MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan -- Slams, crashes and cheers filled the lanes of the Strike Zone bowling alley here as servicemembers stepped to the line in an intramural bowling game Feb. 27, 2013.
Each team integrated servicemembers from several units who registered to participate in the season, which started Feb. 25.
“It’s fun being able to mingle with Marines from different units,” said Raul Zepeda, NWO bowler. “This kind of competition is great for camaraderie.”
With the stage set, the 9’ers proceeded to butt heads against NWO as they began their second game of the season. For some, it would be their first time competing in a league game.
“At first, I was nervous because I’ve never played in a league before,” said Jordan Lee, 9’ers bowler. “After a while, I just told myself it was normal bowling. Then I started to relax and played normally.”
Things started off with a bang as bowlers constantly scored high with spares and strikes.
Game two in the series brought excitement as Chawa Pearson, NWO bowler, scored six strikes in a row and finished the second game with a score of 216.
Frustration set in as the series winded down to the third and final game. Pearson managed to get four more strikes in the third game, giving his team much-needed points.
As the last pins fell to the fury of the competitors, the NWO defeated the 9’ers with a total score of 1,856 to 1,645.
“We did ok, but I know that there are a lot of areas that we can improve on,” said Lee. “The only way we can get better is practice, practice, practice.”
With the competitive spirit spread through the air in each game, there was still some participants having a good time.
“I always look forward to these games because it’s the everyday stress reliever,” said Zepeda. “We mostly like to bowl for fun.”
The season has just started for these two teams, and there are still other competitors to overcome. It’s just a matter of time until the last pin falls.