To league or not to league, that is the question. I feel that to be able to write about this I must first live it. After all how can one write about anything unless they've been to the belly of the beast. To start I must first explain and clarify that I have never wanted nor desired to be a league bowler. Not that I have anything against them. It's just that I've seen them and I always felt that they thought they were better or more devoted to the sport than I, which honestly, is not the case.
In reality my friends and I are probably as good if not better bowlers than 80 % of them. That's not to say that they are not great bowlers in their own right. Now on to the topic at hand, to league or not to league. First off what is a league? Is it just a group of guys standing around, drinking beer, and playing with their balls? Oh wait, no, that's what I do now. No, a league or as Wikipedia defines it, a league is a group event where several teams bowl against each other.
It seems the first bowling league was formed in 1895 in New York City. Also formed was the American bowling congress known as ABC. As a side note in my neck of the woods you can buy Alcohol at an ABC store. How great is this sport? It's not the same ABC you understand. Now that we know what a league is I have to join one. Well, in truth, I already did. I unfortunately was not able to start at the beginning but luckily someone dropped out and I took his place.
Now about my bowling team, there are three of us, myself and two brothers. I won't mention their names to protect the innocent. I'll just say they seem nice. I learned one thing right off the bat, to join a league you first have to be sanctioned with the United States Bowling Congress, or in short, join the bowling club.
Your due is $20.00 per year which in truth isn't that bad considering all they do. The league I joined is also $10.00 a week whether you bowl or not. How crappy is that? I mean come on....I wasn't even there. Oh well, it turns out they don't care. It seems that if you're going to be on the team you have to pay for each week no matter what. Now how can my score count if I'm not there. What they do is enter my average which is determined by the first three games I bowl into the computer and it gives me a score. Unless someone shows up to bowl for me.
This is at the teams discretion. Which means if you are a sanctioned bowler you can show up at a different league and offer to bowl if someone is absent. It's free bowling, get it? It's a pretty good deal if you like to bowl with strangers. Well that's it for now and I'll tell you about the first game next time.
Happy Bowling.
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