Building Community One Frame at a Time | Jeff Begola

What if a casual Thursday night could become the heartbeat of a neighborhood? We sit down with Jeff Bagola—the self-appointed commissioner of the Palmetto Bluff Bowling League—to trace how a simple idea grew into a 24-team tradition packed with personality, friendly rivalries, and real community. From flexible schedules and kickoff parties to a clever two-division format with relegation, Jeff shares the nuts and bolts that keep the lanes full and the energy high.

We explore the league’s culture engine: custom jerseys, a lively fan base, and The Gutter Gazette, a weekly recap that turns strikes, splits, and side conversations into shared lore. Dues are reinvested into better pins, balls, shoes, and regular maintenance, while an Adopt-A-Highway stretch and a feature in The Bluff magazine add civic pride and visibility. The result is a ritual that people plan their week around—loud, joyful, and welcoming to every skill level.

The conversation widens to wellness and the power of consistency. Drawing on Jeff’s military background and training habits, we unpack why discipline beats perfection, how accountability partners make workouts stick, and why choosing activities you actually enjoy is non-negotiable. The league becomes a living case study in social fitness: show up, keep score, tell stories, and let the ritual do its quiet work of connection.

If you’re new to Palmetto Bluff or curious about getting involved, watch for registration in the Tidings email or visit the member site under Leagues and Activities. Enjoy the episode? Subscribe, share it with a neighbor who hasn’t heard the show yet, and leave a quick review to help more people find us.

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:14

Are you ready to live an active lifestyle? Welcome to Behind the Bluff, where we believe every moment of your life is an opportunity to pursue wellness on your terms. This is an exciting episode because some communities they bond over golf, some over dinner parties. Here at Palmetto Bluff, there is a huge group of members who bond over bowling. What started as a member-driven idea has grown into one of the most spirited, semi-serious leagues you'll ever see. Complete with competition, camaraderie, and a whole lot of laughter. I just learned about a news article that comes out every single week after matches. Today I'm joined with Mr. Jeff Bagola, one of the leaders behind its growth. And he's with me to talk about how it started, why it's thriving, and what it says about building real community. Without further ado, we're gonna roll on this topic. Jeff, welcome to the podcast. Hi, Jeff. Thanks for having me.

SPEAKER_01 1:19

Joe Rogan here.

SPEAKER_02 1:21

Appreciate you being here. I'd like to start off just a quick league snapshot. Give us the overview. How long is a season? How many teams? How many on a team? And what does a typical game night look like?

League Structure And Schedule

Growth To 24 Teams And Two Divisions

SPEAKER_01 1:35

Sure. So the league has obviously evolved over the last uh, I think we're moving into our ninth season at this point. Um, so every season is 10 weeks long of regular season play. Uh some seasons we have a bye week, some we don't, depending on how many teams we have playing. Obviously, we're uh somewhat constricted simply by the number of lanes that we have and trying to get as many teams on uh in one night. So we play every Thursday evening between the hours of five until nine. We have four teams that play across the four different lanes each hour. So we have a starting block at from five to six, all the way up till the final one that starts at nine and ends at 10 p.m. Uh I do my best to set a schedule to where each team plays at a different block starting time. Uh not only does it provide them the opportunity to have some flexibility in the schedule. Obviously, some people have a tough time playing at the 5 o'clock, while other people have a tough time playing at the 9 o'clock. Uh, but we do our best to keep that fair and balanced. Um, and it also provides us the ability to intermingle with uh other teams. So we're not always playing with the same other three teams. You get an opportunity to meet different personalities, different members, etc. So um, yeah, each season is 10 weeks long in regular play. We have one week of playoffs and then one week of the championship. Um the league started with uh, I believe, just about seven teams, and we're now up to, we're just about to kick off our spring season of a total of 24. So it has grown quite significantly. Each team consists of four starters, four main players, and then we also allow them to have four alternates. So, so a lot of members here have other things going on in their lives. They may be traveling, they have work obligations, family obligations. Um, so the alternate players allow them to substitute somebody in on the weeks that they can't be present. And then we um end the uh we start every season with a kickoff party that Darren Beck puts together over here. Uh so we have some appetizers, some drinks, we uh get to uh network with each other a bit, and then we end the season with that championship week and we hand out the trophies. Um, you know, and along with the progression of the growth, we've also had to divide up some of the skill levels uh so to make it a little bit more opportune for each uh skill level to be involved with the playoffs, the postseason play, and the championships. We've now created both a champions lead division as well as a premier division, uh depending on your team's typical performance. And there's also relegation in there. So at the end of the season, the top two teams from the champions division, which is the lower skill level, will relegate up into the premier division the following season, and the bottom two teams of the premier division will relegate down to the champions division. So we try to mix it up and keep it exciting as much as we can. Um, no hard rules. It's uh, you know, about as as flexible as a pickup game of of uh football out in the backyard. Um we keep it fun and we keep it competitive.

SPEAKER_02 4:56

That sounds so so like not only organized, but flex with like having the four uh alternates. That's that's gotta be huge. Now, at that kickoff party, everybody's there getting excited about the season.

Kickoff Parties And Rotating Match Blocks

SPEAKER_01 5:09

Yeah, so um that's a good time. We we uh start each season with about an hour of that. We uh the chef over here at Coles puts out a great spread for everybody. Darren does a great job of um keeping all of that organized, and it's just an opportunity for us to invite the new teams to the league who haven't played in the in the past um and uh go through the rules, um through uh you know how the season's going to play out. We review the schedule. We we we also at that time will uh award the trophy to last season's winners. So yeah, um I enjoy doing that as a way to kind of um just bring everybody together, wrap our arms around them for that one night uh because as the season progresses, you you don't necessarily always get a chance to see all of those same people again.

SPEAKER_02 5:58

Yeah, um, depending on what who you're playing with that week and how it fluctuates. Correct. The way you run it though, it sounds like pretty much how a professional league would run scheduling.

SPEAKER_01 6:06

Yeah, we're everyone's rotating in and out. We try our best. It's not the easiest. And obviously uh I I reach out to as many people as possible and ask if there's something in particular that I can schedule um around. Sometimes there's members that are playing in different golf tournaments over here, or uh the uh ladies um uh group has some kind of special event that you know they have to schedule around. So I do try my best to accommodate that. Um, but uh, you know, at the end of the day, it's it's uh it's just not that easy to to keep it all organized and everybody happy. So so uh yeah, hopefully, hopefully we do a good job with it.

The Commissioner Role And Culture Shift

SPEAKER_02 6:49

But appreciate you saying that. I I know our uh fitness classes on Thursday evening, they always descend when bowling league is in session. So I can always tell when uh things are kicking off, and it's it's exciting that you guys are getting going again. Um Jeff, are just so I have this right. Are you officially like the commissioner? Is that the title we would give you?

SPEAKER_01 7:10

That's the uh self-appointed title. Uh yeah, and that's fun too, because as I walk around property, a lot of times people will will uh refer to me as that or acknowledge me. Hey Kamish, how you doing? Kind of thing.

SPEAKER_02 7:23

So I love it, man. Yeah, I know that obviously, besides yourself, there's so many passionate members about the league, and I know we'll dig in there. And and one of the things I was most excited to talk to you about is just the social connection and everything that has kind of been much larger than bowling itself as a result of the coordination of getting this league together. And um it sounds like nine seasons, it's now officially a thing, if you will. When did you realize that it wasn't just bowling? It was becoming part of the Palmetto Bluff culture here.

Origins: From Casual Nights To League

Jerseys, Personalities, And Spectators

SPEAKER_01 7:59

So I'll tell you the way this started was a group of us were showing up at Cole's on, I believe it was Saturday or Sunday nights. Uh we'd get off the the boat and we'd come over to Kohl's for a beer before we went home, and a lot of times that um turned into a round of bowling for us. And there became just a little bit of uncertainty as to whether the lanes were going to be open or not, depending on how many people were in Kohl's at that point. And so I approached at the time it was Ted Coleman before Darren Beck, and I sat down with him and I asked if we could um set some time aside to where the leagues would always the lanes would always be available for members to play. And that sort of just evolved into why don't we try to put together a little bit of a league, a member league. Um, like I said, the first season began with just seven teams. Uh, we've since grown every season by at least one or two. Sometimes we have one or two teams uh take the season off and one or two more join. Um, but consistently we've grown season after season. And so if you ask, when did I know it never really was a point? Uh sort of just organically evolved into just people coming out on a Thursday night and having a good time and talking to their friends and neighbors about it and inviting them to sign up as well. Uh the characters in this league are uh unbelievable. Um and so it's fun. Every team comes together with their own personality. We have personalized jerseys, so each team will uh designate a team captain, team name, and then they'll go out and get custom jerseys printed up. So cool. So yeah, it's quite a thing. You know, um Coles used to have a what was called Members Monday. And Members Monday was when the community would come together and just you know, shake hands and have a drink together and and network and mingle. And that at some point went away uh shortly after COVID, I believe. And in my opinion, Thursday nights have become the new member Monday. Um, it's a time where the entire community comes out and knows that Kohl's is going to be crowded with you know other neighbors and friends. And so um, you know, I invite anybody who hasn't been out there yet on a Thursday night to come check it out because it's it's popular, it's uh crowded, it's fun, it's loud, it's obnoxious.

SPEAKER_02 10:34

Uh I can imagine the spectating is probably some of the best parts of the league. Just being able to watch versus play.

The Gutter Gazette And Weekly Stories

SPEAKER_01 10:41

Right, right. That's right. Yeah, we gotta we've got a fan base. Um we we put some swag out there, some hats, we've got some patches uh printed up. Um and uh I try uh to add just a little bit extra touch to it each week. Um so Sundays I'll sit down. Uh my wife and daughter will head out to chapel service and I'll get behind the computer and I'll start typing out the previous week's scores and get the schedule updated. And along with the dissemination of that, I also put together a little newsletter um titled The Gutter Gazette. And I just put some creative writing together with some stories of what occurred over the last week. It's uh um sort of like a Saturday night live sketch on sketch skit on paper. Um, but my point of that is the members of this league write those stories themselves. I mean, it's uh it and what I mean by that is they create the content. Um so every week we have a story to tell. Something happened, something funny, something dramatic. Um, so uh yeah, I mean it just writes itself. It's it's it's uh pretty pretty easy to do, and um, I think it adds an extra little flair to the yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 12:05

I was blown away in our preparation for the conversation today. How many articles y'all have written for the Gutter Gazette? And every time I switched to a different article just to get a little bit more of the vibe, I was just still smiling with knowing that it was called the Gutter Gazette. And it did seem like there was different stories about different members, different weeks, and it's it seems like you pretty much just add the flair to what happened that week.

SPEAKER_01 12:34

Is that a fair assessment? Absolutely, yeah. Uh, you know, a little AI assisted, but um but yeah, uh general concept, general subject matter uh just comes out of the members. And that, in my opinion, is what has made it such a success. Not necessarily the the actions that I've done, uh just gathering the names and the scores and putting the schedule together. Um, but it's the members who show up every week that make this successful. Um without them doing that, uh, it wouldn't be anything.

SPEAKER_02 13:05

So it seems like without everyone's positive energy and personality to like be there, have fun, be in a joyful state. For for me, when I think about wellness, it's it's more than just working out hard and and eating right. It has just as much to do with community and connection. And it seems like y'all have been able to do that in a semi-serious way. And and that's why I wanted to talk about a little more competition-wise. Does it get competitive? Tell me a little bit more about the uh trash talking if there if there is any. Oh, it certainly does.

Competition, Balance, And Two Tiers

SPEAKER_01 13:37

Yeah, there's rival teams, there's trash talking, um, you name it. So uh I I refer to it as a semi-serious uh league. Um, there's teams that are just out there to have fun, and there's other teams that are very competitive. But even with the competit, you know, the competitive nature to it, um, they're still out there having fun. I mean, uh no hard feelings, everybody's uh you know, playing together. Um, but sure, uh there's been that's how we came into the two divisions um because we they're because of that competitiveness. Um, you know, a lot of members here are very successful competitive people. And um when they come, you know, when they're out there playing, they're competing. Uh as fun as it is, they they want to win that trophy at the end of the day. And so I've had suggestions of trying to incorporate handicapping, I've had suggestions of dividing the league up between male and female, um, age uh brackets, etc. And I think while all that makes sense, uh it just takes a little bit away from uh the overall you know uh concept of the league, was which was just to just to mingle, just to bring everybody together in one format, male, female, young, old, uh seasoned player, you know, versus amateur. And so uh we we didn't, you know, we try to allow everyone to play together no matter what the skill is, and then at the end of the season, yeah, we'll separate the scores by two divisions to to add that competitive format to it. Um and that gets a little bit serious. Uh don't get me wrong, people don't hear. When you drop a leak. That's right, that's right. And you'll see uh you'll see the teams in here practicing. I'll walk into Coles on a on a uh random night, and uh Darren will let me know what teams were in there, you know, on Tuesday, Wednesday night, practicing to uh give me a heads up. But uh no, it's it's great. Um and and I appreciate that competitiveness because that's what keeps people engaged.

SPEAKER_02 15:42

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 15:42

Right. Yeah, looking to show up every week.

SPEAKER_02 15:44

There's a book out there called The Four Disciplines of Execution, and it always talks about having a scoreboard. And when you do something for score, it actually elicits more fun. It creates this sense of camaraderie that it seems like you and all our members have in this league. So it is good that I think you've striked a nice balance between, you know, once you do start going to all different divisions, it gets a little more complex. And I think you guys could potentially lose the fun in the the original concept of of bringing people together.

Friendships, New Members, Bowling Alone

SPEAKER_01 16:15

Yeah, not to mention me losing my uh full-time real job, uh spending too much time on this. But uh, yeah, we do our best. It's it's it's a good time.

SPEAKER_02 16:25

Yeah. Well, we we obviously know it works. Uh, tell me a little bit more about friendships. Like, uh are you tighter with different members now? Have you seen members who maybe just moved here to Palmetto Bluff, create friendships? What's going on on the relationship front?

SPEAKER_01 16:42

Uh exactly, all of the above. So we've got those teams that continue to come out season after season, same team, and then we've also got teams that will switch it up each season, play with different people. Um, new neighbors move into town and they they join a team. So um, yeah, it's I think it's a combination of all of that. Um, you know, there's uh not that this is how the league started in my head, but there's a book out there written by Robert Putman and it's called Bowling Alone. And it's about the fact that society has sort of um uh been pulled away from that social aspect of mingling with each other. And um bowling alone title comes from the fact that back in the day uh our parents were part of bowling leagues, they were part of uh groups um like the Knights of Columbus. Um they would have dinner parties, they would, you know, and their children would experience that and it would become a part of you know their culture, their their uh character, and they'd grow up and do the same. And I think as a society, we're losing that, uh, especially as technology advances and people are stuck behind their keyboards. Um, you know, again, COVID didn't help with uh the quarantining. And um again, this is not where the you know basis of the of the league started from by any means, but it just makes me more aware when I hear stories like that or you know, read books like that. Uh I put it into perspective as to what we're doing here, and I think it uh um really holds true. I mean, this is the perfect example of a community that comes together and mingles more so than you know most do.

Swag, Branding, And Community Pride

SPEAKER_02 18:39

Yeah, yeah, that's that's a great reference point. We we are shifting into a way of living that is separating people from people, and any opportunity we can get folks back together is is gonna be a win for our health and and our enjoyment in life. 100%. So I want to take just a little bit of a left turn because I've been peering at your swag, your hat this entire time. Palmetto Bluff Bowling League. I didn't even realize hats existed for the league. Uh tell me a little bit more about the peril. How did that start? Obviously, the different teams break off and they they buy like their team jerseys and stuff, but take me through that a little bit more.

Adopt-A-Highway And Giving Back

SPEAKER_01 19:15

Well, I originally put together a logo that I guess the membership office wasn't uh accepting. I didn't have the trademark. You had to get approvals, right? That's right, that's right. I didn't have the trademark approval to use it. And so I said, well, then you know, show me what you got. And so the membership office came up with the logo that you see here, and we just printed it up on some uh some patches and some hats and uh some koozies and just small little swag stuff. But the idea is to create that culture uh that you were referring to earlier of something that people want to be a part of um and associate themselves with. So uh little things like that help. Um uh so we've got the swag. We you know, we put out the little gutter gazette. Um, we were also featured in uh um uh a uh the Bluff magazine. Yes, yeah, I did see that. They came out and took some some pictures of different players and teams and a little write-up. So uh word is getting out. Word is getting out. I am I don't know if anybody notices, but when you are coming down May River Road, uh that stretch of highway between here and the May River uh Circle is also adopt the highway um that is adopted by the Palmetto Bluff Bowling League. No way. So you'll see a sign on the side of the road um between the.

SPEAKER_02 20:39

Is it if I'm coming to campus or on the way?

SPEAKER_01 20:42

So uh if you if you come out of campus, yeah, uh if you come off property and make a left, so starting right at the uh um entrance where we want the butt where a light would be great in the future. Oh yeah, yeah. So as you uh put your life in your hand, making a left turn coming at it there, just know the streets are clean. Yeah. Um and we try to get together once a season to to just pick up some litter and give back to community. Um, but yeah, it runs from here. It's quite a long stretch, it goes all the way up to the the new publics up there at the circle. Um, but again, that's all part of creating that that uh you know that league um membership, right? Part of something uh much more than ourselves.

Seasonal Cadence And Off-Season Training

SPEAKER_02 21:29

Um so uh a lot of purpose behind it, no doubt. And I I had no clue that there was that extension to sponsoring a section of road. And it it seems like things evolve like this. It you know, as you've described it today, it's like wow, it's it's surprising how quick and how much engagement has happened so quickly and then the evolution of apparel. And I'm sure you're y'all just get flooded with different ideas to enhance things every season. So with nine seasons, it's been what, four years almost? Is that about right?

SPEAKER_01 22:00

Or uh so spring of twenty twenty-two was our was our first season. Um each season, uh so we do two seasons a year. Um we've got the spring and the fall season. So we're coming up now on the spring season. The spring season usually starts somewhere around February this year. It'll be start uh mid to late February this year. It'll be starting on Thursday, the 26th. And that extends out um to the championship week, which is the week right before Memorial Day. Nice. And then we take a little break for the summer months. Everybody travels and whatnot. And anyone doing summer training? Like are there Yeah, a lot of members will move over to uh station 300. Uh yeah, no lie, and try to um uh with a coach out there. We've had some teams try to bring in uh I think one team at one point brought in the uh SCAT bowling team coach to try to get some pointers. That doesn't surprise me. Uh we get a leg up on everybody, but yeah, we take a break during the summer, and then we start up again after Labor Day, and we go from Labor Day until um, you know, before the Thanksgiving holiday, and then again break between Thanksgiving holiday till uh till mid-February. Right on.

How To Join And Member-Led Clubs

SPEAKER_02 23:16

Yeah, what I love about this podcast is I I believe a lot of members might tune in to an episode here here and there, and they don't even realize in this case, like that we have a bowling league, or that the Anson golf course opened up, or that, hey, you should train your VO2 Max. Uh so it's a variety of things we talk about, and uh that's a little bit of a segue. I'm a new member here at Palmetto Bluff, or I I want to get involved. What are the action steps for starting to learn how I can integrate myself into Palmetto Bluff Bowling League?

SPEAKER_01 23:50

So our league registrations are advertised in the tidings email that comes out to all of the members. Um, you can also find my information on the Palmetto Bluff website, the member website. If you go to I think it's Leagues and Activities, and then there's a subsection under member created leagues and activities. And you know that that's one thing I want to talk about as well. Um I'm not the first or only person in this uh community to put something like this together. There's there's many. And um to a certain degree, I think the the member generated leagues and clubs are some of the best. Um I'm also you know part of uh there's a uh bourbon and cigar club. And uh, you know, so it's these, you know, small um you know uh groups of bringing people together uh for no purpose more than just getting together over something you enjoy doing and and meeting new people.

SPEAKER_02 24:53

Yeah. Yeah, I couldn't couldn't agree more. We've been hosting a weekly swim group and we're kind of in this process of uh involving some members to help us grow this because I'm a big believer the more member engagement we can create and create leadership opportunities to drive that here. You guys live here, you're here 24-7. And that it's it's such a it's just a different experience when we can bring collective folks together to to drive changes in our ability to be with one another. So it's good stuff for sure.

SPEAKER_01 25:25

And super lucky to have this right in our backyard. You take a golf cart on a Thursday night to your own bowling gallon and you get there, yeah.

Consistency, Fitness, And “Complacency Kills”

SPEAKER_02 25:32

It's pretty cool for sure. So let's change gears a little bit here. You know, uh Jeff, my my limited uh relationship with you is in and out of gyms. You know, I know you're very committed to your workouts and consistent. You have a background in the military as well. Thank you for your service. Appreciate that. Yeah. Uh so given you're big into fitness and consistency with with this league is very similar parallel to being consistent with fitness. Why is consistency important to you?

Practical Habits For Staying Active

SPEAKER_01 26:05

So grew up in Philadelphia, uh, attended an um all-male parochial high school out there, and was just always involved with any after school activity I could I could get my hands on. So um I played lacrosse, I was rowing on the crew team, um, in uh then moved on to college. I attended the Citadel in Charleston, and what part of that obviously was a lot of physical activity. They also required us to play intramural sports each semester. And so it's just always been a part of my my lifestyle, um, just staying active, um, strong, strong body, strong mind, you know, combination. And um, I'm a big believer that complacency kills. Um moving on from the Citadel, uh, was commissioned into the Marine Corps and did a couple tours overseas in Iraq. And we used to have signs posted all over the bases that would say complacency kills, and referring to, you know, never let your guard down, uh, never become complacent. You know, in the military, literally could kill. But I often, you know, incorporate that into my life, even in the business world and personal life these days, where um, you know, as soon as you become a little bit uh lax and start to slow down, not only does your body break down, but your mind breaks down. Um, and so just try every day to to make it a part of um my my life. You know, it's it's not as often as I would like it to be. Um you're you're fitting it around uh you know, full-time job and uh family obligations, and um uh with my I uh work life, I'm on the road traveling a lot, and so that becomes hard. You're trying to work out in these small little hotel gyms every once in a while. Um but yeah, as often as you can do it. And uh we've got plenty of opportunities here on property with the different gyms and amenities, and uh no better place to just get out and run on a nice day as well. Um so uh yeah, again, it was it was something it was, you know, my father was the same way, my grandfather was the same way. And so going back to my reference to that book, I think a large part of what makes us is how we were raised. And I was just raised in a family that was always very active. And I continued that myself.

SPEAKER_02 28:35

Yeah, yeah, I I think it's powerful learning from folks who have created level of consistency with activity in their life. And um, clearly that bleeds through every life account, you know, with your family, with work. And I I love hearing that those dots connect for you as well. What advice would you have? Folks who are trying to create that level of consistency to make fitness specifically a part of their life, even if you want to delve into any details that have helped you in in your journey with getting stronger and staying fit.

SPEAKER_01 29:06

So I think the word you're using there, consistency, uh, being disciplined is the biggest part to it. Um, finding a routine that works for you. So whether it's first thing in the morning or last thing in the evening or middle of the day, I think is a is a you know um one piece of it. Secondly, is do something that you enjoy. Don't go out and go for a run if the entire time uh you're cursing uh you know along the way. That's not the activity for you. Do something that you enjoy that you look forward to doing. And then um lastly, if you're somebody that's social or you're motivated by having a friend or a neighbor knock on your door uh to take you out for a walk or to exercise with you, then use that um as motivation to get out there because it's a lot easier when somebody's counting on you to be there, waiting on you to be there. You're pick, you know, you go up to the pickleball courts and you know your teammate is waiting for you to show up. Um it's a lot easier when nobody's there and you could just sit on the couch, right? You know, uh procrastinate a little bit longer to getting out the door. But I would say it's those three things, just being disciplined, uh finding something you enjoy, and and possibly, you know, working out with a teammate, um, if that's what you're looking forward to doing.

Wellness, Family, And Long-Term Health

SPEAKER_02 30:22

Right on. A little bit of uh peer-to-peer accountability goes a long way and it makes it more fun. I uh I'm reading a book right now by uh Jonah Berg, and it's called Invisible Influence. And what's so wild about it, and wasn't shocked, it's they've they've done testing and studies that when you run with someone else, it is always going to be faster than not running with another person. That's right. And they've tested this with just different fields of research that that accountability, that connection with someone through physical activity goes a long way. So interesting stuff. I couldn't agree more with your with your breakdown there. And and whether it's bowling night or a workout, it it sounds like it it all comes back to showing up that word discipline. Man, that I connect with that a lot. And so this makes me curious to get to our final question, Jeff. What does wellness mean to you?

SPEAKER_01 31:16

So wellness to me is you know a full circle of body and mind, um, having the energy to get through every day. Um each day is gonna be a little different, your schedule is gonna be different, your energy level is going to be different, uh, but just creating some sort of consistency to where you're not going through long periods of break and just continuing to go out there and do something activity-related every day, uh, whether it's taking a walk or actually getting in the gym or taking a long run. Um so wellness to me is is more so than my own um self-being. It it it's it's you know, now with a with uh having a family of my own with my uh daughter recently being born, it's a sense of accountability to being there for for them as you age, right? And I never want to get to a point where I become a burden on them because of health reasons, and I want to uh be there to see her grow up and you know um be a part of all those special memories. And so I get out there every day and try to do something as um, you know, keep diet right and keep exercise, uh part of your lifestyle, just again, not to become complacent and keep things going. And um, you know, from a wellness standpoint, uh just making sure that, you know, the future is uh um I'm taking control of the future as much as I can. Obviously, there's variables we can't control when it comes to you know different diseases or whatnot and genetics, but um there's a lot of things that that we can. And uh I think uh you know just just keeping your mind active as well as your body to me is is is what I would say is wellness.

SPEAKER_00 33:00

Yeah.

Sponsors, Lane Upgrades, And Reinvestment

SPEAKER_01 33:01

Yeah. Jeff, this has been We've said it all.

SPEAKER_02 33:08

I I think, man, I we I could almost see there being like a a live podcast at the Bowling League with with what you covered, and it definitely excites me to go check it out.

SPEAKER_01 33:17

And well, hey, we're always looking for sponsors. So is anybody out there associated with uh Brunswick or Nike or let us know. Put your uh logo on all of the uh team jerseys. You know, and uh that's one thing I forgot to mention too. I want to give uh thanks to Darren and his team over there at Kohl's for um what they do every Thursday night to support the league. And um I was really happy to see um you know some improvements being made on those lanes. Uh when we first started, uh they were a little bit neglected. Um the ball returns were hit or miss, the uh pin resetters would fail on us. Uh it was pretty consistent where on a league night one of the lanes would fail and we'd be forced to play four teams on just three lanes and and whatnot. And uh Darren was able to take the the membership dues for the league, which is just$150 per person, so nothing extraordinary. Yeah um and invest those back into the into the lanes. And so since then, we've purchased new bowling balls, new bowling shoes, new bowling pins. He's um re-engaged a technician from Brunswick to come out and uh take care of all of the uh maintenance on the on the uh equipment for the ball returns and the pin resetter. So uh the money has been reinvested into our community, into our amenities, and it's all a part again of of the members coming together and um participating here. So couldn't be happier with how it's come come together.

SPEAKER_02 34:52

Darren's a rock star. I mean, he's he's taking me back there to where the uh uh where all the magic happens. And I I was like, wow, this is complex. And they're well, they're well trained now, and uh it's great to hear. I know he'll appreciate that shout out, and good to know that the dudes are all going back into just enhancing the league. That's that's phenomenal. Yeah. Well, thank you so much for being here and for building something that's bigger than just a game night. The bowling league reminds us that health is relational and it belongs. It's a a shared experience that you've done such a great job, Jeff, of bringing people together in in a fun way. And for those out there listening, maybe this is your nudge to join something or start something that brings people together, like the Bowling League. Thanks, Jeff.

SPEAKER_01 35:40

Thanks, Jeff.

Host Reflections On Commitment And Growth

Closing And Listener Challenge

SPEAKER_02 35:40

Listeners, feel free to hang out with me for a few more minutes and get some healthy momentum for the rest of your week. Gosh, this week after talking with Jeff about the Palmetabloth Bowling League, I kept thinking about something simple. And it was this sometimes you create something small and it becomes something far bigger than you ever imagined. What started as a fun, semi-serious bowling night after being out on the water turned into a league. The league turned into community, and the community turned into what can now be looked at as a tradition. There's a weekly recap, the gutter gazette. There are inside jokes, friendly rivalries, and people planning their schedules around it. I I said our Thursday evening fitness class decreases tremendously when Bowling League is in session. It grew. And here's the part that matters for all of us growth like that doesn't happen by accident. It starts with someone deciding to commit. Not to perfection, not to massive scale, just showing up consistently, working at it consistently, and organizing it. That's what struck me most. It wasn't about bowling scores, it was about commitment, a weekly rhythm, a standard, a tone. And when you commit to something long enough, it can take on a life of its own. Think about your own life. Maybe it's your fitness journey, maybe it's a weekly team meeting that you lead, maybe it's a family dinner tradition, or maybe it's this podcast you're listening to right now. Small beginnings, consistent commitment, unexpected growth. Sometimes the healthiest momentum in your life starts with something semi-serious, something fun, something light. But because you stick with it, it becomes meaningful. So everyone, here's your reflection question this week. What is something small in your life that deserves your continued commitment? Because it might grow into something bigger than you. Don't underestimate the power of starting, don't underestimate the power of showing up, and don't ever underestimate what can happen when something becomes larger than yourself. Keep building and keep showing up. That is a wrap on this week's episode. I want to thank you for joining the conversation this week. If you're a Puminable member and you are an avid regular listener, try to share this episode with someone who may not know about the podcast. And until next week, remember to actively participate in life on your terms.