iria.V; Battalion ' 4l) instea(l(. separate eve! The evil RingDancel Bash at fH r y's. There 1 ai mission for student! 1 Rings. Hffil lure swing J sons from a p.m. I Straub J should taltil ol theeveniil "This is i portunityie® !11 eet toget:.-i ■'loss, "he is,■ o reunite from thecal n Fish L I mi met t md in oihr:| ampus. Carla., if 1999 seal enior speed 1 ation maicrl re a series :| o seniors 1 , 1 tore chanei vents. I "Ourmaiil enior Week I ne can goal id bond.’shl ledicine. c Weims uudents i id resounresi activities." I freshmen, miorsjsv e students k iningofTls wxiXZ i s in d^rk Its own . -. m Page 3 • Monday, April 19. 1999 Icme aaa. Story by Kyle Whitacre Photo Illustration by Sallie Thmer & Guy Rogers W hat is it about the sport of bowling that makes it dif ferent from other sports? No other pastime has such a unique and independent following of play ers and enthusiasts. Athletic prowess and stamina are thrown out the window, and all that is left is skill, technique and dedication of the player. According to the Website of the Bowling Association of New Jersey, bowling is 7,000 years old. The ear liest record of a game resembling bowling comes from ancient Egypt, where a round object resembling a bowling ball and marble bars, sim ilar to pins, were found in the ruins of an Egyptian pyramid. Recent movies like The Big Lebowski and Kingpin have tried to delve into the psyche of the ritual bowler. From clothes to lifestyle to personality, the fanatic bowler has a style all his or her own. On a typical weeknight, a juke box plays top 40 hits as the players line the alleys with cheap beer, cig arettes, cool bowling shirts and per sonalized bowling balls. Ryan Jordan, a freshman electri cal engineering major, said bowling is unique in the world of sports. “Bowling is 90 percent mental and 10 percent physical,” Jordan said. “You don’t have to be Michael Jordan or Mark McGwire to be good at bowling. That isn’t what counts. The skill is more mental than most sports.” Style is also an important aspect of the bowling fanatic. Mike Oates, a junior psychology major, and Jor dan own their own bowling shoes, and Oates owns his own personal ized bowling ball. “I’ve been bowling for a long time,” Oates said. “It takes a lot of dedication. A girlfriend of mine a few years ago made me choose be tween her and bowling. I hated to see her go, but 1 think it was for the best.” Bowling classes offered at Texas A&M can be a breeding ground for future bowling fanatics such as bowler Jason Puckett, a sophomore environmental design major. “The bowling class I’m taking got me hooked on it,” Puckett said. “I bowl so much more now, at least two or three times a week. My av erage just keeps getting better and better.” The classes teach the beginning bowler proper technique and form. Bowlers are graded on pin average and a midterm. To get an “A” in the skills portion of the class, male stu dents need to get above 165 and fe male students need to get above 145. “It’s all in the form,” Puckett said. “I never thought about certain things before that I’m learning, and it’s making a difference. It just takes a lot of practice. I tried to teach one of my friends and he could never get it down. It’s all about the thumb position.” Puckett said bowling has certain advantages other sports cannot offer. “You don’t need a lot of people to play,” Puckett said. “Basketball, baseball, football and other big sports need a lot of people for a game. One or two people is good enough for a fun game of bowling. That’s why smaller games like table tennis and pool are really cool. They can never get rained out, ei ther. ” Also, bowling does not offer the physical workout of endurance of most other active sports. One of the oldest sports of all time, bowling has always had a unique following, from royalty to peasantry to Lebowski. It has been a part of popular culture for thou sands of years, and the trend is still running strong today in bowling leagues across the nation. A new spin has been put on bowling with the introduction of galaxy bowling in which black lights, glow in the dark pins and laser lighting spice up the bowling experience. But for the hardcore bowlers, a good pair of shoes, the perfect bowling ball and a smooth lane is all they need. )r c\$ jn. ; call / Edib j ;ht A OpinW : ts Ed®' /Veb ^ I don 14th Anniversary And We Are Celebrating Get 2 Large 2 Topping Pizzas for Only tyJ e.C^" i ss | jenef,' i.iv’'' . iTacM*' 313: -caiaoK Bine AS ■Delivery or Carryout [Limited Delivery Area [Good at Any [Bryan/College Station [Papa Johns Pizza ^ws/T S 1 Aggie Bucks College Station stores only 1100 D. Harvey Rd 764-7272 601 University Dr (Northgate) 846-3600 3414 E. 29th St. 267-7272 Special Good April 19th thru May 2nd MSC HOSPITALITY PRESENTS... SLAM FEST '99 3 on 3 Basketball Tournament Where Read Building £iLSi $20/ team Profits Benefit Community Service 4r Questions call MSC HOSPITALITY K45-15I5 April 24, 1999 FREE T-SHIRT Registration MSC Hallway April 14-21 10:00- 3:00 REC Center April 14-21 6:00-9:00