What is your best bowling center memory?

[The KingPin]

Ok so some of us have drank too much at a bowling center, or have seen others who have. Or maybe you have seen some weird shots or things done.

Maybe it was when you bowled your first 200 game. Either way what is your best bowling memory.

[kakcpa]

When I went to Michigan State University, we went bowling at a 24 hour place in Lansing, Michigan at 2am after we were done studying. It was empty, and we were the only ones bowling. At 3am, after the auto factory shift was over, the place filled up for a league, and every lane was going. It was an unbelievable site.

[JAnderson]

My mom worked at a bowling center as did my grand mother. The owners of the center were friends of the family. Both brothers and I bowled our youth leagues there, mom and dad bowled their leagues there, my grand parents bowled their leagues there, friends of the family bowled their leagues there. You get the picture.

It was a split house with 28 lanes along the west wall and 10 lanes along the north wall. It was the first house in the Cleveland area to install synthetic lanes, and this was back in the late 1970's, so it caused quite a stir. I remember all of the plastic hanging from the ceiling and the noise of power saws as they did their work.

Growing up in a bowling alley will impart many memories. Often times, when my parents needed some alone time, they would drop us kids off at the bowling alley. The owners and all of the employees would keep an eye on us. I spent hours and hours watching people bowl as my brothers would try to flush quarters out of the pinball machines. I've probably watched some 40,000 games of bowling in my life because of this.

Saturdays were the best. We'd bowl our youth league at 11:00am and then practice in the afternoon from 2:00-5:00 when the bowling was 3 games for $1.40. We'd have lunch and dinner at the lanes (they had good food, when was the last time you said that about a bowling center?) then watch dad bowl two shifts of leagues. After leagues, there was either moonlight, scotch doubles, or best ball tournaments for the adults which started at midnight. If I was lucky, there would be open lanes (usually, there was not) and I could get in some more practice. Most of all though, I remember all the adults having a good time bowling, the friendly competition, the rivalries, the money won or lost ... but everyone enjoying themselves. My aunts and uncles would bowl the moonlight and best ball tournaments as well. I was excited to be able to look forward to doing that when I got older with my friends and my family.

[Joachim]

It was a night cup with alcholo, me and my friends got mad and came in last, but my friend stole the winners cup before he left, now it's an ashtray at his house

[onefrombills]

Bowling at the SHOWBOAT in Las Vegas....It didnt matter of you bowled good or bad. I would always get chills every time I walked into the center due to all the History of the center.

[jaws1945]

The funniest thing that ever happened to me was on a league night bowling on the end pair(23&24). I switched to a new ball I had drilled earlier that day. Well, I was up on 24 and made my approach and the ball hung up when I tried to throw it, went straight up in the air, landed in the right gutter, bounced out and landed on the small walkway leading to the pitsand rolled all the way down and through the curtain. Both teams were on the floor laughing, and a teammate buzzed the desk and said "Ball on 25". Pretty funny and embarassing...