We Brought Our Own Balls:
Lebowskifest 2007

Kevin Lalonde and Chelsea Mushaluk, OP League Bowling Champions

Tee it’s not publicly
known, the Other Press has a bowling
team. Sometime in early 2006, some
of us got together to watch The Big
Lebowski, the brilliant 1998 Coen
brothers comedy, and after a few dozen
beers, we decided that there can’t
possibly be anything better in life than
bowling, eating nachos, and drinking
White Russians, all in our bathrobes.

If you haven’t seen the film, you
probably have no idea what I’m talking

about. In the film, Jeff Lebowski /

The Dude (played by Jeff Bridges) is
mistaken for a millionaire who shares
the same name as he. With the help of
his bowling buddies Walter and Donny
(played by John Goodman and Steve
Buscemi), The Dude attempts to seek
restitution for a damaged rug, peed on
by the thugs of a wealthy pornography
producer. Furthermore, the Dude never
takes off his bathrobe. Naturally, the
film has one of the biggest and most

ridiculously zealous fan bases on Earth.

For those unfamiliar with the event,
a few years ago, some genius decided
to honour this comedic masterpiece by
throwing a two-day convention themed
around the film down in Vegas, which
was soon dubbed Lebowskifest. In
the style of other orgiastically geeky
fan events (like the ever-popular Star
Trek convention), Lebowskifest would
feature music, drinking, social events,

merchandise, and costume competitions.

Normally that might seem a little too
over-the-top for me, but when that

means I can rock out and drink in my
bathrobe with a whole bunch of cool
geeks, I’m so there. And when it was
announced that Lebowskifest 2007
would be held in Seattle, we all pooped
our pants in excitement.

And so it was decided, before an
OP bowling night last week, that we
would gather our bathrobes and head
down to Seattle for an evening of White
Russians, music, and general geekiness.
Our excitement waned, however, when

Continued on Pg 8