On the street

I'm not a bowler.

That's not to say that I don't love to bowl. I have been bowling -- for fun -- for years and have decades of bowling memories, dating back to when I'd accompany my parents on their league nights when I was just a toddler.

But I'm not a bowler. A good game of bowling, for me, is to break 100. No, I take that back; that would be a great game of bowling for me. The main reason, I'm sure, is that I don't go nearly often enough, something that has changed over the years.

I do remember going as a preschooler with my parents to the bowling center in Minneapolis when they would have league night; I'd try to sit quietly and watch, but inevitably I wound up in the toddler room, coloring and playing with Play-doh. 

By the time I was a second-grader I was taking bowling lessons, which I considered my own "league t ime." I wasn't an easy student -- no one really wants to teach a left-hander how to do much of anything -- but I did learn, and I did have fun. I was a decent bowler as a child, mostly because we lived just a few blocks from the mall, and it had a wonderful bowling alley in the basement. My brother and I would often "compete" for the better score; I had the advantage of age back then and could often beat him soundly. I don't even challenge him anymore.

As I got older, more and more things pulled me away from bowling; we moved a lot while I was growing up, and I spent most of my time getting to know people and finding things to do in that area. Bowling for me, now, is something I do all too rarely.

Not so for the people I talked to last week at Lancer Lanes during their Wednesday night leagues. These people bowl a lot, and have been, I'm guessing, for quite some time. Many of them played off their responses when I asked about their technique, but don't be fooled -- these people can bowl. I sat and watched as many bowlers "warmed  up" and was amazed -- if this was their practice, I couldn't wait to see their game.

The best thing, though, was that I was inspired and motivated. I plan on getting back to my bowling roots, even if just once a month.

Catch up with Carly next week as she talks to people at Kirkwood's Winter Gardening Fair and finds signs of spring fever.