Bowling

A ten-pin bowler releases the ball.

Bowling is a sport in which players attempt to score points by rolling a bowling ball along a flat surface, usually a wooden or synthetic surface, either into pins or to get close to a target ball.^[1] There are many forms of bowling, with one of the most recent being ten-pin bowling. Primitive forms of bowling may have existed in ancient times as early as A.D. 300 in Germany,^[2] and also in ancient Finland and Yemen.^[3] The first standardized rules were established in New York City, on September 9, 1895.^[4] Today, bowling is enjoyed by 95 million people in more than ninety countries worldwide ^[5] and continues to grow through entertainment media such as video games for home consoles and hand held devices.^[6]

Health benefits

Bowling is an anaerobic type of physical exercise, similar to walking with free weights. Bowling helps in burning calories and works muscle groups not usually exercised. The flexing and stretching in bowling works tendons, joints, ligaments, and muscles in the arms and promotes weight loss. Apart from the physical benefits it also has psychosocial benefits, strengthening friendships or creating new ones in groups.^[7]

Bowling safety

Like any other physical activity, warming up helps to prevent injuries. Checking the soles of shoes for sticky objects helps to avoid falls. Since bowling balls are heavy with varying weight ranges, to avoid back and wrist injury they should be picked up with both hands. It’s recommended to bend one’s knees while picking up bowling balls to avoid back injuries. The bowling ball return mechanism has a driven wheel, and bowlers should keep their hands clear of it. Bowlers should also warm up their fingers before inserting them into a bowling ball, to ensure that their fingers don't get stuck in the ball. ^[8][9]

Types of pins

Five main variations are found in North America, varying especially in New England and parts of Canada.

tenpin 

largest and heaviest pins, bowled with a large ball with finger holes, and the most popular size in North America

ninepin 

pins usually attached to strings at the tops, uses a ball with finger holes

candlepin 

tallest pins, thin with matching ends, and bowled with a handheld ball

duckpin 

short, squat, and bowled with a handheld ball

fivepin 

tall, between duckpins and candlepins in diameter with a rubber girdle, bowled with a handheld ball, mostly found in Canada.

Equipment

Ball

Bowling balls vary from game to game. Ten-pin balls are large, up to 27 inches in circumference (approximately 8.59 inches diameter), and have as many as five holes for gripping purposes. The balls come in various weights as high as 16lbs, with the size and spacing of the finger holes often smaller on lighter balls to accommodate smaller hands. Balls for other games can vary, candlepin balls fitting in the palm of the hand, needing no holes.

Shoes

Bowling shoes possess an intermediate style between regular dressing shoes and the athletic type. The sole of the non sliding foot is generally made of rubber similar to that of a basketball sneaker to create stability, while the sliding foot is made of a much softer material that allows a bowler to slide into his release. These shoes can be bought, but they are normally rented. ^[10]

Gloves

A bowling glove is a glass with a metal wrist support and a textured face that offers support in order to enhance grip. There are different glove styles, including those with a full metal finger design and ones with an uncovered portion for the middle and ring fingers. ^[11]

Outdoor variations

A bowls tournament in Berrigan, New South Wales, Australia.

The second category of bowling is usually played outdoors on a lawn. At outdoor bowling, the players throw a ball, which is sometimes eccentrically weighted, in an attempt to put it closest to a designated point or slot in the bowling arena. Included in the outdoor category:

• Lawn bowls
• Bocce
• Pétanque
• Irish road bowling
• Cherokee marbles
• Lane/Alley Bowling

Competitions

Four-lane candlepin bowling alley in Windsor, Vermont, USA, about 1910

Major tournaments

• AMF World Cup
• Commonwealth Tenpin Bowling Championships
• PBA World Championship
• World Ranking Masters
• World Tenpin Masters
• WTBA World Tenpin Bowling Championships

Multi-sport events

• Asian Games
• Asian Youth Games
• Pan American Games
• Southeast Asian Games
• Special Olympics World Games
• Olympic Games - there are debates if 10-pin bowling should be part of the Olympic Games
• World Games

Bowling Alleys of the late 1950’s and early 1960’s

Bowling alley construction was considered “an important facet” of property development in the western United States in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s, described by the LA Times as “small cities in themselves”, some of which cost tens of millions of dollars (in 1960’s dollars). Developer Louis Lesser was described by the Los Angeles Times as “the most active in this field” of bowling alley development. By 1962, he had developed nine bowling alleys. The biggest in size as of 1962 was Parkway Lanes in El Cajon, developed at a cost of ($1 million 1962) with 60 alleys, five acres of parking. The facility had “varied entertainment rivaling the best in night clubs”, according to the LA Times, with “headliners”, such as Louis Prima, Lili St. Cyr, Johnny Ray, Frankie Lane, and Roberta Linn appeared at Parkway, developed by Lesser with Irvin Kahn and George Hirsch. Legion Lanes was developed by Lesser with Ted Bentley into a 44-lane bowling alley from the Hollywood American Legion Stadium boxing arena, at El Centro and Hollywood Blvd., at a $14,520,971 (adjusted for inflation). The facility included a playroom for children, cocktail bar, billiard room, and snack bar. NBC provided its lot for temporary parking during construction, and Milt Enright became manager of the facility. By 1962, Lesser also had planned development of bowling alleys in Australia, New Zealand, and Japan, as bowling competed with cricket, soccer, and rugby as national pastimes in these countries. In 1960, Lesser developed a bowling alley in Indio, CA, at a cost of $5,445,364 (adjusted for inflation), in 1959, the $15,069,874 (adjusted for inflation) “Beach City” Santa Monica Civic Lanes in Santa Monica, California, also to house the Santa Monica Civic Club, and Samoa Lanes at 5th and Broadway in Santa Monica, both with 24 lanes, “equipped with automated pinsetters, a billiard room, children’s playroom, coffee shop, and cocktail lounge”.^{[12][13][14][15][16]}

See also

• FIQ, the top international bowling organization
• Cherokee marbles
• Skittles — the sport from which "alley" based bowling originated
• Skee ball — a game that plays similar to bowling
• Pin shooting — a pistol shooting sport
• Pinsetter
• Automatic scorer
• New Zealand Indoor Bowls
• U.S. intercollegiate bowling champions

References