A new student bowling club, likely the first at Willamette in 75 years, hopes to start hitting the lanes at Northgate Bowl as soon as Feb. 15.
The group will be open to all levels and plans to meet at the alley every Saturday this spring from 12-2 p.m. Lane and shoe rentals are on ASWU’s dime — participants will only be responsible for transport, which for the exec team means taking the bus as a group. According to club president and co-founder Izzy Long-McGie (ʼ27), the “Bearcat Bowling League” clocked 30 sign-ups at the Jan. 27 Activities Fair.
As it stands, the “League” aspect acts more as an ideal as opposed to a concrete plan. Long-McGie said that she one day hopes to either form a competitive team and join an existing league, or form a league on campus. None of the exec members have bowled competitively before. The club’s first trips may feature a competitive and noncompetitive lane, but Long-McGie has opted to spare the details until club leadership can sort out the needs of their new members. “Right now we just want to get students out and bowling,” she said.
Long-McGie recalls a triumphant fifth grade field trip as the favorite bowling memory of her life so far. “I did so well … they brought me to the teacher’s team,” she stated. Since then, Wii Bowling has helped keep her love for the game alive. She doesn’t feel there’s any replacement for the real thing, though, and hopes other students will agree.
Bearcat Bowling League will host its first meeting on Feb. 6 from 6-7 p.m. in Eaton 211, featuring Nintendo Switch Bowling and a coloring table.