Tulsa Women's Bowling League Celebrates 50 Years

Tulsa’s only remaining all-ladies, traveling bowling league celebrated 50 years by doing what they do every Friday – bowling with friends.

The "Space Age Travelers" bowling league rotates between four bowling lanes. Friday, they visited Broken Arrow Lanes, with 40 women playing.

“It’s a regular Friday thing. We love it. All of us love it,” said Jackie Maddox.

When the league started, everyone was young, but now the youngest member is 21-year-old Sheridan Shields.

The oldest is 90 year old Thelma Biles. She'll turn 91 at Christmas.

She started the Space Age Travelers, when she and some friends missed the cut for a league that required a 160 average.

“So they suggested I start it, so I did,” she said.

It hasn’t stopped, except briefly during the pandemic.

“There's a camaraderie among these ladies that's just unbelievable, you know and it's so much fun. You leave here on Friday, your muscles are sore from having laughed so hard. If you're in a bad mood, you won't be in a bad mood when you leave because we just laugh all the time,” said Peggy Reed, the secretary for the Travelers.

Carol Newport, the manager of Broken Arrow lanes, is also a member of the group. She said they’re unique in Northeast Oklahoma.

“Especially, an all women's league, those just don't exist anymore,” she said.

“Miss Thelma," as they call her, doesn't run the league anymore, but figures she'll never quit. “They said if I live to be 100, I'll bowl till I'm 100,” she laughed.