By Sue Tiffin
Wherever David Hammond lives, he bowls.
When he lived in Scarborough, he bowled in a league for 20 years. Later when he moved near Uxbridge, he organized a league himself. Now that he’s moved to Minden with his wife Maria, one of the first things on his to-do list after getting settled into the area, was to organize a Sunday night mixed bowling league. The Sunday Nite Mixers Winter Bowling League gets rolling in September at Fast Lane Bowling in Minden.
“I’ve done a Sunday night league probably for about 25 to 30 years,” he said. “The timing was great for most people. End of the weekend, beginning of a new week, everyone’s back from whatever they did on the weekend and ready to go bowling, get up and start your week.”
Hammond said there’s room for about 36 bowlers in the league, and spots are already being registered by bowlers from as far away as Wilberforce. The league will meet from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. beginning Sunday, Sept. 11 until April 2023. Those 19 and older can join, and so far Hammond says there’s a range of bowlers aged 30 to 75 interested in participating.
“It’s not a competitive league, it’s completely fun,” he said. “We’ll have novice bowlers to some pretty good bowlers. I’m an OK bowler, I’m not a great bowler, I bowl for fun. Will there be competition? Absolutely, because it’s a team sport.”
Organizing the league has been a good way for Hammond to meet others in the community – those who want to join as well as local business owners.
“I thought that this would be a great opportunity to get as many people involved as possible, not just the bowlers, but the entire community,” he said. “The past two plus years have been incredibly difficult on people, especially many of our local businesses. So I thought, why not take this opportunity to encourage our members to support local shopping.”
In lieu of trophies, which Hammond refers to as “dust collectors,” Hammond is using bowler fees to purchase more than $3,000 worth of gift certificates from local businesses, who are also donating some prizes, to award to bowlers during the season. A monthly draw for $100 will be available to bowlers who qualify to win by bringing in a receipt from a local business. A December “turkey roll,” will offer turkeys and other prizes purchased in town to winners, and a banquet at the end of the season will take place in a local restaurant. Hammond said additionally, a donation will be made to a local organization at the end of the year.
“I am absolutely amazed at the support I have received so far from each and every business in town,” said Hammond. “The generosity and support have been overwhelming. It’s definitely a win-win for everyone involved.”
Hammond said the league is a good way to bring people together, especially those who can’t join a league during the day. He and Maria have also joined another league as well at Fast Lane, and bowl with his family on Friday nights – his sister has lived on South Lake Road for 20 years, and a sister and uncle have since also moved to the area.
“We’ve gone from one, there’s now four of us,” he said of the now Minden-based family. “They say you’re stronger in numbers.”
Those interested in adding to the number of members in the Sunday night league can contact Hammond anytime between now and September.
“Whether you bowl 80 or 180, it doesn’t matter,” he said.
For more information call 416-910-2707 or email sundaynitemixers@gmail.com.