We have made friends here in Kingman with Tom and Diane from Redding California.  They are really terrific people who have been here in Kingman this summer caring for Diane’s father who had been under hospice care.  (We learned this past week that he passed away)

Tom and Diane are big bowlers who compete in bowling leagues here in Kingman a couple of times per week.  One thing that Lisa and I have learned in our travels is that it sometimes becomes necessary to participate with others in their hobbies or interests just to make a connection.  Recently we decided to join them for a morning of “Senior Bowling” at the local bowling alley.  “Senior bowling” is on Friday mornings and those over fifty can bowl three games with free shoes for five bucks.  What a deal!  So we met Tom and Diane at the “Cerbat Lanes” for our leisurely morning of senior citizen bowling.

The first order of business was finding shoes to fit.  Lisa wears a size ‘2’ or something like that and most of her shoes light up.  I, on the other hand, need something in a ‘EEEE’ width and should come with built-in flares or “Wide Load” signs attached.  We both had little confidence that we would find proper fitting shoes and were fully prepared to play in our sock feet – which is what we do most of the time when we bowl.  Surprisingly we both found shoes that fit reasonably well.  Mine only made my feet bleed a couple drops – which is an indication I did OK.  Lisa’s never went flying down the lane and actually looked nicer than most of the “Powerpuff Girls’ shoes she is forced to wear.

Bowling is one of those things that is deceptively difficult and Tom and Diane really make it look easy.  Tom’s hands are the size of pie plates and he had no problem spinning the ball at just the right angle and location to get strike after strike.  He had a way of laying his ball down without it making a sound.  Diane was smooth and controlled as her ball seemed to always find the straight path to really good scores.  Lisa and I are a different story entirely.

Lisa uses the lightest ball she can find.  I have had basketballs that were heavier.  Her ball is so light it hardly has enough momentum to tip over the pins and I swear on one of her throws the pin bumped her ball into the gutter without moving.  It just sat there sort of making fun of her.  I don’t think she noticed.

As for me – I have never learned how to lay the ball down on the lane without it sounding like the scoreboard just fell from the ceiling.  When I bowl it seems like  everything stops for a split second and people look in my direction to see what horrible event caused such a sonic boom.  Once my ball is making its way down the lane – it is anybody’s guess what will happen.  I have learned to spin the ball and look like I know what I am doing.  Unfortunately the spin I use also causes my wrist to practically torque itself in two and I am certain I am not doing it correctly.  By the third game I am needing to bowl with my left hand.

Our scores were about average for us – both really bad – but we enjoyed spending time with our new friends.  We could both tell they were glad we had gotten involved with something they love so much.  So all in all it was a good day.

The next day I noticed Lisa limping and she said her right hip was hurting.  Apparently the movement of bending down to bowl put extra strain on her right side and two nights later it was so bad she could hardly sleep.  As for me I began to feel a little pain in my right shoulder almost immediately after we finished bowling and by the next morning was convinced I had a torn rotator cuff or dislocated shoulder.  We limped and moaned and groaned for two days after our outing.  How bad a shape could one be in when they can’t hardly get of bed after bowling?

As soon as we get healed up we may try to bowl again.  But I’m not sure if the medical bills including surgery and physical therapy will be worth the five dollar senior bowling deal.  I’m just glad Tom and Diane are not into kick boxing.

Ouch!

Steve