Out of their lane: DC celebs go bowling for charity

Washington’s best celebrity bowlers laced up their shoes and hit the lanes Tuesday night for charity.

Lawmakers, athletes and journalists were among the forty celebs who gathered at Pinstripes in Georgetown for the third annual Strikes for Smiles bowling tournament to benefit Hope for Henry, a charity to benefit seriously ill children in hospitals.

The event was hosted by CNN’s Jake Tapper. Joining Tapper from the media world were The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg, Peter Alexander from NBC News, Alison Starling from ABC7 and journalist Laura Evans.

Dem Rep. Joe Crowley (N.Y.) said he wasn’t much of a bowler, but came ready to compete.

“I’m a lot rusty,” he said.

{mosads}

“I actually came out here to beat Ami Bera,” he joked, about a fellow Dem. “I just jinxed him as much as I possibly could. I think I stepped in front of his bowling lane a couple of times, too.”

Bera, a California House member, was ready for the challenge.

“Let’s make sure I beat Joe Crowley,” he said.

Sharing a lane with Bera was another House Dem, Robin Kelly of Illinois. 

After college, she worked as a child life specialist at a hospital in Peoria, Ill., and said she personally understood the importance of organizations like Hope for Henry.

“It can be so daunting,” she said of children’s hospital stays.

“Doctors take care of their physical health but taking care of their mental and emotional health is so important, too.”

The competition was tight.

Bera bowled several spares, narrowly beating Crowley by a slim 113 to 109. Kelly bowled a strike in the first frame, but with relatively few high-scoring frames afterward finished the game with a total score of 85.

“Ami Bera is a cheat,” Crowley joked. “He is not a fair bowler, and I don’t know how you can cheat at bowling but apparently he can.”

Crowley said the game wasn’t over yet.

“I didn’t lose to Ami Bera,” he said. “Ami Bera got more points than I did in the first round, the practice room, but in the second set-up, I’m destroying him right now. That’s what matters to me.”

Bowling & raising $ to bring a little happiness to a child’s hospital stay. #StrikesForSmiles @jaketapper @AlisonStarling7 @PeterAlexander pic.twitter.com/Po7unllO9y

— Laura Evans (@lauraevans_DC) October 4, 2017

We’re bowling for @hopeforhenry tonight! Great group that helps sick kids in hospitals — check it out! pic.twitter.com/OlOBD9mIux

— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) October 4, 2017