For a deviation from the Thursday night bar scene, many students have opted to join the Tornado Warning bowling league.
The league consists of 24 teams which compete at Don Carter’s Bowling Center on Airline Highway. The teams consist of three players and can have up to two alternate players.
Throughout the 26-week season, each team plays one series against every other team in the league. A series consists of three consecutive games, said Baker Wardlaw, a sophomore majoring in French. Wardlaw is a member of the High Rollers, a team of LSU students.
“Many leagues compete at Don Carter’s, but the Tornado Warning league is the most popular among students because games never start before 9 p.m.,” said Brandi Hanson, league coordinator. “The entry fees are reasonable, too.”
There is another incentive to join the league.
“Everyone that joins the league gets a bowling ball monogrammed with their name and drilled to custom-fit their hand,” Wardlaw said.
Tornado Warning, a strong league in Baton Rouge for the past few years, has kept the focus on gimmick prizes instead of monetary prizes, Hanson said.
“The top three teams at the end of the season receive trophies and plaques,” Hanson said. “Everyone gets the customized bowling ball. This is not a money league. In the past, we have given participants things like a Miller Lite poker table or a LSU bowling ball. Money makes people competitive in a negative way. In a gimmick league, everyone is bowling for fun because, in the end, all the bowlers get the same prize.”
The atmosphere is relaxed, but the rules of the game still are taken seriously.
“The league is sanctioned by the American Bowling Congress and the Women’s International Bowling Congress,” said Brian Shelfer, a general business sophomore, also a member of the High Rollers. “Sanctioned means that we play according to the rules set by the IBC and the WIBC.”
Thursday nights at Don Carter’s offers more than relaxed bowling competition.
“We offer draft beer for $1 and pitchers for $5 every Thursday,” said Hanson. “Students seem to appreciate the beer specials. That could be another reason the league has grown so much this season.”
A member of the Three Wisemen team, another team of University students, agreed.
“I joined the Tornado Warning league because I love to bowl,” said Guy Harper, a finance senior. “It is also the only sport where you can drink while you play.”
Bowling can build character beyond good sportsmanship, Shelfer said.
“This is a game about concentration, but you can’t over-think anything or over-strategize,” said Shelfer. “You have to take everything as it comes to you, go with the flow. Bowling is a lot like life in that way.”