By Setarreh Massihzadegan
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE

As his bowling ball soars straight through the middle of the pins, Carl Lombardi turns around in disappointment. The ball sped right through the space he had just cleared a ball earlier.

“I feel like I’m golfing—hole in one!” he jokes on his way back to his seat at Metro Bowl in Peabody, Mass.

Just as swiftly as the bowling balls strike (or miss) their pins, members of Brooksby’s “Bowling for Fun” club regularly toss good-natured cheers and jeers at themselves and at one another.

Regardless of the numbers on the scoreboard, the small group remains in high spirits. “You can’t play with us if you haven’t got a sense of humor,” says Jan Dunn, one of the group’s regular bowlers who head to the alleys every Monday afternoon for the customary three games and laughs to spare.

Picking up again
Most of the six or seven regular players have bowled on leagues before, but many are bowling for the first time in decades.

“We hadn’t done anything for years until we got into Brooksby,” says  Lombardi, who organizes the weekly outings and serves as the unofficial coach.

“We’re not a league; we’re just a bunch of duffers,” jokes Ellie Clark, who joined the group about a year ago after 40 years without having bowled.

“I was hesitant about starting up again,” Clark admits, because she knew her skills wouldn’t match what they once were. But, she adds, "Now its just for fun and the company." 

Bowling buddies
Though the members are clearly good friends, they say they don’t spend much time together outside of the bowling alley.

“We all live in different buildings and have different friends,” Clark says. “I think that is why we look forward so to coming.” Still, the bowlers say they’d like to see new faces join in the fun, no matter their skill levels or availability.

“Even if you can’t come every week, come when you can,” Lombardi says.