Walking into Treasure Lanes, Livingston’s bowling alley, is like stepping back into the 1990s. You’re immediately greeted with a couple of vending machines and an old style arcade with two pool tables. As you walk on from there you will reach the front serving area. You’ll see that the prices are small corn dog $1.25. Nachos-cheese or salsa $2.25, pizza $8.00. A left turn later and you reach the bowling lanes themselves: eight lanes lined up ready to play at a press of a button.
Bowling League happens most days of the week. There’s a Sunday and Monday league for adults. Tuesday-Thursday are student leagues based on age and skill with two or three games starting at 4 p.m. The more wins, the higher your rank.
There are 10 Park High students in the league. One is junior Beau Blakeley, a bowler in the league for four years. He says, “It’s good.” Another of the bowlers, freshman Drew Knaff, has been in the league for three to four years and calls it fun. Blakeley claims to have a high score of 187 and Knaff claims to have a high score of 180. This is basically the bowler’s equivalent to the max weight you can lift. Also, like any of the sports, several of the players have personal goals. Blakeley hopes to pass 200.
Just like any sport, traditions are common. Some students will get a specific drink, like Blakeley, who always gets a Mountain Dew. Others may have a specific action when they bowl, and then some like Tory Morrison, delaying getting food until a later game. The owner of the bowling alley, Rod Lee, always orders a Tombstone Pizza when he bowls. As winter closes in, bowling becomes one of the few past times available in town which is why bowling is so important to the people of Livingston.