PORT TOWNSEND — You don’t need to rent shoes. You don’t have to know how to fill out the score sheet. You don’t even need a bowling ball.

But there is beer.

Last Wednesday night, the Uptown Pub challenged the American Legion to a match of Wii bowling, an electronic version of the game in which a player uses a hand-held remote to send a virtual ball rolling down an alley on a television screen.

The match was part of an informal league that is putting a new spin on bowling night, Carrie McDougall said.

“It’s a way to connect all the bars that have Wii bowling without a commitment,” said McDougall, a Web site designer and Uptown Pub regular who organized the league a few months ago.

That’s because there is no set night, no fees, no cumulative scores, no trophies. Each team in the league simply challenges another team to a game and names the night.

It doesn’t even matter how many people show up. Each person picks the best game out of 10 consecutive frames, usually in two or three rounds. Then the scores are divided by the number of players.

But improving your previous score, not beating the other team, is the aim.

“We all have a good time and root for each other,” said Janet Emery, a Legion bowler. “It’s more about having a good time than competing.”

Like regular bowling nights, the electronic league offers sport with socialization and helps fill the gap left when Port Townsend’s bowling alley, the Key City Lanes, closed 10 years ago, Legion bowler Mark Sydnor said.

Emery remembered going bowling in Port Townsend on a Saturday night.

“It was our fun night out,” she said.

After the bowling alley closed, the Food Co-op moved into the building at Kearney Street and Sims Way.

Now she and her teammates go to Water Street Brewing, Hilltop Tavern, Highway 20 Roadhouse and other places in town that have a Wii bowling team.

The team issuing the challenge serves as the host venue, McDougall said, and sets the house rules.

Bowling sitting down

In the Legion’s case, that means bowling sitting down. Called butt bowling, it allows people of all ages and abilities to participate, Emery said.

On Wednesday, Legion team member Polly Longcrier was bowling sitting in a chair because of an injury.

“She calls it bum bowling ’cause she’s British,” McDougall said, watching Longcrier finish her first game.

Longcrier bowled a 174, then improved that with a score of 192 in the second game.

Cheering her on was her husband, Russ Longcrier, and the other Legion team members: Sydnor, Kelley Guffey and Steve Emery.

Bowling for the Uptown team were McDougall, Steve Smith, Martin McGillonie, Sarah Murphy and Christel Henson.

Henson not only bowled sitting down but sitting at the bar on a stool.

“I normally bowl from behind the bar,” she said. “I’m the bartender here.”

Another team member who was not present usually bowls sitting on a barstool facing the bar, using the mirror to line up his throws.

Most of the team, however, uses the traditional three-step approach, even though the hand-held remote registers only the hand movement. Wii bowling is easier than real bowling, Smith said.

“I was in a high school bowling league and got a 65,” Smith said. “It was good for the team handicap, but I couldn’t handle the embarrassment.

“This is so much easier, and you’re here to have fun.”

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Port Townsend/Jefferson County reporter-columnist Jennifer Jackson can be reached at jjackson@olypen.com.