They're Grrreat!
A bowling serial
By Rick Broome
Part One
In the early morning of Feb. 21, 1990, within hours of the dawning of MC Hammer's "Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em," another release was making its way into existence.
Like a bowling ball returned through the pneumatic vacuum shoot at a bowling alley after a finely-rolled nine, Derek Harrington emerged into the world.
"Your act is about as fresh as a Foghat concert."
- Kingpin
Part Two
In the early morning of October 28, 1992, like a bowling ball returned through the pneumatic vacuum shoot at a bowling alley, Chris Harrington emerged into the world, as if to pick up the spare his brother had left some 2 ½ years previous.
"Having a family is like having a bowling alley installed in your head."
- Martin Mull
Like a bowling ball returned through the pneumatic vacuum shoot at a bowling alley after a finely-rolled nine, Derek Harrington emerged into the world.
Part Three
Mike Harrington carried on his managing duties at West Park Bowl in Columbia as his two baby bowlers became wholly rollers.
"My dad has been the manager here at West Park for a long time now," Derek said. "I have been coming here four or five times a week to bowl since I started school. I would come here after school."
"I have been bowling ever since I could throw a ball down the lane," Chris said. "Even before kindergarten, really. Even if I had to walk up and push the ball across the line, if I could do it I would do it.
"Every day after school I would be here and my brother would be here and we would just throw a few games, maybe more. It was just our everyday routine."
"I think it definitely has its advantages," Columbia bowling coach Karen Johns said. "When you go to a bowling center after school every day to wait for your ride home, it certainly doesn't hurt."
"Thomas can raise a barn, but can he pick up a 7-10 split?"
"God blessed my brother to be a good carpenter. It's okay."
- Kingpin
Part Four
The Harringtons met up this year when Chris, a freshman, joined his brother Derek, a senior, on the Eagle bowling squad. After years of a healthy sibling rivalry, the two joined forces under the Columbia flag.
Chris watched Derek as they were growing up and it helped Chris develop his game. The Harrington name thus came to rival Brunswick in Columbia bowling circles this season.
"It definitely helped me," Chris said. "I always strived to bowl as well as he did and hopefully someday to be better than him.
"Any time I had a down game he would have his really good game and vice versa. It evened out every game and that helped us out a lot this year."
"We would pick each other up," Derek said. "Sometimes it just seemed like we would get on at the same time. There was a tournament a few weeks ago where he shot a 246, I shot a 258 and (junior) Brad (Altvater) shot a 258. We were all keeping each other on our games."
"Derek and Chris work really well together on the team," Johns said. "It's a typical sibling rivalry, but they are very supportive of each other."
"Sometimes a bowler just has to face the music."
- Kingpin
Part Five
The Eagles' season came to a close in the Herrin Sectional last weekend. Though Derek made it to this weekend's state tournament at St. Clair Bowl in O'Fallon, he would have preferred that the whole team make it.
"I think we could have bowled better," Derek said. "We needed to focus on picking our spares better.
"Other than that it was fun. We bowled great as a team. If one guy was down, another guy was there to pick them up. There were just some really good teams there that were able to edge us out."
"Derek did a great job at sectionals, where he averaged 223 after six games," Johns said. "Derek had a good finish to the season last week also. We had three matches and he bowled a 678, 680 and 702, so he definitely finished strong.
"Derek finished the season with a 202 average, which was third highest on the team. He started the season strong with a 214 average, but he had a few matches in December where his series were lower than normal. He came back strong this month and finished strong.
"Chris struggled during sectionals. He averaged 170 after six games, which is low for him. He finished the bowling season with a 209 average, which was the highest on our varsity boys team, two better than Brad Altvater.
"I know anything is possible with Chris. He bowled a 300 last year and I really thought he could do it again this year."
"All right, I can see you don't want to be cheered up here, Dude. Come on Donny, let's go get us a lane."
- The Big Lebowski
Part Six
The loss at Herrin followed fast on the heels of Columbia's regular-season finale against Waterloo. Though they gave it a good shot, the Eagles saw the Bulldogs claim their second straight Cahokia Conference title.
"Derek finished the day with a 702 series and Chris with a 623 series," Johns said. "All the boys did a great job that day against Waterloo and should be really proud of how well they bowled. The last three matches we bowled last week were all over 3000-pin series, which is outstanding."
"Well, a wiser fella than m'self once said, sometimes you eat the bar and sometimes the bar, well, he eats you."
- The Big Lebowski
Part Seven
So I reckon the end of the year had its gloomy moments, perhaps. That couldn't take the bloom off an enjoyable season for the Blue Man group on the whole.
"It was a great team," Derek said. "Everybody on the team got along pretty well. Brad Altvater was always there, keeping everybody loose. He is a pretty goofy guy who loves to have fun."
"I have known Brad for a long time," Chris said. "We have bowled junior league ever since I started. (Junior) Tyler (Bequett) has been a good friend for a few years. (Senior) Terren Hudson was a good friend. I think it helped out that we were all really good friends. It was easier for us to get each other up if we were bowling badly. Our team manager, (senior) Lance Hildebrand, really helped me out too. He got everybody up and kept our confidence up."
"Were you listening to the Dude's story?"
"I was bowling -"
"So you have no frame of reference, Donny. You're like a child who wanders in in the middle of a movie and wants to know -"
"What's your point, Walter?"
- The Big Lebowski
Part Eight
Chris had no business, really, stepping into the varsity limelight fearlessly. That spotlight has ruined many a man.
Nevertheless, the veteran roller made the big show his own coming-out party.
"Overall I felt really confident," Chris said. "Everything just came together for me."
"Chris has more confidence than I ever expected, which was great for the team," Johns said. "He fit right in at the beginning of the season and the other guys have a lot of respect for him. They know he's a good bowler and he definitely showed that all season."
"It's pretty easy to be that confident when you have been doing something for so long," Derek said. "He throws the ball really well. That day he shot 807 he was locked on. He was just unconscious. That's 269 a game."
"I only mention it because sometimes there's a man ... I won't say a hero, 'cause what's a hero? But sometimes there's a man ... and I'm talkin' about the Dude here. Sometimes there's a man, well, he's the man for his time and place. He fits right in there. And that's the Dude."
- The Big Lebowski
Part Nine
That massive 807 came against Freeburg Jan. 16. No one knows how to verify it, but word in bowling circles is that the 807 may be a national high this year. Either way, that Harrington Dude wasn't just whistling dixie.
"I came in during practice and was shooting all right," Chris said. "I didn't expect to have any high games, but I came in and bowled the first game and I blew myself away. I kind of shocked myself because I didn't think I was going to bowl that high, a 261.
"The next game I shot even higher with a 290. I left just the first frame that I didn't strike, so I had 11 strikes in a row. Then the third game I just kept going and everything was smooth and overall I just bowled awesome."
"The Dude abides."
- The Big Lebowski
from Clarion Journal
