The combination of creative minds, too much free time and a never-ending desire to drink alcohol has created a plethora of drinking games on college campuses across the country.
Beer Pong, Flip Cup, Power Hours, Quarters, Anchorman, Big Booty, Kings (or whatever you want to call it), the list just keeps on going. Some students have even created games to popular songs like "Roxanne" by the Police, AC/DC's "Thunderstruck," or "Beer for my Horses" by the legendary Toby Keith.
Most of these activities are used in the pregame portion of your night on the town. They get the blood flowing, so to speak, and provide some distractions during that awkward sober stage to keep you from making inappropriate passes at your friends that can be blamed on your beer.
However, all these new innovations have sadly overshadowed some classic pregame opportunities that have all but fallen off the map; games that our grandfather's taught our fathers that we have left in the closet covered by dust next to Battleship and Pokemon cards.
One brave group is doing their best to reverse this trend and revive a classic - bowling.
Bowling is a perfect combination of semi-athletic skills, chances to talk trash to your opponents and a splash of responsible alcohol consumption. The game is entertaining enough to play without any beer involved, which is a testament to its greatness. Try playing a round of water pong or flip cup with empty Solo cups and you'll quickly see what I mean. The pins, balls and alleys also provide enough sexual innuendos to safely tread through those awkward moments that I mentioned before.
A few years ago a small group of students decided it was time to bring bowling back to the pregaming experience. They started with small weekly meetings on Wednesday nights to unwind on hump day and work on their 7-10 splits.
Just like Mike Anello and his cover page poses (sorry Mike), the secret didn't take long to get out. The group still meets every Wednesday at Strikes and Spares, but every lane is filled and the line flows almost out the door onto Grape Road.
Space is at a premium to join these pin pioneers, but that shouldn't discourage others from joining the trend. Remember to think outside the box, there are plenty of other great opportunities ready to be unearthed. Take a minute to call your old man and ask for some tips, I am sure there are plenty of undiscovered throwbacks hiding in their minds.
As for now, let me just end by tipping my cap to those anonymous men and women who had the courage to try something new. Keep up the good work.
