In the depths of the Union Sports Annex, students gather on weeknights for a coveted tradition. It’s the Annex’s bowling league. And it’s time to grab a beer and bowl.

Weeknights after 9 p.m., the introverted Annex evolves into a gregarious buddy-buddy setting where the patrons are as upbeat as the jukebox, which is bound to be playing Bruce Springsteen’s “Glory Days.”  These are, in fact, just that: the glory days.  High-fives, laughs and cheers are contagious.  And a $3 “big ass” beer in hand is just as important as the bowling ball itself.

Welcome to the world of Marquette bowling—a weekday get-away.

So bowling and college kids you ask?  Doesn’t exactly seem like the match-up you’d expect.  Bowling was your uncle’s sport.  Or what you do at your little sister’s birthday party. It was for the two ends of the spectrum: the uncoordinated youth using bumpers, or those nearing their mid-life crisis. The image of a polyester shirt with your name embroidered over the pocket hasn’t exactly helped the sport’s image either.

Yet, bowling is America’s No. 1 participatory sport (according to the Bowling Proprietors’ Association of America) and professional bowling is also a ratings hit on ESPN.  You’ll find plenty of college bowling teams–including some Division 1 schools.  So it’s no wonder the sport (with a long history in Milwaukee, by the way) is increasingly popular among college students.

“Bowling league is definitely picking up,” says Olivia Pintozzi, a senior in the College of Communication and member of Team Hob Knob.  “We are dedicated to the game… but getting everybody together on a weekday, it’s a good break and really what it’s about.”  There are twelve teams that bowl during the meets, and each team can have four bowlers roll on that night.  The league runs Monday through Friday nights and has become a niche for many students.

“Most people here are seniors,” says John Musech, a senior in the College of Business Administration and player for Team Soup Kitchen.  “Last year we didn’t know too much about it, but we heard you have to sign up early for senior year.”  Seniors make up the majority of the crowd, but not all of them are college seniors.

One senior—the kind who is actually eligible for Medicare and carries an AARP card—is a regular bowler at the Annex and supplies a youthful attitude when it comes to his enthusiasm for bowling. Doug, a resident of Milwaukee’s Humboldt Park, makes the 30-minute bus trek to the Annex to get his game on.  So what has made Doug a recurring Annex bowler for the last decade?  “It relieves stress … that’s why I keep coming back.” While he may be the oldest one in the room, his bowling attitude and emotion are as youthful as anyone there.  “He usually gives me high-fives when I get a spare, and sometimes gives me a kiss on the cheek when I get a strike,” Pintozzi boasts.

Beyond just getting love from the seniors, the women of Marquette also win in bowling regardless of their score as they can seamlessly transition from $3 big beers at the Annex to Murphy’s Irish Pub “ladies drink free” Wednesday nights. “Murph’s has ladies night after so it’s pretty huge,” Pintozzi says with a smile.

There is a face to every sport; Michael Jordan idealized basketball, Albert Pujols makes the modern baseball player while Pete Sampras defined tennis.  So who symbolizes the game of bowling?  He or she may eerily resemble the Big Lebowski.  The famous movie character portrayed by actor Jeff Bridges painted a picture that was 300 pounds large, with hair down to his shoulders, dark sunglasses and a face that hadn’t been cleaned in decades.  The most important characteristic of all, he had a giant pitcher of beer nearby at all times.

But the similarities between Marquette’s bowling league and the Big Lebowski bowling model really begin and end at that giant beer nearby at all times.

Knocking down pins followed by knocking down pints has actually become a tradition for the of-age bowling crews.

And most of the bowlers agree on one thing: the more you drink, the better the bowling goes.  In fact, some bowlers see drastic spikes in their bowling abilities after downing a few.  “By the third game, you are primed and ready to go—the more you drink, the better you play,” theorizes Charlotte O’Halloran, a senior in the College of Business Administration and bowler for Team Bub’s Nation.  It’s all part of the science that goes into weeknight bowling for college students.

If you bowl on Wednesday nights, be prepared to take on other elite squads including the likes of “The Beer Splits,” “Emilio Estevez,” “Split Happens” and “The Corn Ballers.”

Some team names are random word plays, but Nate Schulz, a senior in the College of Engineering, has a telling tale to his team name:  “I bowl with a bunch of engineers who lived on the fifth floor of Carpenter Tower [my] freshman year. Three guys were kicked out by Marquette (or dropped out pending being kicked out), two were suspended, two more were put on probation, and another two dropped out later due to grades. As a result, we called ourselves the ‘Filthy Fifth.’”

In terms of setting, the Annex has as close-knit a neighborhood feel as Mr. Rogers’ hometown—“the people always know the exact pair of shoes I like and most people know each other on a first name basis,” says O’Halloran.

D12’s “My Band,” Creed’s “One Last Breath” and every other song from your “NOW 9” album is fair game to be played at the alley.  And the competitive environment is only in talk, not typically practice. Sure, there are some bowling league champions that hang out at the Annex alley, but the majority can be described as “amateurs” on their best day.  Slipping and wiping out is not a rarity.  Especially after a few jumbo beers.

“Literally the funniest part is watching people wipe out,” Pintozzi says.  But  the best thing about it?  You’ll have twelve lanes of bowlers ready to cheer you on as you arise from your slip of shame.

Beyond beer, wipe-outs and friendships spurring, love is in the air at the Annex alley, weeknights, 9 to 11:30 p.m.  Seniors Brian Letke and Megan Brockman, who started dating thanks in part to their connection through the league, didn’t need Christian Mingle or eHarmony to find love: it was destined that they meet at the alley.  “We fell in love in a hopeless Annex,” Brockman admits.  Why did their love eventually bloom at the Annex?  “The Annex was our place because of the $3 tallboy beers on Wednesday nights. And possibly the nachos.”

So if you’re looking for fun and games, friendships, love, senior citizens, the alluring opportunity to win one of those cherished “Marquette intramural championship” T-shirts–or if you’re just seeking some cheap beer, the Marquette weeknight bowling league surely has a polyester shirt with your name embroidered on it to spare.