11.25.04
BOWLING THEM OVER AT 99 It's the day before his 99th birthday and Harold Bellefountaine is on top of his game. Standing in South Centre Bowlerama with his own bowling shoes on his feet and a red poppy on his beret, he says on a good day he bowls better than 70. "Last week I had 102," he said Wednesday. Mr. Bellefountaine has bowled at the Spryfield lanes since they opened in 1986, and he celebrated his birthday there Wednesday. Before he started the game, the 50 other members of the alley's seniors' league sang Happy Birthday as he blew out a single candle on his cake. Loena Lawrence, who started bowling with Mr. Bellefountaine in the late 1980s and now plays on his team, said she's amazed he's still playing. "It's beautiful," she said. "I won't be here when I'm 99." Mr. Bellefountaine started bowling when he was 14 years old at an alley in downtown Halifax. When he began, someone set the pins by hand. He served as a cook during the Second World War, but when he came back and worked as a chef at a local hotel, he kept playing. The senior bowler was serious about winning when he was younger, but said it's less important now. He warms up before a game by placing a ball down on the lane and kicking it to the pins. "Being overly competitive isn't having any fun," Mr. Bellefountaine said, although he still plays to win. "Who doesn't like to win?" Paul Hayter, president of the seniors' league, said Mr. Bellefountaine does more than help his team win. "He's an inspiration to all of us," said Mr. Hayter. "You look at him and you can't help but be lifted up." These days, Mr. Bellefountaine doesn't bowl as much as he used to. A few years ago, he was in four different leagues. Now he just comes once a week, and last year he considered quitting altogether. But he keeps coming back because it's still fun and it keeps him active. "I come for the exercise - it keeps me young," he said. "I'll bowl for another couple years." |