Welcome to the Fall 2026 bowling season! We start bowling on August 18, same location and same time as usual. You can submit roster changes and 5-man-team rotation schedule changes until Monday, August 17 and team names until noon Tuesday, August 18.

This season things are shaken up the most they have been in a very long time, as six people who bowled with us last season are not returning this time. But featr not, a total of 7 peope have swopped in to replace them, meaning we will have an additional rotating team of 5 to get everyone to fit. With the team numbers re-randomized to mix up the schedule, Here are the teams as they are currently known. (Since no team has submitted a new name yet, last season's names are still shown.) This list will be updated as changes are sent between now and the start of bowling:

1. Walk Offs: Brian Schaben, Carl Mueller, Chris Hagan, Kurt Fredrickson, and Mike Fitzgerald. (Rotating team of 5, rotation schedule pending)
2. (Unnamed Team 2): Kevin Hodge (new), Andy Orwig (new), Kyle Weber (new), Brandon Cook (new), David Schemenauer (new). (Rotating team of 5, rotation schedule set unless team makes any last minute changes)
3. 3 Pins and a Gutter: Jesse Sauerbrei, Jeremy Varnell, Chris Lenz (replacing Nathan Burrows ), and JoAnne Barber.
4. The Queenpins: Ryan Sisco, Lindsay Sargent, Todd Kasik (new, replacing Dustin Schmeltz ), and Jon Little.
5. Thots & Spares: Jim Koger, Tim Deddens, Scott Murdock, and AJ Hofmann.
6. Squid Row: Initially: Chris Windham, Ben Spencer, Dennis Walling, and Matthew Taylor. Around the middle point of the season Chris Windham will need to depart, and Scottt Thompson will take over his spot. (ToC eligibility for Chris & Scott remains TBD — Scoot still has a few weeks to solve that.)

The predictions for the first week think Walk Offs will defeat Team 2, though this is heavily reliant on our estimations based upon the new team's self-reported bowling abilities and may also change once we know which 4 Walk Offs are actually bowling the first week. The results for the match between 3 Pins and Queenpins favor Queenpins -- though this is partially dependent on our estimations based upon Todd's self-reported bowling abilities. Finally, the match between Thots and Squids is expected to land in the Squid favor. Overall, no sweeps are expected.

Fees are $285 per person if paid throughout the season, or $245 if paid in advance. For those of you on rotating teams of 5 — what we need from you is the equivalent payment of four bowlers since only 4 of you can bowl at a time. So $228 if you pay throughout the season, or $196 if you pay in advance. FOR EITHER TEAM SIZE, the deadline to get the pre-pay discount is Week 3.

However, if you are Chris Windham or Scott Thompson, your total amounts due are each set at $142,50, with a pre-pay discount of $122.50. If the transfer from Chris to Scott does not end up happening at the week 8 / week 9 boundary these will be adjusted. Scott Thompson: Your pre-pay discount remains valid until the third week after you actually take over that slot.

Send your payments via Venmo to @scooterjm and if you are asked to enter the last 4 digits of a telephone number, use 4466. Or scan the QR code shown here.

If you choose not to pre-pay, please stay on top of making payments so you don't have a big bill at the end of the season. Because we have had multiple close calls with funding the past couple of years, anyone who does not pre-pay MUST make reasonable good-faith payments throughout the season. No longer will waiting to pay at the very end be allowed.

Things to watch for this season:

• Matthew Taylor stands a realistic shot of becoming the 6th person to cross the 250 career 200+ games mark. Ben Spencer also apears likely to roll his 100th 200+ game this season.

   

• If he bowls on lanes 1&2 enough, Matthew Taylor could also move up to the #4 spot for most career 600+ series mark.

   

• AJ Hofmann stands a very strong likelihood of reaching 1,000 career wins this season. And as the league leader, any MVB he earns this season will be a new record as well.

   

• Schedule issue #1: Because Scoot has to leave for the airport 7 hours after bowling ends week 1 and won't return until the night before week 2's session, the first week's online recap will be very rushed and basic.

   

• Schedule issue #2: On November 3, don't forget to go vote in the midterms before you come to bowling! We'll be a little lax on enforcing late arrival rules that night. (However, if you are planning to vote in ways Scoot doesn't like, feel free to consider bowling more important. 😂 😁)

   

• Schedule issue #3: There will be no overhead scoreboards on the Tuesday of Thanksgiving week due to Scoot's usual travel, unless you all can pressure AJ into setting them up. The iPads will still be supplied and working.

   

We hope you all have a great time this season!