I remember watching the colored balls curve down the lane, smashing through the pins at my mother’s bowling league. My memories are clouded by the haze of extreme youth, as foggily as the alley itself, being the days before indoor smoking bans. Yet I still can recall that alley I would go on to spend many other moments of youth in: Enjoying the rhythmic hum of the ball return machines, the clunks and whirrs of the balls hitting and gliding down the boards, the crashing of the pins, and the exclamations of joy from a perfect throw.

I remember Saturday mornings throughout many school years, being part of a youth bowling league. It was always a great time to hang out with friends and play on the Alley Dogs team—an homage to that classic Disney channel original movie from that time, Alley Cats Strike. It was the first time I got some more serious coaching on bowling form and deliveries and the more technical aspects of the sport—and my average score steadily improved with practice. None of that mattered much compared to the simple enjoyment of hanging out with good friends.

I remember dashing through the rain on the way to Point Bowl with my group of college friends. We’d often go several times a week because it was a great spot with cheap specials on beer and bowling and located just a few blocks south of campus. It was the first spot I could claim to be a regular at, in time becoming friends with the owner and being on a first-name basis with several of the other employees. I’d buy my first bowling ball from the pro shop there and continue to get some coaching and tips I use to this day. Even after graduating, we all stayed in the area for a few years and enjoyed gathering weekly for league play.

I remember timidly walking through the door of Bowl-A-Vard for the first time, looking to join the Honeymooners—Madison area’s queer bowling league. I had recently moved to the area—and was even more recently single—and was in desperate need of local connections. I found some friends that first season of bowling, friends that I still hang out with to this day, many who are still bowling, too. Through them I learned of other events, clubs, and opportunities in the Madison area. Each week I’d look forward to meeting the other team we’d be bowling against, and growing my network of friends and acquaintances.

I remember a few years later when some new members joined the league. One had particularly caught my eye, and I was glad to get their number after a pleasant conversation. Fast forward a few years, and I now not only bowl on a team, help run the league, and travel to bowl with them, I’m thrilled to call them my partner. Each week at bowling is now full of a bunch of friends and, hopefully, soon-to-be friends when new members join.

As I look back, I’m thankful to my mom for bringing me along to her bowling league all those years ago. While I have a lot of passions and interests that make up my life, bowling has fairly consistently been there, and I have a good deal of friends and connections I owe to my time with bowling.

Those friends and connections are what I value the most from bowling. I do enjoy the sport of it, too: The seeming simplicity of knocking down 10 pins with a ball, and the intense difficulty of consistently doing so. I enjoy seeing the progress after weeks or months of playing and practicing. Ultimately, what keeps me engaged and coming back year-after-year, decade-after-decade are the connections I make with my fellow league mates. Whether it is my old college mates, my local friends, or my partner, my life is interwoven with connections I’ve made on the lanes. I’m hopeful that I’ll get to add many more to that list in the years to come.

What is Honeymooners? 

Honeymooners is the Madison area’s queer bowling league. It has been around since the 90s at various Madison lanes, and meets on Monday nights at Bowl-A-Vard lanes (next to East Towne Mall). All are welcome in Honeymooners, regardless of bowling skill, sexual orientation, or gender identity.

When do you bowl? 

We bowl on Monday nights from around 7:30 to 9:15 p.m. We play three games in a row each night, called a series. Our fall session typically runs from early September through early December, while our winter session typically runs from mid-January through early April. Bowlers can join either or both sessions, with most of our members playing both halves.

I’m bad at bowling. Can I still join? 

Absolutely! While we do keep score, everyone is more focused on fun and camaraderie than winning. Furthermore we are a handicap league (we adjust for skill). This means the bowler who averages 80 will be on an even competitive footing as the bowler who averages 200. Winning is whoever beats their average by more.

Do I need a team to register? 

No, you can absolutely sign up as an individual, and we’ll help with finding you a team. Each team will have three people bowl each night, but our teams range from three to six members. Those teams with more players get to choose which three are bowling each night. This is handy for folks who are busy and are worried they can’t commit to playing every week. And just because you aren’t bowling on a certain night doesn’t mean you can’t come watch and cheer your team on!

How do I register? 

You can email [email protected] with your interest. In addition, you can come to our league meeting on Monday, August 26 at 7:00 p.m. at Bowl-A-Vard lanes. At this meeting, we’ll confirm league dates, rules, and information, as well as start to get teams signed up ahead of our first week of bowling on Monday, September 9.

Where can I get more info? 

Email: [email protected]

Facebook: facebook.com/HoneymoonersBowlingLeague

Instagram: @honeymoonersbowling