NATCHEZ — Rhonda Guillotte had to wait several years before she could start bowling with her mother in Natchez.

Guillotte has been driving her mother, Shirley Hoffpauir, up to Natchez from their hometown of New Iberia, La., for the last 15 years to take part in Rivergate Bowl’s Rockin’ Grandma and Grandpa Tournament. But since only grandparents or people ages 50 and older can participate, Guillotte was ineligible for the first three years Hoffpauir was playing.

“Everyone kept asking me why I wasn’t bowling, and I told them I wasn’t a grandmother yet,” Guillotte said.

The tournament has gone on each summer at Rivergate Bowl for the past 25 years, and Anne Hash, co-owner of the bowling alley, said approximately 224 teams have taken part in this year’s tournament. Tournament rounds are each Saturday and Sunday, and they began July 7 and will end Aug. 19.

“We started this tournament the same year we started bowling camp (1987),” Hash said. “The first year we started, we did it for just two weekends. Throughout the years, we’ve grown and grown and grown.”

Teams are made up of four men or four women, and events are divided up into singles, doubles and team play.

Guillotte had to wait for her daughter to have a child before she could participate each weekend with her mother, but Guillotte insisted that she wasn’t going to pressure her daughter for grandchildren.

“I told her I wasn’t in any hurry, that when it happens, it happens,” Guillotte said.

Hoffpauir said she kept on her daughter about how the time to bowl with the rest of them would soon draw near.

“I told Rhonda, it’s not going to be long, just a few more years,” Hoffpauir said. “When her daughter got pregnant, we got so excited.”

Guillotte said she enjoys making the three-and-a-half-hour trip each weekend, especially since she can bowl now.

“The people that are here, we love them,” Guillotte said. “They’ve always been very kind to us.”

Guillotte also began organizing a large group of New Iberia residents to compete in Natchez after she was eligible to begin bowling in the tournament.

“We all get to hang out with a bunch of our New Iberia people, and we get to see the sights here,” Guillotte said. “Every year it’s something new.”

Hoffpauir also said she enjoys the people at Rivergate Bowl, as well as the family atmosphere the tournament provides.

“This is the best grandparent tournament I’ve seen,” Hoffpauir said. “It’s small, and you feel like you’re at home. It’s not really a competition. I’d pass up on all the other tournaments for this one. The people here are friendly and down-to-earth.”

Since she’s able to spend time with her family while bowling, Hoffpauir said the tournament suits one of the philosophies she taught her children when they were young.

“I always instilled in my family to do things together,” Hoffpauir said. “I have two boys and two girls, and we try to stay together as a family.”

Hash said people from Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, Arkansas and Alabama participate in the tournament each year.

“I can’t really say why, other than they just tell me how much fun it is,” Hash said. “They love to come for the fun, and they love Natchez. That’s what all of them tell me.”

And since it’s grandparents participating, Hash said she tries to provide items for them to give to their grandchildren. The tournament offers participants grab boxes if they bowl a turkey (three consecutive strikes) or a split (opposing pins are left standing).

“It’s mostly kid-type items, but there are a few things like women’s soap or tools mixed in,” Hash said. “They mostly want to get them for their grandkids.”