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Bowling bond

Published 1/30/2010 in Features

On a snowy and cold January night, weather began to force the cancelation of numerous events in Garden City. But snow-thawing shoes continued to multiply in the lobby at Garden Bowl as bowlers began to arrive for their Thursday night women's league.

For some, it's much easier to stay in the warmth of their homes then venture out and face the snow-packed and slippery roads. But the ladies of the Cottonwood League aren't about to miss their Thursday night out.

Not a chance.

"It's the one night I don't have to cook, and I don't have to do anything at home," longtime bowler Betty Brungardt said.

Brungardt, who bowls for the Dreilling Construction team, sat with her teammates waiting for her turn on the lane. To her right, Cindy Ribordy used her time to catch up on some knitting as Cheryl Wilson arranged cards for a game of bowling poker in which teammates earn cards through strikes and spares.

It is evident that their Thursday night bowling is about a little more than just knocking little white pins over with a heavy, rolling object.

"It's a girl's night out," Ribordy said with a grin.

"Yeah, it's all about just getting together with the girls," echoed Wilson.

Stephen Whitehurst, owner of Garden Bowl, said he too has noticed the social bond so important in the women's leagues.

"They like to get out of the house," Whitehurst said. "If you'll notice, there's not a lot of children here. We have a lot more kids running around in some of our men's leagues than they do here in this one."

Whitehurst, who has owned Garden Bowl for about five years, said the alley runs leagues every night except Saturday, and involves about 350 league bowlers. He said he has seen a constant and steady increase in bowling in Garden City.

"Every year since I bought it (Garden Bowl), we've added more and more leagues," Whitehurst said. "It's a hard sell -- nationwide leagues are dwindling, but we've been fortunate enough to build good leagues."

Across town at Hard Rock Lanes, Tony Stout, who runs the pro shop at that alley, concurs that after a few years of decline, bowling interest is on the rise.

"It's been a nice rebound," Stout said. "Some people say it's economy. I really think folks just like to get out and have a good time -- get away from sitting at the computer and getting a little exercise, It's a great sport to get out and enjoy."

Sandy Martindale, who bowls for MJ's Barbershop, began bowling a few years ago at the age of 22, shortly after going bowling with her uncle from Colorado Springs one Christmas. Her uncle later bought her a ball, bag and shoes, and Martindale has bowled ever since.

She laughs as she explains her favorite part of bowling: throwing herself down the lane.

"I've done that. I slid about a quarter of the way down the alley," Martindale said with a laugh.

And in addition to supplying a small dose of humility once in a while, the sport also offers other advantages to female bowlers.

"It keeps you active -- it gets you off the couch," Martindale said.

Beside the camaraderie and recreational aspect of women's bowling in Garden City, there still is a competitive streak among many of the women bowlers.

Stout said the Tuesday women's league at Hard Rock has stayed "pretty constant and that some of the women they have bowling, not only there, but at Garden Bowl, too, go to state competition every year."

"I think the women are just as competitive as the men," Stout said. "But it's a different kind of competitive. It's more of a 'good time to spend with your friends.' But they still have the drive and the desire to win -- to do the best they possibly can. Some of the most competitive bowlers I know are some of the women that bowl in Garden City,"

Hard Rock Lanes has leagues Monday through Friday, serving about 220 league bowlers, many of them women. Although Stout said there is no typical female bowler, many of them are softball players in the summer and are just looking for a way to stay active in the winter,

"They get a chance to get away when they don't want to do the scrapbooking and they want to do a sport in the fall and winter months," Stout said. "They're doing a lot of things in the summer. I think some of them strive to keep some of that competitive spirit going throughout the winter."

Stout said female bowlers range in age from youth to well into their 80s.

He credits the Garden City High School bowling program for helping grow interest for bowling for both males and females in the area.

"The school bowling programs have made a huge impact," Stout said. "And that is the future of our sport. That is what we as bowling proprietors really look at -- getting the youth involved and doing everything we can to help them get to know the sport, to love the sport and to want to continue the sport."

Jacob Brungardt, a member of the undefeated GCHS bowling team and grandson of Betty Brungardt, said he thinks it's great that women in Garden City are so involved in bowling.

"Bowling can be for anyone, not just men," Brungardt said.

Stout said the women's bowling community has been strong and supportive, not only of bowling, but to the community as a whole.

"They do fundraisers and really work to promote camaraderie in their sport," he said.

He said Garden City is in a unique position because its men's and women's leagues merged into one association, the United States Bowling Congress.

"There used to be a men's association and a women's association, and typically the two did not get along," Stout said. "When the merger was proposed, it was 'Yeah, let's do it because it will better the sport.'"

He said that part of the membership fees for USBC go not only to scholarships, but also in aid to troops serving overseas.

"The women's leagues, in no small part, are making a big impact, not only in Garden, but in Afghanistan and Iraq, too," Stout said.

He said some of the money raised by the women bowlers is sent to soldiers abroad for bowling equipment.

"You get pictures of some of the soldiers out in the desert bowling with equipment that was purchased in part with money from the women bowlers in Garden City," Stout said. "I'm looking at Newsweek and I'm seeing this dude bowling; I say to myself, 'You guys made this happen.'"

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