Lace up the shoes - it's bowling time

            It's Wednesday afternoon at the Circle Bowl and a chatty group, The Elite Seniors, were paying their $8, lacing up their bowling shoes and warily eyeing their opponent.

            My mom is a member of The Elite Seniors and drives half way across congested Baton Rouge to go bowling. I was tagging along, wondering what's the draw?

            Turns out – a lot.

            When my mom and dad were first married, they were on a bowling league, complete with their own bowling balls, shoes and shiny shirts.

            Mom said back in the 1950s, all their friends were on bowling leagues. The activity wasn't expensive, the kids ran around without worrying about breaking anything and couples visited while getting a bit of exercise.

            When I was a teenager, midnight bowling was popular because we'd get to stay up all night and check out the boys while pretending to care about the game.

            I'd forgotten all about bowling until one rainy evening. We were visiting my parents and my then 5-year-old son said he'd gone to a birthday party at the bowling alley.

            "Back in the day, your mom was one of the top bowlers in the league," my dad said. "She even won trophies."

            At barely 5-feet tall, I was skeptical and said I wanted to see her in action.

            So we dragged their bowling balls and shoes out from the top of the closet and headed to the bowling alley.

            Turns out, they were pretty good.

            My dad's form was smooth and graceful, and my mom took her time before sending the ball on its way, their bowling styles reflecting their personalities.

 

A New Pastime

            A couple of years ago, my mom heard about a seniors league and decided to check it out. Pretty soon, she was winning trophies, talking about strategy and her new friends.

            While visiting her this summer, I wanted to see if the commute was safe for my 80-year-old mom to make by herself.

            When she walked in the door, there was a cheery chorus of "Dee's here!" Smiles and hugs went all around as the Elite Seniors talked about politics, the weather and the LSU Tigers.

            Everybody had their own equipment. Instead of dinged-up black bowling balls, an assortment of balls in blues and pinks sat side by side on the rack.

            Instead of the ugly brown and tan shoes I remembered, the Elite Seniors wore bowling shoes in all colors and styles.

            Then it was game time, and I wondered if some of these frail looking seniors could pick up a heavy bowling ball and throw it down the lane.

            They were amazing.

             Bowler after bowler racked up ear shattering strikes and spares, their high scores reflected on the fully automatic scoring screen. They picked off splits and shook their heads in disgust when throwing a curve or a hook.

            Everybody cheered when 92-year-old Homer bowled the first of his three strikes and great-grandmother Teensy easily racked up five spares.  

            The Elite Seniors are good bowlers, but more importantly, they care about each other. If someone's missing, they call to see if they're okay. They know the names of each others' grandchildren and great-grandchildren. They're competitive, feisty and they have fun.

            Despite the long drive to get to the alley, I realized my mom needs to keep bowling with the Elite Seniors. The friendship and camaraderie league members provide for each other keeps them young and engaged in life.

            But more importantly, Mom's got room on the mantle for another trophy.

            Game on.

This column was originally published in The Fort Bend Herald.