GT’S SPORTSBAR; SHORELINE, WA By Ty Hughes Traci Ewing and her faithful gang gathered last month for a uniquely fun event when it was all about who had the ugliest sweater. Billed as a weekly Saturday dart shoot, Traci put a twist on the night by having folks rummage through their dusty stockpiles of ancient clothing in search of that gawd-awful sweater. Yeah, you know the one - that ultra-garish sweater that was mailed to you in 1972 from an unknown family member. You made an instant pact that you would never be caught wearing this thing and threw it in the closet. That’s the one they were looking for! Well, I’m here to tell you that many of those sweaters made their way into daylight for the first time since being new and were bobbing around at GT’s, in public mind you! Dear Lord, we’ve evolved so much in thirty years! What were we thinking?! Besides draining the last remaining shred of dignity I held as a card-carrying member of the human race and my heritage, questions arose in my head. I could quote them for you here, rather just know that they all spell shame on all of us! Some folks, including Traci herself, had their sweaters all bunched up in a chair, refusing to shoot with all that itchy, ugly material draped all over their torso. Evan and Eric didn’t seem to mind too much. They almost seemed proud to be wearing the ugliest sweaters in the joint. We’re talkin’ balled up, little fuzzballs and really nice neon colored diamond shapes, etc. Pretty much the grossest possible garment still in existence. If I were honest, I’d tell you that I actually drove over to the Value Village looking for that sweater I threw out two decades earlier for this one. I never found it. Damn, did somebody actually look at that thing and think, “I gotta have this!”? I may soon resign from the human race altogether. As for the people and darts and stuff? Fifteen teams came out for the shoot and there were lots of innocent bystanders. Some were familiar faces while others presented an excellent opportunity to make a new friend. For the record, I love that part of my job – meeting brand new people and getting to know them a bit. It’s truly amazing if you think about how busy and involved you are in your own life, it’s fascinating to know that each one of us, are equally entrenched in our own lives. To listen to other people’s plights in life intrigues the me to no end. I like to remember people’s names and use them as often as possible – they love that – it carries a sense of familiarity, hence a friendship. GT’s is a great place to get to know people. I’ve met some incredible characters here, just sitting at the bar. Don’t ask me their name, ‘cause I forgot. Maybe it’s because everybody’s usually standing shoulder to shoulder due to the close quarters. Well, the newspaper guy is always the last to hear these things (dig), but apparently GT’s will be moving across the parking lot to a much bigger location. The new location is said to be much larger and even better than the current location. The “big” move will happen within the first week of February. Now they can say that GT’s has officially occupied three buildings within the same block. While Mrs. Molly Masterman will probably be in hiding until the move is over, she was definitely in attendance on Ugly Sweater night. She tried to convince me that it was her birthday and she was standing with her cousin Jesse who doesn’t play darts. It may have been her birthday, but I don’t know whether to believe the cousin thing. Jesse seemed like a nice guy, but Molly is now unofficially related to the majority of Lynnwood’s populace. Her gracious and new husband, Craig, was carousing the bar in a tasteful sweater of his own. Obviously he had no intention of entering the contest. Ask me again in twenty years though. Traci Ewing, the dart goddess that she is, hopes to secure 35 teams for the upcoming season. By the sound of the new place, this could, and should become a reality. Check out GT’s Sportsbar for a good time with some good people. Remember, they’re not in the same building so don’t be alarmed. Just look one building to the east, under their new name, Jersey’s, and you’re there! See their ad in this issue of the Medallion for all the details on events coming to Jersey’s in February!
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