because I know you are old as the red wood forest.

[SGOS]

My mother joined a league as an absolute rookie when she was in her 30s. That year she got "Most Improved Bowler" and "High Game" for her league and her team won their tournament. She was hooked from then on.

I think bowling tournaments are won and lost on handicaps.  I asked why they do it that way, and was told that it helps level the playing field and gives everyone a fair chance.  I was never satisfied with that answer.  It seems to me that in any competition, the best team is supposed to win.  On the other hand, when I'm playing poker, I don't care if I win or lose.  OK, I'd rather win, but the reason I'm there is to smoke cigars and talk trash with a bunch of guys.  And when I think about it, bowling was like that too.  I don't care what the team six lanes down is doing.  I just liked knocking down pins and hanging out. 

The one year I was in a grown up league, we won, probably because of my handicap.  We had a banquet and each of us got a trophy.  I had no idea that was coming, and really never grasped why we deserved it.  I put it on the mantel for awhile, but I did it more as a joke.  Finally, I took it down.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Was this in the 50"s? Because I know you are old as the red wood forest.

She was born in '29.

[Cavebear]

I started bowling when I was about 10 or 11 in a Saturday morning kid's bowling league in Chicago.  A friend got me to go, because his Dad was a bowler and decided to put Jimmy in a children's bowling league, and Jimmy said he wanted a friend to go with him.  I was happy to go.

...   

"Yeah," Gloria finished, "Bowling on TV is really high class stuff.  All of those guys are really high class." Bowling is high class?  I decided Gloria must be a floosy, although kind of a hot floosy, and I was happy she was on our team.  At least we had one of the hot girls on our team.  She may have been the first girl I was ever attracted to, but I don't think she talked to us much after that.  I always wished she would start another conversation, but I don't think she did.

Sgos, that was a great tale of your younger life.  I have great bowling memories too.

[Cavebear]

Bowling.  I earned some money in high school by setting pins.  I went to HS in a small community next to an 'ammo dump', which was 7 miles from the main road in the high dessert.  Anyway, the entertainment facilities we had access to were from WWII when there were several hundred GI's billeted there.  So, we had a 6 lane bowling alley and the pins had to be manually set .  I did that for about a year on Wed. evenings.  I covered 2 lanes for a men's league.  Nothing like being on the pin end of the lane and watching a bowling ball coming at you at 100 mph (or it seemed like it)!  Dodging flying pins was a bunch of fun too!  Good times!

I love hearing about "first jobs"!  I mowed lawns and pumped gas.  SO boring.

[Cavebear]

I've bowled a few times in my life.  I was in an apartment near a bowling alley and joined a nen;s league,  I was never great, but a clutch bowler at the end.  Moved.  Then a carpool member wanted a mixed league member and those were good times.  I love bowling.  I was the last on the team and if we needed a 3 strike, I got it.

And as a straight thrower...  I never got an average above 180, but when it counted...  Yeah!

I would bowl now but my knee is messed up.  I am thinking of trying out the local lanes on special nights where they offer 3 games for some cheap price. To see if my knee works. 

So yes, I have a trophy.  One.  One is better than none,  ;)

[Baruch]

I've bowled a few times in my life.  I was in an apartment near a bowling alley and joined a nen;s league,  I was never great, but a clutch bowler at the end.  Moved.  Then a carpool member wanted a mixed league member and those were good times.  I love bowling.  I was the last on the team and if we needed a 3 strike, I got it.

And as a straight thrower...  I never got an average above 180, but when it counted...  Yeah!

I would bowl now but my knee is messed up.  I am thinking of trying out the local lanes on special nights where they offer 3 games for some cheap price. To see if my knee works. 

So yes, I have a trophy.  One.  One is better than none,  ;)

Bad knee?  Time for shuffleboard.

[Cavebear]

Bad knee?  Time for shuffleboard.

Played shuffleboard.  Did well on a table and on the floor.  The trick is to defeat the opponent, not do a score until the last turn.

Actually, there isn't much like that I'm not "competent" at.  I've tried almost everything.  Rugby scrum baffled me though...

[Baruch]

Played shuffleboard.  Did well on a table and on the floor.  The trick is to defeat the opponent, not do a score until the last turn.

Actually, there isn't much like that I'm not "competent" at.  I've tried almost everything.  Rugby scrum baffled me though...

Tic Tac Toe is like that.  Who moves first ... then tactical play to simply prevent the other person scoring.  Then the worst case is a tie.  If you go first, you have an advantage.  If the other person is stupid, you can win either way.  So the goal is to go first if possible, and be less stupid than the other guy.

[aitm]

I enjoy bowling. Don't do it much at all. Both the wife and I were on a league years ago and it was fun, but 32 weeks was too long. I tried to get  them to do 16 weeks and they said no, so it was just too much. But all this talk about it made me tell the wife we are going bowling this weekend. She is excited. Imagine...getting excited about bowling? Life much? meh.

[Cavebear]

I enjoy bowling. Don't do it much at all. Both the wife and I were on a league years ago and it was fun, but 32 weeks was too long. I tried to get  them to do 16 weeks and they said no, so it was just too much. But all this talk about it made me tell the wife we are going bowling this weekend. She is excited. Imagine...getting excited about bowling? Life much? meh.

If bowling excites her, be ready dog guy. BOL!...