Sara Benedict, Special to The Denisonian

The clean lanes, the shiny bowling balls, and the white pins waiting down at the end. On Feb. 8, it was time for Denisonians to bowl for the first time in years.

This meeting was the first for the bowling club, as until this semester, Denison lacked any bowling teams. The meeting was attended by about a dozen students. 

According to the club’s advisor, club sports director Lynsey Whisner, there have been a few attempts to start a bowling club over the years.

“I remember speaking to another student probably two years ago about it, but he just never really… Had the time to follow through,” Whisner said. “It was in the spring of last year this [new club] was brought to my attention. ”

Bowling club co-president Eli Lishack ‘26 was the one to contact Whisner about the new club. He felt it was something missing from campus, especially with the history that Denison has with bowling. 

“I am such a big fan of bowling,” said Lishack. “I think it’s a fantastic way to connect with other people. There was a strong bowling tradition at Denison with our duckpin lanes in Slayter, and I think the way that it brings people together is so great. It transcends barriers.”

At 5:50 p.m, a van left the first floor of Slayter’s parking garage and took the club’s members to their first meeting at Park Lanes in nearby Heath. Going forward, the club wants to meet once or twice a month, giving members a chance to play a fun game in a casual environment.

“Bowling can be very competitive, but it can also be great to just enjoy time with other people,” Lishack said. 

The main concern of the club now, co-president Diego Trejo ‘28 said, is setting it up for success and ensuring longevity. 

“I started out as the treasurer,” Trejo said. “The other co-president is a senior so he kind of decided to make me the co-president as well since I’ll be here the next two years once he graduates.” 

Aside from keeping people involved, another issue is the expense of going to the bowling alley more than a couple of times a month without having members pay. 

“Because this is a new sport, and we couldn’t submit a budget before the semester, we only have about $250 in our gift account to spend on games,” Trejo said. “We wanted to start a league, so people who want to bowl competitively can go weekly…We want to start that, and also just get enough money to consistently go to the bowling alleys.” 

Even with these concerns, the club has been a great success with its members so far. 

Tara Sefchick ‘26 has wanted a club like this since her first year at Denison. 

“I wanted to join bowling club because I missed doing it,” Sefchick said. “Bowling was a very regular part of my life back home. It’s one of, if not the only thing that is a big part of me that I just haven’t been able to bring to campus.”

Despite having a competitive bowling background, Sefchick expressed that she enjoyed the more casual nature of the bowling club, though she would not be opposed to seeing competitive play later on. 

“I think people came from a variety of bowling backgrounds,” she said. “I met one other girl who had bowled in high school and some other people who were there for fun because they were friends with people who were going or involved with the club. Overall, it was a good time.”

Trejo agreed that the bowling club was open to all skill levels, and hopes to keep the bowling club fun for everyone. 

“If anyone’s interested in bowling, they should check it out,” Trejo said.