Bowling Is Not Just For Senior Citizens Anymore!

Back when I was in elementary school I thought it was so cool that my grandparents were on a bowling league. They suddenly lost all coolness when I entered high school and was ridiculed for spending weekends at the bowling alley with the “old people”. I did not realize how much my shunning their sport really hurt them until recently.

In a desperate attempt to draw in customers, bowling alleys teamed up and offered Kids Bowl Free Summer Program. Kids could come and bowl two free games. Freedom was not so sure about bowling last summer until she spent a few fun-filled afternoons with her friends tossing bowling balls down the lane.

She begged me this summer to go every week. While we did not make it a weekly endeavor at first – I still had misgivings about the coolness of the bowling alley – we did eventually become regulars. Every visit we made I saw more and more kids, teens and young adults enjoying the promotions that were being offered to beat the heat of summer. One of Freedom’s friends, Sprite, informed me that bowling was the coolest thing around. Another friend, Liberty, had never been bowling until this past summer and now says that bowling is the best thing ever!

Albeit, these are seven and eight year olds proclaiming the coolness of bowling, there were others such as the group of high school students in the next lane who were taking selfies and having a blast doing the unlimited bowling for $5.00. They were having such a great time and were talking about joining a bowling league.

Liberty’s mom and Sprite’s mom and dad also enjoyed bowling while the kiddos tossed bowling balls down the lane amid gales of laughter and finger-pointing fun. I decided that I would give bowling another try. Go figure – I actually had a blast! I may not be the insecure teen that I once was, but I still had the preconceived notions that bowling was not the cool thing to do and it was so lame. I had refused to give it a try last year because heaven forbid someone should see me hurling a 12 pound ball down a lane towards pins in hopes on knocking them all down.

Now, I, Micki Holley have joined a bowling league! Gasp! Freedom has jumped on board, too. She is a part of a kid’s bowling league where she is working diligently towards earning her very own bowling ball. She has teamed up with her best friends, Sprite and Liberty and loves every second of it.

I was amazed at the number of kids, ages 5 to 17 that are on bowling leagues! My own adult league is made up of mostly 20 to 30 somethings with a few 40+ year olds in the mix. Maybe I am just not there when it is senior citizen day at the bowling alley, but even then I have re-discovered something. It does not matter what others see as lame or un-cool. If you enjoy doing it, that is all that matters.

As for my grandparents, when they found out that Freedom had joined a bowling league, they were so proud. When they discovered that I was bowling too, they were speechless! To give them that little bit of pleasure and in a way a connection when their health is failing is a gift that I will always cherish and I hope that Freedom will come to understand that her great-grandparents have passed on a legacy for her to be proud of. Even though they will never get to see her bowl, she feels a camaraderie with them that can never be broken. Her 8 year old heart beats in rhythm with their 80+ year old hearts.

So, the next time you think bowling may be fun, take the time to follow that thought to your nearest bowling alley and give it a try. The relaxed atmosphere and interesting mix of people is well worth the effort!