Games face on

Bowlers descend upon Strikers

By Kevin Spradlin
PeeDeePost.com

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ROCKINGHAM — It’s funny, in a way, how different the two sides are in the game of bowling.

There is the front side, in which a bowler is often all smiles, having already delivered his or her best pitch down the lane, guessed or seen the result and turned out. At that point, it’s often all smiles or, depending on the outcome, here and there a frown.

Kevin Spradlin | PeeDeePost.com

Smiles, too, are abound and wishes of fare well as a bowler’s turn approaches, and a ball is picked up from the return machine. With one move, the bowler’s back is turned to the crowd. And the smile disappears.

Before the bowler now is only a greased wooden lane and 10 white pins. The goal is to knock as many of them down as possible.

Often, players will release the ball and lean to the left or right in an attempt to will the ball one direction or another. It doesn’t work, of course, but on the chance happenings that the ball moves the same way the player leans, the magic of belief somehow remains.

Nearly four dozen bowlers participated in the singles tournament on Friday morning at Strikers Bowling Center on East Broad Avenue in Rockingham. Since the start of the 25th annual Senior Games of Richmond County began on Monday, the sport attracted by far the largest number of participants.