About 30 bowlers spread across six lanes and the pins began to fly Monday as play began in the ISU Bowling Club’s Monday night league.

The club offers ISU students the chance to play in a weekly bowling league, held at 20th Century Bowling Center, 505 S. Duff Ave. Statistics are kept to help monitor individuals’ progress throughout the semester. The club also supports men’s and women’s intercollegiate teams, with members chosen by tryout. Those teams compete in various tournaments around the country.

Bowling Club president Michael Crownhart, senior in computer science and a four-year club member, said the league play is “pretty informal.” Club members are divided into teams of four to five bowlers and play three games against other league teams each Monday during the semester.

“Each team is playing against the other, but no one really cares because we’re here to have fun,” Crownhart said.

The club’s league play is open to ISU students of all skill levels.

“We take any and all people,” said Ryan Higginbotham, senior in accounting and a five-year member of the club.

Higginbotham said he enjoys the club because it provides a great opportunity to hang out with good friends.

Valerie Mickelson, junior in dietetics and a first-year bowling club member, said she found out about the bowling club through the club’s Web site and decided to give it a try, despite not having much bowling experience. The club appealed to Mickelson, she said, because it was “something to do to meet new people.”

Another first-year bowling club member, Tanasha Taylor, junior in mechanical engineering, said she wanted to try something new.

“I don’t bowl much,” she said, “but I had my own ball, so why not join a league?”

The $85 club dues, which pay for the price of all league games throughout the semester and cover various league sanctioning fees, are cheaper than most leagues, Taylor said.

While some members join the club for fun, others join with a few additional goals in mind, said Courtney Beals, sophomore in animal ecology and a returning member of the ISU women’s travel team.

Beals said bowling club members can choose to participate in a qualifying process that determines the club’s competitive men’s and women’s travel teams. Those teams represent Iowa State in regional and national tournaments sanctioned by College Bowling USA.

Beals said the tournaments are very competitive and can be intense.

“I had a blast [on the team last year],” she said. “It’s so fun, and you get to really know people well.”

Brian Stump, junior in management and the club’s vice president, said the travel teams hope to compete in 10 tournaments this year. The teams will travel around the Midwest and also play two tournaments in Las Vegas. The Cyclones will compete against some of the nation’s top bowlers, Stump said.

He said the men’s team goal is to qualify for the Intercollegiate Bowling Championships, which crowns college bowling’s national champion each year in the equivalent of the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments.

The team lost a few members from last year’s sectional team, Crownhart said.

However, the club president said he still has high hopes for the team this year.

“We’ve got our core coming back and some good freshmen,” Crownhart said.

The club’s traveling teams will begin their competitive season with a trip to Milwaukee, Wis., Oct. 4-5 to compete in the Midwest Collegiate Tournament.

Club secretary Kerri Karr, senior in animal science, said students interested in the club can join by attending league night at 6 p.m. Mondays at 20th Century Lanes. The women’s traveling team, in particular, is looking for more members, she said.