Imagine joining a regular group of people... REAL working people who gather together each Friday night to toss a ball down an alley in that noble quest for that elusive strike...
I have always enjoyed bowling. It's something my Dad taught me and was one of the few activities that we connected with. When I moved to the Brattleboro area and saw the clean lanes and friendly faces of Brattleboro Bowl, I thought "maybe now is the time for me to join a league."
I swallowed my nervousness (I was under the mistaken impression that you actually had to be GOOD to join a league) and signed up for Friday Night Mixed. My first few games were rocky.. I had particular trouble figuring out when it was my turn to bowl, even though a jolly television screen would prompt me every time. But after a few weeks I began to love the game, the competition (albeit not very seriously regarded), the comradery, the jokes, the political arguments, the beer and the sense that I was part of a whole. Part of a team. Part of a clan, to be quite honest.
I began to look forward to Friday nights not because of a desire to compete, but because it was the end of a work week, and these people who seemed so rough and strange to me at first were now my friends. They saw me as different, I know. They probably still do. But different on Friday night is not unusual at Brattleboro Bowl, and there is a wonderful sense of support that one receives on a regular basis, because everyone there has good nights, and everyone there has bad nights.
SInce the league is handicapped (all averages are brought up to an even 200 using points given at the beginning of play) it did not matter whether I could bowl 200 or 20. In fact I came in where most do - at around 120 average. But low and behold, after three years of Friday Night Mixed, my average is now around 150. Still not great, but improved, and all while having a heck of a good time getting better.
I have to say that as simple and as non-intellectual as bowling can be, it also can be very zen, with just you and the ball and the lane determining the outcome and offering the challenge. So while you are a member of a four person 'team'... it is really you out there each time, competing only against you. But your team is important in that you support and encourage each other every single time the ball travels toward those pins. That support may come in the form of a good round of applause (how often does that happen in everyday life?!), a high five with a shout, or maybe even a playful mockery, but that support is there because you are bowling for the team. You are not alone. You are appreciated.
If this sounds like something you might be interested in, I invite you to contact me. I am trying to put together a team that can help to bridge the gap that so often is seen around here between the 'outsiders' and the 'locals'. Between the 'intellectual liberals' and the 'working conservatives'. I've always felt that I have straddled those two worlds, and Friday night has become the night that I am reminded that those two worlds can mingle and share a good time.
One of the other bowlers last year, a man who you would NOT peg for a supporter of progressive causes, suddenly became fascinated with the story of rfb and its tangle with the FCC. He read my name in the paper and started to listen to my show on Sunday afternoons. He would come up to me and say things like "How's that fight against those bastards coming?" and I would fill him in on the latest details. The great thing about it was that we probably wouldn't connect on too many other issues, but when it came to the government trying to restrict people's rights, we agreed there. And in talking more we found a few other things we agreed on, like the value of friends, and the joy in challenging yourself to make that strike and actually doing it.
Friday Nights are a mixed league, with men or women on teams. It runs starting early September (very soon!) and goes for 33 weeks... basically until it gets warm again. Starts at 6:15 pm and goes until around 8:30 usually, leaving plenty of time for a late movie or a drink with a friend. Last year it was 13 dollars a night. For that you get 3 games, a lot of laughs and some great memories.
Right now I have one other person on my team, a nutty hyperactive woman (she will admit to this herself) who is a unique partner. But I need two more people! If you suck at bowling, but enjoy it anyway, you're perfect, because the lower your average the more handicap the team receives, and that's good for the team! Usually it is the team with a couple of under or near 100 bowlers that come in first place - and the higher you rank at the end of the year the higher the amount of money you GET BACK!
I can explain more to anyone who is interested - anyone interested and SERIOUS about making it almost every Friday night, that is. Or if you'd like to form your own team, that's fine too - I can give you more info if you'd like. I would love to see a team or two of iBrattleboro Bowlers!
You can reach me at vtdigitalprods@yahoo.com