Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1901-11-19

|
| North Side club discussed the POSSIBLE
| ity of organizing some of the clubs into
a league to further interest in the game
and add the novelty of interclub match
es. Not the most sanguine of the group
| dreamed of the possibilities underlying
| that simple effort to unite the scattered
| bowling clubs of the city. Not one OF
them dared to hope that there would be
an interest in the game engendered
which would result in the formation of
hundreds of clubs in Chicago, in the in
| stalling of alleys on the second, third
| and fourth floors of downtown build
| ings and in the investment Of thou
sands of dollars in bringing the ap-
pointments of the alleys up to date, all
within FIVE years. Yet that was the out
come OF that casual conversation re-
| garding the formation Of a bowling
| league.
Growth Is Phenomenal.
The growth of the game was rapid
| after the start had been made by the
formation of that old league. But, new
| ertheless, it far outstripped the hopes
| of the most enthusiastic bowler. In the
next year dozen other leagues were
| formed and matches were played con-
| stantly. The keepers of big billiard
rooms began to wake up to the posi-
| bilities of the game and constructed
modern regulation alleys in the down
town district, where they could catch
| the trade of ambitious B6wlers eager
to practice in their spare time and I'M
able to reach their club alleys, located
in outlying parts Of the city. People
who had never handled a bowling ball
became interested when they went to
billiard halls and, YAissing the alleys,
| saw earnest men striving to knock
| down the iroffensive pins. They watch
ed a while and then took a hand"
and after that they were infected with
the enthusiasm.
About two years ago the "boom" in
bowling began to take ON proportions
| which attracted attention from even
| those who had been inclined to sheer at
it as an cold mans game" which prop
erly belonged on Bowling green"
among the first settlers of New Amster-
J dam. They realized that game which
could interest and hold so many hun
dreds of people must hive something in
if. andCS4,e alleys steadily increased in
number, but were still unable to accom-
modate the demand Every club iii
town ADDED bowling alley to its equip
| ment; clubs Rcre formed in nearly all
|
| game grew by leaps and bounds until
there are now thirty leagues in the city,
each composed of eight clubs, with an
| average membership of fifteen.
This by no means represents even ap-
| proXimately the number of bowlers in
Chicago any more than the membership
Of the cycling clubs a few years ago
aggregated the number of riders in
town. There are hundreds of enthusi-
| astic bowlers who are seen nightly on
the public alleys who have no incIina-
ton to join clubs, and there are half a
hundred clubs which are not associated
with any of the leagues.
The game is very popular among
women, and there are thousands CT
women players. but, strangely enough,
! there are no women in the clubs affili-
ated in the various leagues, Ejr is there
a leagre of woinen's clubs, although al
most a dozen leagues could be formed
from the clubs composed exclusively Of
women On one North Side alley alone
six womens clubs bowl weekly, each
club having an afternoon assigned on
which 1t leases the alleys. the WON
ans Athletic Club, the swell organiza-
ton on Michigan avenue. has organ
lied six teams, which play three games
a week for ten weeks. at the end of
which time individual trophies are Pc
/ scented to those holding the highest
scores.
The amount of money invested in the
game in this city and The eAR. lent
weekly by the thousa1@ q enthusiasts
mounts away up into the thousands. In
the first place there are probably 5000
players connected with the various
clubs Their club dues alone will aver
age 81 a month each, 50 $1,000 is turned