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Bowling, babes and beer at Whitestone Lanes

By Everett Fell

Ah, another night out on the town with the boys: drinking beers, eating hamburgers, flirting with attractive women and, of course, throwing a bowling ball at top speed down a polished alley.

For the members of the Whitestone Lanes Mixed Summer League, Thursday night means fun for all involved.

“The summer leagues are not as competitive as the winter leagues,” said Angelo Beninati, a 24-year-old Flushing resident.

Beninati carries a 216.90 average, tops among all bowlers in the league. Beninati puts pressure on himself during the winter when he competes for first place in the league, which pays off $4,000. He was bowling relaxed, in an environment that despite the deafening noise of balls colliding with pins was amiable and warm. Beninati has bowled there for 14 years.

Beninati led his No. 2-ranked team, Superstars, against the No. 1-ranked Lucky 13. Beninati and his team started off slow.

“It’s not my night,” Beninati said after missing a potential spare. Beninati’s mood, however, did not alter. He wandered around the alley with a bright smile, stopping to shoot the breeze with familiar faces.

While Beninati recovered from a below-average start, 38-year-old Tommy Ciotti, also of Flushing, started off strong with four consecutive strikes to spark his team, X-Men, to an early lead over Holy Rollers.

Ciotti, who has been a league member for eight years, competes in the winter league to make a couple of extra dollars, but the Thursday night league gives him the opportunity to bowl for recreation.

“It’s a friendly atmosphere in this league,” Ciotti said. “During the winter the bowlers get pretty intense. You see some guys banging on machines or cursing out loud.”

After a spare, Ciotti slapped hands with his three other teammates. Ciotti’s girlfriend, whom he taught to bowl, also is on his team.

Ciotti passed the snack bar to watch his friend Angelo pick up a spare. With the television behind the counter blasting professional wrestling, as well as video games in the middle of the alley sending off short waves of sound, it was difficult to hear the constant chatter, but it was clear all the bowlers were encouraging one another. They rooted for their friends, whether teammates or opponents.

“I give my teammates advice,” Ciotti said. “I tell them to keep their head in the game, and I never yell at them.”

A serious demeanor could hardly be expected from these bowlers, not while a dragon appeared on the screen above the alley where Ciotti bowled. The dragon comes on the screen after a strike and extinguishes the pins with its fire-breath. On a different occasion, Ciotti threw a strike and Big Foot appeared on the screen and stomped on the pins. Novel ideas such as that give the arena a campy feeling that attracts people of all ages.

Ciotti continued his torrid pace and finished on a high, as he bowled a turkey (three strikes in a row) to end the game. He scored 252, a team best, but not enough to defeat the Holy Rollers, as they won, 947-874. The X-Men, however, still have a chance to climb the standings, as all teams play three games on the night, and there is still one more week left in the league.

Beninati improved from his disappointing start to finish at 212, helping his team pull closer to first.

After next week, Ciotti, Beninati and other local male bowlers will prepare for the winter league.

“Bowlers can make about $6,000 to $7,000 a year by bowling in leagues,” Beninati said.

Until then, bowlers at Whitestone Lanes find their love of the game to be enough incentive to bowl three games on a Thursday, a time for many in the neighborhood to let loose and bowl the night away.