My first experience at Nationals enlightened me on a few subjects, most notably that there are few people in my town who I'd want to drop several hundred dollars on to bowl with out of town on any consistent basis. In fact, the most fun I had in Reno was picking a team at random to bowl with, a bunch of guys who turned out to be more fun than any Gainesvillians there. I have since been approached by the guy who organizes the annual trip, inquiring if I would be interested in participating again next year. I told him I would let him know definitively by the end of July, but that my first thought was no.

Forget about my hometown bowlers penchant for poor performance (in bowling or carousing) on the road - my random alliance with a out-of-town squad led me to a radical new idea. What about a team composed of all Bowlspace members? It couldn't be any worse than this year, unless I eschew thorough backround checks and get stuck with a Bundy-esque personality and end up in several Albuquerque dumpsters. (Hell, even if that happened, it would be a story to tell, though I wouldn't be able to tell it.) I like this idea because of its innate randomness and the chance to meet people I only know through the highly edited blog pages. Never know what you're gonna get from THIS box of chocolates.

I recognize that this is a long shot. Most devotees of the National trip already have long-standing teams and plans in place. I just thought it was worth a shot before telling the rest of Gainesville no-way-in-hell and hoping that I get a call from New Haven. I'll be sending out some feelers to those that I feel would be interesting characters, but if any of you out there have an interest in such a hair-brained scheme, drop me a line. I'm game if you are.

With any luck, Team Bowlspace will rise to cash New Mexico-style.