Here’s a look at 22 of the 24 teams bowling in our Monday night Gutterdusters league this spring.
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Teams in order of appearance: Bowling Stones, Lucky 13, Ham-Boners, Da Bears, Fantastic Four, Banana Splitz, Urban Achievers, Beer Pigs, Don’t Lick My Balls, Free Ballin’, The Leftovers, Ball-Barians, Pin Dusters, Most Improved, The 4 B’s, Double Tappers, Pinheads, TKO’s, Pinitr8rs, Shhh… Good Night, Wise Guys
Not pictured: The Sophomores, Bowl 4 Fun
Last you heard from me I was giving you an insider’s perspective on the Gutterdusters league. That article was written for the benefit of the potential league member, but I’m glad some of the current members enjoyed it as well. Today however, is all about you, my fellow Gutterdusters. The buzz of the day is the approaching blizzard, as if Monday didn’t have enough soul-sucking on its own. But, if you’re anything like me, you’ve been using week 1 back on the lanes as the light at the end of the tunnel.
How many of you were at the meeting/practice last week? Go ahead, raise your hand. You didn’t know I can see you through your screen? 
Anyway, 
I was there and I saw many familiar faces. I even got to bowl with the reigning champs, The Pinheads. But, I also saw many new faces. Despite my own delusions of grandeur about raising my average 40 pins in 12 weeks, I’m genuinely excited to meet and bowl against with all of you. it’s nice to take a couple hours out of the work week and bad weather to enjoy bowling with friends.
Bridgette was kind enough to approach me last week about my article, and I told her that if she ever wanted to share her perspective, I’d love to have her as a guest author. I’m extending the same to you. We’d love to hear about your Gutterdusters experience. You can add it as a comment here, if you don’t want to write your own article. Either way, I look forward to hearing from you. Good luck rolling tonight!
Hello new and prospective Gutterdusters! TreoBenny here. I’m a 30-something former competitive league bowler that took a few years off. I wanted to start bowling again, but I don’t miss the stress and pressure of some of my leagues. I found Gutterdusters and I love it! Below is my “insider’s perspective” on the league.
It occurred to me, now that we’re between Gutterduster seasons, that a newcomer doesn’t have a clue about the league beyond the pluggers and blurbs Mike posts. Nothing against Mike’s plugs and blurbs, but there isn’t anything from a league member’s point of view. I’m here to change that.
A respectable amount of the Gutterdusters’ charm is Mont Clare itself. I think its classic bowling center feel makes it unassuming and easy for first-time patrons to get comfortable. But, all the modern touches are there: electronic scoring, big LCD screens for sports, cash jukebox, and of course, awesome food and drinks. The lanes themselves are cozy as well. I’ve played several recreational team sports and bowling is by far the most social. What other sport puts both teams in the same seating area? I look forward to each week at Gutterdusters as much for the bowling itself as the chance to meet a new team of fellow leaguers.
Now that I’ve covered what the house, (that’s league bowler slang for the bowling center) adds to the league in the way of ambiance, I’ll talk about competition. Wait, before you freak out about the “C” word, let me explain. Yes, Gutterdusters is described as a “non-competitive” league. That doesn’t mean we don’t try to throw strikes – because we do. What we don’t do is get into shouting matches or trash talking sessions. Your social standing in the league isn’t performance based. We’ll be just as glad to see you the week after you bowl 40 over average as the week you bowled 40 under. In short, there’s no pressure to perform. Additionally, the entire spectrum of bowling skills is present. Averages in the 80′s and 90′s all the way to 200. Never bowled in a league before? No problem. We won’t beat you over the head with tips every week if you don’t want them. But, I’d like to see you do anything weekly for 3 months not start to come into your own. 
Next is my category of bowler. I’ve bowled competitive leagues. I’ve bowled in tournaments. I know how to look for “the shot” each week. I know what reactive coverstock, asymmetrical core, and axis migration mean. I refer to the arrows on the lanes by number. So why do I want to bowl in a non-competitive league if I’m well-versed in bowling? Because bowling isn’t my career. I’d love if it was, but the facts now are that I have plenty to worry and stress out over. My bowling league shall not be one of them. There are many novices in the Gutterdusters league, but there are also many well-versed bowlers like myself that just want to bowl and have a nice, easy Monday night. I don’t want to be scolded about the stone 8 or ringing 10-pin I left. Now, before you accomplished bowlers balk at Gutterdusters, you should know that Mike and the team at Mont Clare have several shots they put out from week to week. Some easy to find, others not so much. You can challenge yourself as a member of Gutterdusters, without the pressure of winning at all costs.
In conclusion, Gutterdusters is for everyone! I enjoyed last season immensely and I hope to see you on the lanes starting the 31st!
Gutterdusters V is down to the last two weeks, with five teams still in contention for the league championship. But it’s not too early to sign up for Gutterdusters VI, Mont Clare’s just-for-fun league on Monday nights!
Click on the link above for more details. The 12-week league will run from the end of January through April on Monday nights at 7 pm. If you’ve never bowled in a league before, or are just looking for a fun night out with your friends, this is a great low-commitment opportunity!
Sign up today and get ready to join the fun!
Perfect way to spend New Year's with the family
One again we are hosting our popular Family New Year’s Eve party on Dec. 31 from 2:00 until 6:00 in the afternoon here at Mont Clare!
Click on the link below for the details.
It’s fun for the whole family, and gets you home safe and sound by 7 pm, for only $140 per lane. There is limited availability, so call us soon to reserve your lane. 773-237-5500.
Christmas falls on a Saturday this year, and Mont Clare will be open with 32 lanes available for open bowl from 4 pm to 12 am. Games and shoes are each $3.00, all day. Merry Christmas and happy holidays from Mont Clare!
Can you believe Thanksgiving is already here? Mont Clare Lanes is ready and waiting for your business on one of the busiest weekends of the year:
"After you're through eating me, come bowl at Mont Clare Lanes!"
The day before Thanksgiving, known as “Black Wednesday”, is the kick off to a string of busy open play nights at Mont Clare. With only 8 lanes taken up with a league, we will have 22 open lanes available for play all night, with the kitchen and bar open all night. Considering how nasty the weather is supposed to be tonight, this will be by far the better option for hanging out than driving all the way downtown!
Then on Thanksgiving day, we are closed in the afternoon for a small private tournament, but we will open to the public at 7 pm, with all 32 lanes open for bowling.
The theme for the rest of the weekend is: open lanes all the time!! Work off some of that turkey with the family Friday afternoon-we’ll have open lanes all day, and then cosmic bowl after 10:30 pm with some raffles and contests.
Good news for Saturday! Lanes availability is usually limited on Saturday due to leagues and Candlelites, but there are NO leagues or Candlelites this week, so we will have open lanes all day and night on Saturday! Cosmic bowl starts at 9 pm. Same deal Sunday: open lanes all day.
And of course our kitchen will be open the whole time because why would you want to cook after all that work on Thanksgiving? We’ll take care of it for you!
So come by and bring a few dollars for the jukebox. Bowling after Thanksgiving is a tradition around here, and we’ll have open lanes all weekend to accommodate!
From all of us here at MC: Happy Thanksgiving to you and your families!
Have you considered having your family’s holiday party at Mont Clare? How about your company’s? Check out these packages that are available for the rest of 2010 and offer a good value of food, bowling and fun.
Call us at 773-237-5500 to check for availability of dates and times. December dates book the quickest, so call soon. Happy holidays!
Holiday deals for the seasonWe are working on improving your experience here at Mont Clare Lanes by developing our web presence on a bunch of social media sites. Take a look:
Faceboo
k. Like us on Facebook and become privy to special offers, Facebook Deals, photos, lane availability, news, polls and more. You can now check in from Mont Clare on Facebook as well, opening the door to new deals.
Twitter Follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on 
up-to-the minute deals and Twitter-only offers. All news items from other sites will be posted on Twitter, so this is a great place to get your Mont Clare news.
four
square New page is up and running! Check in to Mont Clare on four square to qualify for special deals and discounts. Become the mayor and be the top dog!
The
Mont Clare Spare Notes Blog. This is the best place to find out, in detail, the latest news and on-going special offers at Mont Clare. It’s also a home for league standings, and has a little history about Mont Clare.
Hopefully you will friend/fan/like/follow/check in with us on all of those sites. There are tons of specials we are now able to offer- we are only scratching the surface now while we get our feet wet. Help us improve your experience here as well as our overlal web presence by visiting and interacting with those sites, and give us feedback!
Thanks!
After such a successful run in the month of October, Mont Clare Lanes has decided to bring back the half-price bar special for the month of the November, great news for leagues, open play and scheduled group parties.
Circle your calendar on the following days:
The deal will remain the same as in October: all beer, wine, martinis and mixed drinks will be half price on those dates. That means a Miller Lite will cost less than $2! So come in and take advantage of the deal: bowling and cheap booze, what more could you ask for?
Be on the look out for new food menu items as well, which should be added later this month. And a new jukebox is coming as well.
