Cologne Club of the attached: 50 years of carnival |Barbara.de

The warm -up training for bowling takes place at a table near the counter.At the sitting six women in waiting position.The host's son rushes up with schnapps glasses, all with cherry sliking."Hold right, every drop counts," warns Hilde Heimerich, 71. Then everyone stems her pin with the litter arm and leads it to the mouth: First hit the evening in the rustic pub Veedel's meeting in the Höhenhaus district of Cologne.Another quarter of an hour, then it goes around the bowling alley, like every two weeks on Fridays, always from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.This has been the case for 51 years."Although that does not count properly last year, because of Corona. We couldn't bowling for a long time, but our phones ran hot," says Hilde.

With her friend Therese Meier, 80, she once got the whole thing rolling."The men had their football and we player women bored. So we founded the club," recalls Hilde.Therese, for everyone here, became president.If you also want to give Hilde a title, it is best to hire the leader.

The status of the bowling club in this pub becomes clear when you take a look at the white wall just behind your regular place.Where other innkeepers would probably hang out photos with star guests in their restaurant, Georg only placed one prominent - he with the "Club the attached".Incidentally, "put on" has nothing to do with arrogance, the name comes from a spirit that is "put on" with fruits and sugar.Favorite variety of bowling sisters: cherry.Otherwise, not everything is taken so well in the club.Less competition, more fun.

A colorful round

The mood now goes into the basement, down to the bowling alley, the only one in the restaurant.Hilde opens the club lock compartment with number 13. It contains the equipment for the evening: sports shoes, ash cups, disinfection towels.A CD player is ready for special occasions such as carnival or birthdays, including plastic bag full of party hits CDs.

Over the years, the number of members fluctuated like an stock market course.13 women were at the beginning, but over time some moved away, new ones came, some no longer made it in time or physically, others had to say goodbye to others.What remained was a committed four -man group: Hilde and Resi, Karin, 78, and Christel, 84. From time to time guest bowlers come by, like today Elisabeth, 85, all of whom call Liesel.Or surprise guests, like Margret this Friday, 79. She was a member for decades, then her husband got dementia.Leave him alone - hardly possible, so she left the club.She now lacks the strength for co -cones.She just wants to be there again."For you," says Resi, "there is always a place at our table. We have to organize WAT so that you can come again more often."

The entry fee is collected: 15 euros per bowler, guests only pay half.The members also give a ten to the cash register for the annual bowling tour.And the "Lick me at the ass" can also has to be fed: the free ticket costs two euros for swearing."In the past, we put a penny in the rectal word. But to come behind, that is too exhausting in old age," says Hilde.And probably too expensive, because "Driss", the Cologne word for shit, is a particularly active vocabulary for women.

Then the time has finally come: Karin is on the starting line.The others keep an eye on them, comment on their attitude, fever.She thunders the ball on the track, six cones fall.That's enough to make everyone cheer.It is the chick in the round - at least as far as her member time is concerned.It only joined it four years ago.If you go to the Reinwill Club, you have to bow up a couple of times, you will be sent high at the counter and have to wait and see how the others vote below.Evaluation criterion?"It just has to fit," says Resi about this inexplicable feeling when the spark jumps.However, it should spark a fire, the indolence is not enough."If we noticed that there were some such an Etetetete, we didn't record them. We are not the high society," adds Hilde.

Next is Christel on it, she has been there for 30 years.Their just thrown in the three cone in the middle brought down the three cone in the middle, "stina" is called this picture.Christel has the role of the supplier in the group, continuously notes the drinks and food requests of the others and forwards them directly to the counter via a red wall telephone.

Now Liesel grabs a ball.Although she is a guest bowl, but still quite reliable every two weeks.Why does she come again and again?"Because it's fun with them. Look at them," she says, pointing towards Hilde and Resi.The friends just hit sayings around their ears.Because the six women overall make so much noise as if a school class with 30 children is gymnastics, you only get fragments of it: "... you flutter cheek ...", "... like in the madhouse ..." - it works all evening.A comedyduo, simply for balls.

The bowling tour is a mandatory date

Liesel meanwhile throws a poodle, a gutter or as it is called here: a Kalle.She also tells the others the reason for this: cramp in the leg.A collective exchange about ailments follows.At least until Resi calls for order: "Hilde, stop chatting and cone."She replies: "Don't stress me, dat is an inn, not a greenhouse."At Hilde, three of the bright yellow cones go to the ground, at Resi, which is right afterwards, six of them fall over, but the lighting board only shows five.This opens up a new topic for women: technology that no relating to.

However, what you can rely on: the bowling tour on the last weekend in September.Mandatory date - if you can't, you need a good excuse."I didn't drive a single time. Either I just opened my pub or got a child," says Hilde.

A break is inserted some revolutions and cone rounds later.Salmon comes on the table for refreshment, plus a few Kölsch."The fish has to swim," says Hilde.Roaring laughter.Margret asks how the käthchen are doing.Käthe was there for more than ten years, a hip surgery with complications threw her out of the track.Hilde knows and reports: "She is still sitting in a wheelchair. I told her: swing her hip again soon, we are waiting for you."

The royal game comes to the end

Last program item: the royal game.Other cone images have to be cleared for rounds for rounds.The fallen cones are added, and if you end up with the highest number of points, the queen receipt gets - at least for the next two weeks.You have to accelerate, the next group is at 8 p.m.The ball rolls over the train, then the President calculates.The result: a jump -off between Hilde and Karin.That means: two litters on the stina.

Hilde brings a cone down, Karin two.The winner is certain.The others jump like cheerleaders who celebrate the team victory.Resi puts Karin the chain, congratulations, and then down from the train.The game is over, but the evening is far from over.

Marlene Kohring can imagine moving from Hamburg to Cologne at some point.The people there, hach

This text comes from the Barbara.Get them as a subscription - with many advantages.Here you can order them directly.