With the fall approaching and temperatures still hovering in the “too hot” range, a number of competitive bowlers took to the lanes Wednesday with hopes of hanging with friends and …
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With the fall approaching and temperatures still hovering in the “too hot” range, a number of competitive bowlers took to the lanes Wednesday with hopes of hanging with friends and potentially doing so much more.
The City of Mexico Parks and Recreation department and Seth Cooke, recreation supervisor, headed out to Mexico Bowl for the first Special Olympics practice for hopeful athletes looking to throw as many strikes as they can.
Cooke said just short of three dozen bowlers showed up for the first day of practice, much more than the peak 21 that competed in track and field. He cited the warmer weather likely drove many to get involved in an indoor activity.
“This is definitely a good turnout: This is awesome,” Cooke said. “If it’s too hot, it’s too hard for a lot of athletes to come out and enjoy it.”
Cooke said that the Special Olympics takes all entered scores from two games and then the athletes are slotted into various classifications.
“Today was just practice and getting comfortable,” Cooke said. “If someone wants to come out and not compete and just wants to bowl, they can come out.”
Lisa Rudy loves bowling and says she is very competitive.
“I am friends with a lot of these people, and I have been bowling a long time,” Rudy said. “I like getting strikes and spares and I like winning.”
Rudy said she doesn’t get to bowl on her own time, so she looked forward to the opportunity.
“I come out here because I want to do Special Olympics,” Brittany Petree, who has bowled for three years, said. “I love bowling. I like to be with my friends and meet new people. I like to get those strikes and those turkeys.
“It’s challenging to try to get all the pins down. I don’t (bowl on her own). I want to be on the Special Olympics team a lot.”
For more information about parks and recreation department Special Olympics activities, call 573-581-2100 ext. 234 or email mrobinett@mexicomissouri.org.
Practices are every Wednesday 2:30 to 5 p.m.beginning September 14. There is a $5 fee for each athlete to play two games.
NOTE
The Mexico Special Olympics program took four doubles teams to Jefferson City for a bocce ball competition last weekend. According to Cooke, everyone brought home a ribbon or a medal.
“Three of our teams competed in the F-2 division taking second (Trista Clifton and Brittany Petree), third (Mandy Hannon and Tamica Brown) and fourth (Jayleeiona Dennis and Angel Lewthwaite) places. Our final doubles team (Nancy Bussart and Cora Merkley) competed in the F-1 division and came home with the silver medal.”
