Feature Search

The 36th Civil Engineer Squadron mows down the pins

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Curtis Hunter
  • 36th Civil Engineer Squadron
The 36th Civil Engineer Squadron showed 36th Mission Support Squadron that in the sport of bowling, Engineers ... lead the way.
Twelve squadron teams competed during the 32-week intramural season which spanned from September 2006 to May 2007. Of the original 12 teams, only the top eight advanced to three grueling nights of playoffs.
On the first night, the top-seeded 36th Services Squadron advanced past a tough eighth-seeded 36th Security Forces Squadron. The second-seeded 36th Civil Engineer Squadron outlasted the strong surge of the seventh-seeded 554th RED HORSE 'A' team. In other action, the third-seeded 36th Mission Support Squadron survived a determined sixth-seeded 36th Communications Squadron as the fourth-seeded 734th Air Mobility Squadron ended the season of the fifth-seeded DECA team.
Playoff action on night two was quite intense. This was the night of the final four in which 36 SVS took on 36 MSS. The bottom half of the bracket pitted 36 CES against the 734 AMS. The irony was that these teams were also the top four teams during the final few weeks of the regular season.
Early in the evening, it seemed as if all four teams were still feeling the effects of the recently concluded Unit Compliance Inspection. The teams struggled with the challenging oil conditions of Gecko Lanes. Disappointment settled in as the pins did not fall as easily as they did the previous round action, nor did the scores reflect the true ability of these athletes during the regular season.
Bowlers missed spares that they normally made, and instead of a night of care-free bowling, the second night of the playoffs brought out the true competitor in each bowler. But in the end of a night of heightened pressure and low scores, 36 MSS ended 36 SVS' season, while 36 CES survived 734 AMS, setting up the finals.
The anticipation of which squadron would be crowned Intramural Bowling Champion was underway as 36 MSS took on 36 CES. In this final night of action, 36 MSS was given a 54-pin-per-game lead, or handicap, due to the two teams' difference in averages. An additional advantage was the 36 MSS also had the championship experience over 36 CES as some of their players were on the Intramural Bowling Championship team from the 2004-2005 season.
The handicap and experience seemed to be a significant advantage as 36 MSS defeated 36 CES in game one by 38 pins. Through out the playoffs, teams advanced by having more total pins than their opponent. So although down by 38 pins, 36 CES had plenty of time to make up the deficit. The jitters seemed to wear off as 36 CES regrouped and won the second game by 43 pins. Before the start of the third and final game, both teams shook hands similar to Ultimate Fighter Championship opponents touching gloves, setting up one of the most exciting finishes to a bowling season that Gecko Lanes has had in many years. With the 43-pin victory in the second game, 36 CES was ahead only by five pins at the beginning of the third game and hoped to play off of that momentum. But with 36 MSS' combined experience, 36 CES knew five pins wasn't enough to win.
The 36 CES got off to an electrifying start as all five bowlers got either a strike or spare in the first six frames. 36 MSS gave it everything they had from the opening frame, but watched their 54-pin lead dwindle down to two pins after the fourth frame. The engineers cruised into the 10th and final frame with a lead of more than 90 pins.
In the end, 36 CES defeated 36 MSS by 132 pins in what was the squadron's first Intramural Bowling Championship since 1999.
During the regular season, 36 CES had the lowest team handicap placing them in a
deficit every week, and at times, faced teams with 100 pins handicap. But as champions often do, they were able to withstand very difficult odds and emerge victorious. They truly earned the right to be called the 2006-2007 Intramural Bowling Champions.