College is a lot like Chuck E. Cheese's -- rowdy kids romp around unrestrained. Endless piles of greasy pizza are consumed hourly. And there are games galore, namely skee-ball.

Yes, skee-ball is alive and well at Penn State, thanks to a group of die-hard fans with initiative and a love for the game.

Though collegiate skee-ball doesn't have flashing arcade lights or ticket-stub prizes to attract crowds, there are some on campus who love nothing better than to while away the hours with a wooden ball and a bunch of friends.

Skee-ball has traditionally been relegated to arcades and amusement parks, but to a growing group of about 12 guys, skee-ball is more than just idle amusement for rambunctious 7-year-olds.

To them, this is just a continuation of family tradition. Many have fond memories of family outings to the arcade or community center, where they poured quarter after quarter into skee-ball games. Bringing their honed skee-ball skills to Penn State was a natural progression.

Introduced to Penn State in 1999 by Tedd Lutz and a few pals, the tradition endures today. Alan Stewart (sophomore-agriculture) and some of his friends have organized several intercollegiate matches. They play five or six matches a year, usually in the spring.

"We play a lot of the colleges around the area, even some in the Big Ten," Stewart said.

The team takes care of transportation to these colleges and organizes setup for their home meets in the hallways of Rec Hall. All the equipment has been built or purchased by members of the skee-ball squad. Adam Risinger, a sophomore at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, lends his skee-ball talents to the Penn State squad. Risinger said lanes can cost more than $1,000, but he was fortunate to win one in a tournament.

Like golf and bowling, skee-ball has its own lingo. Risinger said when one of them rolls a 50, they sometimes yell "Bingo!" Other terms for a 50 (the ones fit to print) are "strike," "bull's eye" or "yahtzee." If a player lands three 50s in a row, it's dubbed a "rosebud."

"It's not uncommon for the person that rolled it to turn around and yell 'whodunnit,' " Lutz said.

Unlike some other sports at Penn State, the skee-ball team is looking forward to a great season. Stewart has been playing for more than four years, while Risinger has been at it since the age of seven.

"We practice anywhere from one to three times a week. We set up in parking lots, and sometimes we play at the community center," Stewart said.

The hard work has been paying off. Though it's doubtful they will participate in the Skee Ball World Championship finals in Honolulu, Stewart, Risinger and associates have posted some exceptional scores on the lanes.

Stewart has rolled a 920, and his friends consistently land scores in the 800s. The pinnacle of skee-ball success is the ever-elusive 1,000, but the chances of rolling a perfect game are even slimmer in skee-ball than in bowling.

"It's all about the hand-eye coordination. And of course, the release point," Risinger said. "You can't let your arm come across your body. Some players also have a tendency to lift the ball. The trick is to let it glide."

While Penn State is always anxious to point out its diverse events and programs, very few compare with the unadvertised thrill of a heated skee-ball match.

"Don't knock it until you've tried it," Risinger said.