Let's Bowl Tonight

Remember that song? It was from the letdown sequel of the century “Grease 2” (hey it launched Michelle Pfeiffer’s career). I was a “child of the lanes” myself. My parents bowled in a league in the 70s, and so I spent lots of time in the smokey Alley daycare center. I later joined a league when I was seven and we lived in South Florida for a year. I had my own red monogrammed ball and of course, a polyester shirt with felt stars. I even won a trophy.

That was the beginning of my life long love affair with bowling. I try to get to Sea Bowl (in Pacifica across from the ocean here in the Bay Area) whenever possible to relive my 7-year-old glory days—and because it’s just a fun, physical activity to do with friends (Sea Bowl also has great Bloody Marys). Although bowling has been mocked a great deal in pop culture (“King Pin” is still one of my favorite movies), it is being taken seriously in high school these days. The Associate Press reports that “bowling posted the most gains in 2004-05, in both the number of players and the number of schools adding teams, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations.” How cool is that?