Bowling Through the Ages
Reading the interview portion of the ethnography project gave me a great understanding of what my own could be like. The author did a great job not only talking to people, but observing more about the alley itself, the people it housed, and the way it all made her feel. The author went back and talked to people she had talked to before (such as Carol, the family owner of the Hanover Bowladrome), but also talked to new people as this was the first time she would be there observing the women's bowling league. The essay had a lot of history in it, from the history of bowling itself to the history of the women playing. Some of these women were young, newer to the game, with their kids running around as the played. Others, in their late 60s had been playing since they were teenagers. The author did a great job connecting the women's league that she was observing to the men's league, which allowed the reader to think back and remember the people she wrote about in her Lay of the Land essay. One comparative note that she used was “We do it for the comradery of it.” She later speaks of how the Monday night men's league is different in many ways, but seem to be in it just to play the game that they love, not simply for the competition. The author makes it clear and concise what she is there for, what the alley is all about, and why the people that are there are there.
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| The author first starts by talking with the Hanover Gems, and later states all the other team names, which all happen to be stones of all types. |
"I'm left sitting on the hard plastic orange and blue bench alone, with only my thoughts rolling around like bowling balls in my head."
I know that as I start essay 3, the interview portion of my ethnography project at The Better Bean, I will have a lot of those to conjure as I take in new information, process the old, and figure out everything that made this place the way it is today.
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