By Michelle Saturley
Staff Writer

Colorful balls are a way of adding spice to bowling. Higher priced custom balls often have custom designs and sport anything from metal fl ake plastic to small skulls imbedded in the material.

In the fi lm “The Big Lebowski,” The Dude, played with unkempt aplomb by Jeff Bridges, assembles his motley crew of social misfi ts at the local bowling alley where they engage in trash-talking, weapon brandishing, ogling women, sporadic fi sticuff s, and get-rich-quick scheming. Oh, and occasionally, someone bowls.

In real life, the bowling alley is more of a socio-economic melting pot than a wasteland for the dregs of humanity.

On any given night, Manchester’s lanes are populated with upscale professional work buddies, clean-cut teens on dates, and families with kids of all ages, all on a quest for a good time and some good-natured competition. The vision of the sleazy, polyester-clad bowling shark with bad teeth and a bad perm, a la Bill Murray in “Kingpin,” is about as common as seeing Bigfoot rolling one down the lanes.

Thursday nights are hopping at Stadium Ten Pin, one of the city’s favorite spots for 10-pin bowling or, as enthusiasts refer to it, “the only real form of bowling.” A cross section of Manchester’s population is represented, up until about 8 p.m., when the hardcore league bowlers overtake the lanes.

In lane one, a group of co-workers from a local branch of TD Banknorth is competing in an informal, guys vs. girls fi rst time “grudge match.”

“The guys found out that I belong to a league, and it was on,” said Jamie Bradford, a Salisbury resident who belongs to a Manchester bowling league.

Bradford said Stadium Ten Pin holds a special place in her heart.

“This is where I met my husband,” she said. “We were both on leagues, and saw each other here week after week.” Bradford said she thinks that fi nding love on the lanes is a fairly common phenomenon.

“It’s a laid back atmosphere, diff erent than the bar scene, so it’s a little easier to walk up to someone and talk to them,” she said. “And you already know you have one thing in common with anyone here: you both like to bowl.”

Her co-worker, Ben Pease, said the environment at Stadium Ten Pin is perfect for after-work activity.

“I like it because it’s busy, but not too crowded,” he said. “We didn’t have any problem getting a lane. The music isn’t too loud, so you can still have conversations with people. And it’s not smoky in here.”

“And,” he was quick to point out, “(the guys) are winning.”

In lane three, 19-year-old Stan Buck, of Bow, known around Stadium Ten Pin as “Super Stan,” is getting warmed up for the men’s league showdown later in the evening. He bowls alone, nailing strike after strike, pausing occasionally to take bites from a gigantic plate of American chop suey, purchased at the snack bar.

His form is perfect in both activities.

“I bowl just about every day,” Buck said. “I come from a family of bowlers.

My parents started bringing me here when I was a baby. Now, I work here. I bowl about four hours a day when I’m not working.”

Buck said he likes Stadium Ten Pin because of the atmosphere and lane quality.

“The lane conditioning here is really good,” he said.

Buck and other competitors on the men’s team are gearing up for a big tournament, held at Stadium Ten Pin the weekend of March 10 and 11.

“I hope to be there,” Buck said. “I’ve been preparing for it for a while now.”

Sandra Houle, mother of three boys, is starting to again get the hang of bowling. She and her husband, John, are here with their kids for what they call “family night.”

“I haven’t bowled since before these guys were born,” she said, gesturing to her sons. “I kind of forgot how, but it’s coming back to me now.”

The Houles are like many families in the area, looking for something they can all do together that isn’t too expensive.

A night of bowling, including shoe rental and two frames of bowling for a family of four, costs about $32 – comparable to a night at the movies, but with considerably more physical activity and social interaction.

“We were just looking for something a little diff erent than what we normally do,” she said. “And I think it worked, because the boys don’t want to leave.”