We were visiting mom and dad in San Jose this weekend. On Sat. night we decided to visit a couple of our old haunts. First stop was Cambrian bowl right down the street. An older house with minimal upgrades. 9pm this place (32 lanes) had about 1/3 of them going. Some weird instrumental music was playing. It was dark and black lite. The bar was the strangest thing. Always had a few regulars and Karaoke on Saturdays. Not a person in there. And no more Karaoke. Occasional cosmic bowlers would come in and get a couple beers and that was about it.

About 5 to 7 miles away was Oakridge Lanes. Used to be Pastimes, then Oakridge and now San Jose 300. AMF remodeled this center about 3 years ago and is its second busiest center in the Nation. 59 lanes. One lane was used as a wall between the first 50 and the "back 9" private lanes. We sat at the bar feeling a bit funny with the new openess we were not used to. And I think we were the oldest people in the place. Every lane was going and there was a waiting list. Every pool table was going. Music videos ran across the masking units up and down the center. Our bar tender, Josh, a good looking kid that appeared barely old enough to drink himself, was friendly and served us our basic bourbon and coke. The bar tenders, check the IDs of every drinker, you cannot order multiple drinks unless you have already been checked and wearing a paper bracelet. But what was amazing was the drink orders coming in. A young lady ordered 9 "Silverbacks"; 1/2 glass energy drink, on the side 1/2 shots of some blue melon liquer and topped off with 151 rum. Our drinks were $4.75 a piece. So I asked Josh how much those Silverbacks were. $9 a piece!! and she ordered 9 of them. Where are these kids getting this kind of money? As we said goodbye to the one remaining employee we knew from the old days we asked her how much these people were paying for a game of bowling. $8 a game! $5 for shoes, but you get socks with them.

Through out the lives of the two centers, Cambrian is maybe 10 years older then Oakridge/San Jose 300. Oakridge/San Jose 300 is a bit more centrally located. Compared to the rough looking older Cambrian, San Jose 300 was making money hands over fist. As I sat people watching in the 300 center, it came to me that I really don't mind the Cosmic bowling thing. It introduces so many people to bowling, even if for only recreation. If just a couple of those people get more interested and buy their own ball, then maybe join a league. Well we've just birthed a bowler. And we know the sport needs bowlers, even if they come out of the recreational cosmic environment.

Erin

I know of several bowlers that started out in cosmic bowling, myself included. My best friend start a couple of years ago after a few cosmis sessions. The key is getting the right ones to become league bowlers.

Well, we had a cosmic group placed in our league by the house when they asked us to expand. They were the rudest group in the league. They knew nothing about bowling courtesy, even though they had been told repeatedly. They just didn't care. They yelled rude and obscene comments all night. And, threw towels at each other on the approach. Often, the entire team would disappear to the bar, and had to be shagged out so some one could bowl.

No other team wanted to bowl against them because they were in for a very distasteful night, and all knew it.

They lasted the year. And, after our officers were selected for the next season, the officers decided to inform them they were not wanted for the next season.

They were, in fact, the cause for 2 teams to leave the league. And, in today's search for newer bowlers, 2 teams are hard to replace. The Officers also decided NOT to let the House provide a team. If that's all they could come up with, they weren't wanted.

This may have been harsh, but there was an entire year of disrespecting normal league rules.

In addition, the Monday night Sport league (the premier league in the house) all but disbanded because there was Cosmic bowling immediately after the league. Throughout the third game, these people would walk behind the settee where house balls were located. They were disruptive and through the winter, didn't care that they tracked snow on the floor.

The house started a practice of letting them sit at their prescribed lanes, even though the rest of the league was not finished. This caused all kinds of trouble. The league lasted til 9:15. But, these people started coming in at 8. It was then that the loud music started in the lounge, that was loud enough to be heard all over the lanes.

Bowlers complained to no avail. Things started to disappear from bowling bags, and often, these people had the audacity to take a bowler's ball right from the rack.

The next year, 9 of the 14 teams quit, and went elsewhere. The house replaced them with 5 house teams. It is now cosmic bowling with a format of a league.

So, to respond to you, Bowling recreation is flourishing. But, bowling as a sport, is dying because of this.

I started in something similar, many years ago. They didn't turn the lights off, but my friends and I were bowling on a per-person charge, late at night, '0 lane courtesy', with music blasting through the speakers.

When a friend and I decided to bowl 'seriously', we picked the cruddiest beginner league we could find: no prize money, 100% of handicap, etc. After a year of that, we were ready for a more serious "men's league", but I was happy for the transition year.


Even now, the houses I'm familiar with only have Cosmic on Friday and Saturday nights. Seems like league bowling is still serious business around these parts.

cosmic bowling brings in the teens and 21'ers at my house. i wasn't one of the people out of the cosmic age either. 21'ers are people that just turn 21 and have friends that cant drink yet and cant get in a real bar, so they go bowl. i havent seen anyone come out of the cosmic yet but i would agree that if one does its welcomed. most of the people i meet just started one day because they got there own ball. thats pretty much how i started. now i bowl in a sanctioned league and love every minute of it. ( even if i'm doing bad ). but cosmic brings them in and it makes money for the center where my wife works. which means she has a job the next day. which i like. (me time)
i like the black light bowling without the loud terrible music that i would never ever listen too. i mean they brake out some bad stuff and you can hear out on the highway. BOOM BOOM BOOM. just not for me. i like heavy metal. sorry, i do. but i have consideration for people that dont. these people do not. yuck.on sunday when i bowl its mostly church groups that come in and bowl the cosmic on sunday night, so no bad music also the church groups are sometimes worse than the cosmic bowlers. sorry they are. see it for myself one night. different story all together, but i do see some of the thing that dennis sees. rude and get in the way kind of stuff. but a lot of other things have run some of the league bowlers off. bad management and bad people that use to work there and the teens & 21ers. plus most every center around does cosmic. so i dont mind as long as i'm not around

I have had similar experiences as Dennis with the "Cosmic" bowlers. They are the rudest bunch. We had a group starting after out league was over, and they would come in and sit in the settee area, spilling drinks, dragging in snow during the winter, Yelling and screaming , often swiping our chairs, even had a kid take one of our bowlers ball. I realize all the "Cosmic" bowlers are'nt rude, and there is a time and place for cosmic bowling. I'm sure its an important part of a centers income, but when its going on I just steer clear.

Also the center needs to be a bit more proactive, and just set some ground rules. Let these poeple know what will be tolerated, and not to disrupt any league bowling that may be going on. I am sure in most cases they don't realize that they are rude and a nusiance at times, because most people that bowl during Cosmic bowling are younger bowler. They just don't know, they are there to have fun and don't realize some of thier actions are annoying.

This is the reason why I'm happy that my house does not do any cosmic after leagues are done, just regular open play. When they do their version of cosmic, it's always very late on Saturday nights, lanes have to be reserved in advance, and they don't start until a fixed time.

I have no problem with cosmic as long as it is kept as far away from leagues as possible. Houses need to be able to do this if they want successful business from both groups of bowlers.

Mark

Around me comsic is mainly Friday and Saturday nights, sometimes one of the houses might do it other night, mainly during the summer. I've always bowled a Saturday evening league from the time I started league bowling and have had no problem. The leagues finish up by 8 or 8:30 and cosmic doesn't start to around 9:30 and the cosmis bowlers don't start coming in until around 9:15. Plenty of times for the leagues to finish up, and bowlers to get packed up. Now there have been a few times a few of us bowling pot games have bowled into the cosmic bowling but had no issues with anyone.

I don't mind Cosmic Bowling, I just prefer that those partaking in the event know the rules. Every now and then there are these teenagers that have no care or respect for anyone around them... It is usually a good time either way, save for the fact that they won't let us have pitchers out on the lanes once the lights go out. I like my beer, and I'm certainly not sharing it with someone who can't drink legally LOL.