On Tuesday, May 6, the Stony Brook Bowling Club ended its semester with a fun night of pizza, trophies, and of course, bowling.
The club has met every Tuesday night at Port Jefferson Bowl for the last two semesters, growing in size from 12 to 30 members. This semester, the club was divided into ten teams, three people per team, which competed all semester in a handicap scoring league. Ultimately, The Shockers took the honors as the league’s best team.
This was my first semester in the club, and my first bowling league in seven years. I was a member of the Shaolin Trio with two friends from high school; we finished in third place. Although we wanted to win, we definitely wouldn’t replace the good times that we had.
‘There were winners and losers, but everyone had fun’ said one of my teammates, John Coffaro, a sophomore cinema and cultural studies student. ‘Since the SBU bowling club is a handicap league, despite ones average, the chances of winning are unpredictable.’
Whether one had a 70 average, a 120 average, or 200 average, the handicap allowed for an even competition. ‘ However, the competition element of the league wasn’t even evident. ‘ Everyone encouraged each other, giving high-fives after strikes and congratulating those who bowled a great game. Not once did I feel the standings got in the way of having fun.
The Shockers, comprised of Jeffrey Yu, Liz Cox, and Elena Haeppner, finished the season as best team in the league. They were consistent every week, and truly deserved the top honor. Perfect 10, comprised of Matt Gosselin, Kendy Wu, and Jeremy Arnoff, finished in second. ‘
As far as individual achievements, on the men’s side, the highest averages went to Jeffrey Yu (207), John Coffaro (185), and Matt Gosselin (180). The top scratch game was a 289, followed a 278 by James Palowski, and a 257 shot by Jeffrey Yu, Matt Gosselin, and Kendy Wu.
On the women’s side, the highest averages went to Jennifer Traditi (150), Liz Cox (139), and Elena Hoeppner (135). The top scratch games were by Traditi (200), Ann Marie Tedesco (184), and Aisha Breland-Henry (177).
There will be another league in the fall semester, and the president and founder of the club, Jennifer Traditi, encourages new members to join the league, ‘It’s a great way to have fun off campus,’ said Traditi. ‘It doesn’t matter if you’re a good bowler or not, everyone has fun.’ Port Jefferson Bowl is located 10 minutes away from Stony Brook’s campus.
If anyone is interested in joining the league, there is a Facebook group called SBU Bowling Club, with more information. Or you can email Traditi at [email protected].
