“We wear these masks ’cause we’re so damn pretty,” says “Senor Spanish Fly,” the unofficial spokesman for Chicago’s first full-contact bowling team, Los Diablos Guapos. Speaking with the confidence bestowed by his glistening Mexican wrestling mask, he adds, “And we still score every night.”
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The Guapos wear colorful singlets and wield character-specific props like the “elefante spray” that Gigante (a Web designer) uses to exterminate his competitors. They specialize in moves like the “flying space tiger driver” and the “Mexican cartwheel.” Competition on the hardwood can be fierce, and while the majority of the team’s moves are performed on each other, there is no limit to the amount of verbal abuse and “full frontal pin knocking” that the Guapos inflict on their opponents. Gary Secrest, owner of the Rock ‘n’ Bowl, doesn’t seem to mind: “They say there is no such thing as bad publicity.”
Midlane body slams and frequent trips to the bar have gained the team a small but loyal fan base, and the Guapos, who have a Web site (www.entertheguapo.com), hope to eventually tour the country as advocates of the hybrid sport.
–Robert Nolan
