Injuries, age no longer stop area’s bowlers
Aches and pains, injuries and surgeries — bowling was no longer an option, but that didn’t sit well with longtime friends Denise Morgan and Diane Metz.
Morgan and Metz have spent a combined century in bowling centers, recreationally and professionally as bowlers and former general managers of Poelking Woodman and Poelking Lanes, respectively. But between Morgan’s severe arthritis and Metz’s thumb joint replacement, tossing a ball down the lanes isn’t possible.
“When I stopped bowling, I really missed it,” Metz said. “Monday night should have been bowling night, but it wasn’t.”
The septuagenarians recently put their heads together and came up with a solution — a league where the bowlers use ramps instead of a traditional release. No lifting and no swinging the ball, bowlers will roll two games apiece in the short-season Rampers fun league that gets underway on May 24 at Poelking Woodman Lanes.
“It’s for people who used to bowl but can’t do it anymore and miss it,” Metz said.
Metz is one of those people as the 71-year-old has had both knees and a hip replaced, in addition to her thumb joints. The league is designed primarily for people, like Metz, with physical limitations due to age or injury. From shoulder surgery to knee replacement and arthritis, there are countless issues long-time bowlers deal with.
“We thought it would be something new and different and fun,” Morgan said. “A way to get people who really love the sport to come back.”
Bowling has physical benefits, but the social benefits are important too, Metz said.
“When they had to quit bowling, for whatever reason, they missed it,” she said. “Not just the game but the camaraderie.”
Camaraderie is at the core of the new Rampers league.
“Enjoying time out with family or friends is a huge part of it,” Metz said. “We don’t need trophies, it’s about having fun.”
Metz and Morgan know there’s a learning curve to mastering ramp placement, but that’s part of the fun.
“I think it will be hilarious, especially in the beginning,” Morgan said. “No matter what, it will be great to get back out there.”