Members of the Corbin Senior Center Citizen Center recently laced up their bowling shoes to compete in a friendly tournament against members of the Whitley County Senior Citizen Center on Aug. 28 at Cinema Social.
Leading up to the event, the practice sessions included stepping out of their comfort zone to try something new, or returning to the lanes after 40 years of experience, according to team members.
Above all, the team enjoyed laughing, being with others, and making memories while bowling on the lanes at Cinema Social in Corbin.
The idea of the tournament came about when Corbin Senior Citizen Center Director Amber Case had a collaborative discussion with Site Manager Tarrah Perkins and Whitley County Senior Citizen Center Director Beth Baird regarding activities that their centers could do together.
“We discussed a bowling league, ran it by the seniors, and they were excited,” said Case.
Trying to get the seniors interested in the idea was no issue, and the idea caught on quickly.
“It went very smoothly. They jumped right in as soon as we mentioned the idea. They were on board and ready to go,” Baird said.
Both teams then began scheduling practices to prepare for competition.
Meet the Teams
The Corbin Senior Citizen Center bowling team are calling themselves the Corbin Senior Bowlers.
Case wanted to ensure that the seniors were able to participate.
“We try to work around their schedule with appointments,” Case said.
Case explained that they had worked with the Cinema Social manager and staff to keep their dates and times and help accommodate with the center, such as providing affordable discounts.
Regarding long-term goals or hopes, Case hopes the bowling idea will thrive and grow, and hopes to get more senior centers involved in the surrounding counties.
The Whitley County Senior Center bowling team are calling themselves the Rock N’ Bowlers.
Baird said the day before the tournament that both centers were practicing together.
“I think they’ll have fun with the socialization and just being around other centers,” said Baird.
Baird’s main goal for the seniors was to encourage them to socialize and exercise healthily and safely.
Members of the Corbin team are excited and are loving how much fun they are having.
Diane Egner, a team member, decided to join for the fun, the competitive atmosphere, and the exercise.
“When you are a senior, you want to try to fit in and find people to talk to and have fun with,” Egner said.
When reflecting on her favorite part, she mentioned “laughing”, stating, “when we practice, we get tickled and have a lot of fun.”
Egner informed that she had never played in a league before.
“When I was younger, I used to go bowling with my friends,” but I had never competed in a league.
Egner encouraged other seniors to join them beyond just the excitement of bowling, “If you’re 60 and over, come down and join us. Amber and Tarrah are awesome, and they do things with us,” mentioning they are getting to go on a trip to Dollywood soon. She is “looking forward to it.”
Another member of the team, Richard Monhollen, differed from Egner in that he had extensive experience competing in bowling leagues.
“I bowl in a league in London, so when they brought up the idea at the senior center, I signed up,” Monhollen said, mentioning he has been bowling for 40 years.
Monhollen said his favorite part was the people, and said they were nice.
Monhollen’s experience benefitted his team, as he scored the most points of everyone at the inaugural competition, finishing with 130.
The Final Rankings, and What Comes Next
Between the Corbin Senior Bowlers and the Whitley County Rock N’ Bowlers, Corbin won the Aug. 28 competition with an overall team total of 565 points: Richard 130, Bruce 80, Diane 67, Wanda 41, Deanna 112, Dennis 78, and Robert 57. The Rock N’ Bowlers scored an overall team total of 441 points: Howard 91, Teresa 72, Betty 49, Linda 32, Opal 87, Charles 64, and Brenda 46.
Both Case and Baird hope the league will expand to surrounding counties, such as Laurel and Knox.
In the future, they plan to compete once a month and towards the end of the month.
They welcome anyone interested in sponsoring or donating to contact them on Facebook.
For the Corbin Senior Citizen Center, call (606) 528-0100 or visit their Facebook page. Case informed that their meals are free for seniors 60 years and older. Their hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. – 1 p.m., with lunch served at 11 a.m. at 409 Barbourville Street in Corbin.
For the Whitley County Senior Citizen Center, call (606) 549-5600 or visit their Facebook page. Their hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. – 2 p.m., with lunch served at 11:30 a.m. at 208 South 2nd Street in Williamsburg.
