Last year, when Arline Mustar of Montrose, South Dakota, up against 43,000 other bowlers in the USBC Women's Championships in North Carolina, rolled a first game of 181, no one took special notice. Not even when she continued her very strong showing in the competition. After all, she wasn't even 90 years old yet, not for another few months.
Arline is just one of thousands of over-eighty bowlers who continue to roll their way to big trophies, better health and stamina, without any hint of slowing down. Most have been bowlers all their lives, some have just started at 80 but none have any interest in stopping now. And why should they?
Take Julia Sabarsky, 86, who can be spotted knocking the pins down right here at Jupiter Lanes in Palm Beach County, Florida. Ms. Sabarsky is an established artist in Caracas, Venezuela, which she has called home for fifty years. But she recently discovered Jupiter Lanes and just loves bowling here. She is also putting together a major collection of her paintings to be sold in the art market but still visits the 60 lane center regularly.
"Bowling is life," says Julia, not one to understate the pleasures the sport has to offer. Originally from Madrid, Julia bowls in two leagues plus twice for practice - at least twelve times per month. Jupiter Lanes is her favorite bowling center and she especially likes the personable staff. She mentions Patricia Noone, one of the center's managers, as a good example of the friendly persuasion characterizing the folks serving bowlers at Jupiter Lanes. She also likes the fact the lanes are all the same and are all good.
Ms. Sabarsky bowls with her daughter, Celia, who has a 198 average. Julia's highest game came in at 255. She sometimes brings friends all the way from Caracas to bowl at Jupiter Lanes and she sometimes is just driving by and decides to come in and bowl a couple of lines. "I guess I am just crazy," she says but considering how much she values the exercise and concentration involved in her 'stay in shape' pastime, if she's crazy, then she's crazy like a fox and has been doing great keeping in shape for 87 years.
At 90, Hy Cohen has a few years on Julia. Mr. Cohen is a veteran of the Second World War in which he won 2 battle stars. He served with a U.S. Army tank battalion in the South Pacific. Retiring to Port Saint Lucie 23 years ago, Hy bowls twice a week in the summer league as well as the winter league. While he does his bowling at Saint Lucie Lanes primarily because of the convenient location, he appreciates the owner's efforts to keep the joint looking spiffy, like putting in new carpets and masking units.
Hy's high? A score of 260. Does He really like bowling? "I love it!" he says. After 21 years of bowling enjoyment right at Saint Lucie Lanes, he's just getting started. Hy and Julia are two of countless bowlers who find that getting older and bowling often go hand in hand. The physical exercise, healthy attitude, and competitive challenge all contribute handsomely to the quality of their lives. And, besides the added health benefits of low impact resistence exercise - bowling gives these folks a chance to put down the remote, get off the couch and out of the house to enjoy a social setting in a clean tobacco free environment. No matter what, bowling is truly a sport "for all ages".
The Sister Entertainment Centers of Jupiter and Port Saint Lucie are true community centers for people of all ages, sports skills and income levels. Few places in South Florida have the Sister Centers Family Entertainment combination of scope, size and staff to put it all together and deliver a satisfying experience. And because bowling does not require physical strength and there is no expensive equipment to purchase, we provide it all. Our over 80 bowlers are available for interview should you care to learn more about these lively individuals.
Saint Lucie Lanes, (772) 461-5390, 6759 S. U.S. 1 Port Saint Lucie
Jupiter Lanes, (561) 743-9200, 350 Maplewood Drive Jupiter
Open 9:00am to Midnight Sunday through Thursday
Open 9:00am to 2:00am Friday and Saturday.
BowlSisterCenters.com
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