Q-Skee welcomes new league

Move over Panthers, keep driving NASCAR and dribble on out of here Bobcats … there’s a new gaming league in town, a new skee-nomenon that trumps all other organized sports. I’m talking about The Charlotte Skee-Ball League. In this league, skee-ball isn’t about winning tickets at an arcade; it’s about teams like “A-skee/D-skee,” “Whiskee Chix,” “Run DMSkee,” “Skee Nutz” and “Local Celebriskeez” fighting for victory to claim the title.

Skeeson 5 of The Charlotte Skee-Ball League kicks-off (or rolls-off rather) on Oct. 8. But luckily for rookskees like me, last Wednesday they had a Preskeeson Brewskee Ball/Skee-for-Free at Murphy’s Food & Spirits.

I ventured into the subculture of gaming society expecting maybe 10 people, but there were hundreds crowded into the back room of Murphy’s, rolling a little solid ball up an inclined lane and into a hole. And the mass of hard core skeeballers were all cool, fun-loving, teacher-types. Moreover, seeing as how it was Brewskee Ball, Nikki, their designated skee-ball waitress, was delivering buckets full of $1.75 Bud Selects. And let me tell you, it got a little crazskee.

In fact, they take their skee-ball so seriously, I wouldn’t be surprised if they have Faith Hill come sing at the season opener. They have leagues starting in Wilmington and N.Y.C., and they even have trading cards made out … autographed and all. I knew that it was balls to the wall, so I rounded up a group of Virginia Tech alums and we coined ourselves the “Hokskies.”

But at the Skee-for-Free, it was two-on-two, and your partner was drawn at random from the roster, thus making you play with a stranger. When I met my partner, a hottie with a good attitude, I was grateful for the forced socialization, or should I say, soci-skee-lization.

Our competitor was adamant about shutting us out, so I told him “God Skeed.” The first ball I rolled went into the corner pocket for 100. Touchdown me! Just call me Brittskee. But after that, I was gutter-balling like a blindfolded bowler. Some guy came up and started yelling at me like a coach trying to put some more pep into my step. “Start hitting 40’s and get into the zone!” But, like a fat kid in dodgeball, I was out.

The Charlotte Skee-Ball League may not be on SkeeSPN, but they are bringing sexskee back.

Meanwhile, the home court for the skee-ball league: Murphy’s Food & Spirits is a skee-tastic Irish pub with good food and lots of spirit … both behind the bar and within the people. Think I’m making all this up? Log on to www.brewskeeball.com and skee for yourself.

This article appears in Oct 10-16, 2007.