PROVIDENCE,
Rhode
Island, June 23, 2007 – When Meg
and I decided that our seven-year Big Adventure and
Arizona Land Grab had been a failed experiment, we decided to go back
to a
city. After much soul-searching
and ground-truth-finding, we settled on locating here in Providence. Once that choice was made, I made my
own decision to return to a New England sport that had consumed much of
my time
as a youth: Candlepin bowling.
As
documented here, I
basically did nothing
but bowl, from the ages of 9 to 15 or so.
Having discovered the sport via childhood birthday parties, I
was
hooked, and I used to live, breathe, eat, and sleep bowling. When I’d walk by a fence, I’d picture
the posts as pins to be knocked down.
Almost every art-class project depicted bowling scenes. Whenever bowling was on TV, everything
else got put on hold while I glued myself to the set for an hour. I had a miniature lane in the basement,
with some blocks and a street-hockey ball that provided a surprisingly
realistic simulation of candlepin equipment.
I
did a little mashup
between Google Maps and the MBA’s list of member houses; it didn’t take
long to
realize that Providence is within a short drive of a surprising amount
of
candlepin action.
And I spent
as much time
at the lanes as I could. For the
most part, this meant the Sudbury Bowladrome in Sudbury, Massachusetts,
a
24-lane house that had a three-hour all-you-can-bowl special on Monday
mornings
and Thursday afternoons. For
years, I went to Sudbury every Thursday after school and bowled for as
much of
the three hours as I could squeeze in; my personal record was 27
strings, one Monday morning during school vacation. I’m forever
indebted to the late
Russ
Bergen, who ran the place, for providing this opportunity to bowl my
fingers
off while I grew up.
Sudbury
closed and was
demolished in 1994 – I don’t have any photos of the place, but I do
have a shot
of Colonial Bowling Center in Worcester, MA, which looks much the same:
I had some
success in
state and world youth tournaments in the ‘70s, and even made an
appearance on a
TV program, Channel 7’s “Candlepin Champs,” in 1975. It was a new show
at the
time, and to get it off to a good start, they invited the top five
finishers
from that year’s state tournament to bowl on the show – I’d finished
fifth in
the tourney, and my opponent was Paul Kobel, who’d come in fourth. I’ve never seen Paul since then –
I have no idea if he’s still bowling or has left the area.
If it’s the latter, I can relate,
because 1994 was my last season of candlepin bowling – or so I thought
– as I
moved to Chicago at the beginning of 1995.
It ain’t over ‘til it’s over
That should
have been
the end of the story, and for a long time, I assumed it had been the
end. But things have a way of changing
just
when you least expect it. After
five years in Chicago, followed by seven in Flagstaff, AZ (a long story
and, in
hindsight, a big mistake – but that’s another column), Meg and I
decided to
come to our senses and move back to an area with a real economy, real
jobs, and
some real life to be lived, instead of the never-never land of an
isolated
resort town. When we opted for
Providence, I started mulling the idea of returning to candlepins,
because it
had always been a nagging regret that I hadn’t accomplished as much in
the
sport as I thought I’d been capable of.
It isn’t often that you get a chance to hit the reset button and
sweep a
big regret off life's pindeck – but here was a chance to do exactly
that. I started looking at Google Maps and
doing a little mashup with the Massachusetts Bowling Association’s list
of
member houses; it didn’t take long to realize that Providence was well
within
range of a surprising amount of candlepin action.
I’d
started to feel
the passage of time. If the
potential to be a top-notch bowler had been there at 16 or 17, who knew
whether
it would still be there, on the far side of 40?
As soon as
Meg and I got
here last September, I wasted no time in getting out to the lanes to
see what
kind of game I had in the bag.
This was a big question mark, because I’d been away from
candlepins
entirely for 12 years, and away from any kind of serious competition
for 20. I wasn’t just a has-been – I
was a never-quite-was! And at 43,
I’d started to feel the passage of time – if the potential to be a
top-notch
bowler had been there at 16 or 17 and abandoned, who knew whether it
would
still be there?
Well, I got
a sign –
possibly from above, but certainly from 60 feet away – on the very
first practice
ball I delivered on Lane 32 at Fairway Sports World; all ten pins hit
the
deck! I stood there and stared at
the empty pindeck for some time, before pressing the button.
That was a
good start,
but obviously, only the beginning of a long comeback effort. To make a long story short, it’s been a
success beyond anything I dared imagine.
It took a few months to get some game on, but this spring, I had
some
increasingly successful tournament efforts, and after coming close a
few times,
I cashed in a Western New England Pro Tour event in Shelburne Falls, MA
and in
two events on the new Massachusetts South Shore Candlepin Tour. In a total surprise, I also won a
rolloff for the Comcast “Candlepin Challenge” cable-TV show in March,
appearing
on the show in late April.
That’s the
short version
of my candlepin comeback, so far.
And that’s one side of the headline to this column – I had no
idea how
much game I could put together on the far side of 40.
Although there are plenty of great bowlers who are older
than I am – in fact, both of the Western New England tour events I
entered this
spring were won by guys over 50 – I wasn’t sure how much I’d be able to
do,
given that in my first incarnation as a candlepin bowler, I hadn’t done
much as
an adult. But, apparently, I’ve “caught
it in time” – there’s still a lot there, even if I do have to gulp down
800
milligrams of Advil just to bowl three games.
Regardless
of what
happens from here on out, I’m enjoying the ride. See
you at the lanes!
The other
thing I “caught
in time” was candlepin bowling itself.
After enjoying over a century as a successful sport with the
active
participation of thousands of league and open-play bowlers across New
England
and eastern Canada, the candlepin industry has suffered a serious
decline over
the past 20 or 25 years. Many of
the houses I knew as a youth bowler have closed their doors and been
torn down –
where Sudbury Bowladrome used to be, there is now an upscale nursing
home. Lately, the decline has been
especially
bad – I can think of three houses that have closed this spring alone.
But despite
the sad
state of the bowling industry, there’s still a surprisingly vibrant
competition
scene. During fall, winter, and
spring, there’s some sort of competition to be had almost every
weekend, in the
form of tournaments and TV rolloffs.
The new South Shore tour gave a much-needed kick-in-the-pants to
the
competitive scene in southeastern Massachusetts, an area that hadn’t
played
host to any pro tournaments in some time.
The Comcast cable show gets very high ratings – insiders say
that
Comcast executives from other parts of the country are envious of New
England’s
homegrown sport that attracts so many TV viewers.
So I’ve
caught it in time,
in two ways. Candlepin bowling,
although struggling as an industry, still offers plenty of
opportunities for
the competitive bowler. And my
quadragenarian frame hasn’t lost anything, in terms of delivering the
ball
where it needs to go. In fact, I’ve
far outshone anything I did as a junior; if the 17-year-old Urbie takes
on the
44-year-old, the old guy kicks butt.
My game as a kid was not even close to what I’m bringing to the
lanes
now.
I’m looking
forward to
next fall, in hopes of accomplishing a lot more than what I was able to
do in the
partial season of 2006-7. But one
of my favorite quotes is, “Plan the future, but don’t plan the outcome.” Having already far exceeded what I had
any idea I could do in candlepins, I’m playing with house money – any
further
successes would be welcomed but are not expected. Plans
for next season might include joining the World Candlepin Bowlers Congress
pro
tour, in an attempt to make a little noise as a re-tread rookie. But regardless of what happens from
here on out, I’m going to keep my foot on the gas and enjoy the ride. See you at the lanes!
Copyright
©
2007 John J. Kafalas
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