Bowling

[bigmack]

Not a bad game. I've always had a gas when I've gone and have forgotten what a hoot it can be as well as what a nice vibe bowling alleys have. Somehow, things feel AOK there.

This thing might catch on one of these days once video games die down. :rolleyes:

W3xxw7Y4yRg

[dav4463]

I bowled a 196 once. I've never broke 160 since! It is fun though, but I'm better at tennis. I may try it again when the weather gets too cold for tennis.......that lasts about 2 weeks here in Texas! :D

[Overlay]

I used to bowl in leagues regularly, especially when I was single, but I've been away from it for almost twenty years now. (Strangely enough, after I got married, my wife wasn't enthused about staying home alone in the evening with two small kids, after I'd already been away at work all day.) In my heyday, I carried a 180 average. (I've still got my ball and shoes, though.)

[Bubbles]

I bowled in leagues growing up. My highest average was a 189 for a short, ten-week season, but most recently, I've been in the mid-170's in college intramural leagues. I bowled a 261 once after getting the first eight strikes; the worst part was that I was the third-best score on a four-man team that game (the other kid shot a 300, his grandfather shot 268)! LOL...

[Hosshead]

One of the best from the "olden" days - Andy Varipapa - born 1891

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moHDv_kY0yM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZMBy2xXXKs

[turfnsport]

NFDsg3NVuts&hl

Any duckpin bowlers out there? When I lived in MD I bowled in several pro leagues and pro tourneys and bowled with and against Jeff Pyles, probably the greatest duckpin bowler ever.

He averaged over 164 in a league I was in with him, amazing stuff. My best avg was 142. Anything over 135 was considered good enough to bowl on the pro tour, and 140+ got you nationally ranked most years. Mostly mid Atlantic and northeast areas of U.S.

He still holds the record for a 3 game set of 655, bowled in 1978. Pete Signore Jr has the single game record of 279.

My shoulder still feels the pain of al those years of whipping that ball down the lanes.

[Steve 'StatMan']

I loved bowling, still do, but haven't participated in years - gave it up to focus on horse racing. While I spent my years from 9yo to 32yo bowling in Ten-Pin leagues, I get a thrill when I get to travel and bowl Duckpins and Candlepins. Glad to say I've bowled an admittedly non-sanctioned 300 and a 817-3 game series in my private play years ago at Ten Pins. Glad to be able to say I did go crazy one vacation and have 1 game over 160 at the Duckpins, and IRRC a 131 at Candlepins. Duckpins and Candlepins are a great challenge. IRRC only 1 person has ever bowled a 300 sanctioned Duckpin game, and no one has ever bowled 300 at Candlepins.

I loved the Ten-Pin game until I got too good at it to lose at the scratch league and traveling league level and it became more of a job, while working a career job. I realized I could never go Pro without quitting my career job, and was not in a position to, so with too many hobbies, and a new hobby in TB racing that I earned more money at with my first $1,000 score than I'd won in small tournaments, I decided to apply myself to TB Handicapping, and use my computer skills to get better at it - computer skills were no help at bowling vs Sr. Pros and Regional Pros.

Enjoy the game(s), but be careful not to make the mistake of taking onself too seriously about turning professional at it. If you want to make money at sports, stop right now and choose another sport where the big money is at. Realized that my childhood-young adult dream was rather silly right now, but did get to turn my TB Handicaping dream into a job and and income (newspaper handicapper), so I can't bitch at all. My choice of cheesburger or steak doesn't come down to whether I missed the 10 pin in the last game of the tournament, nor the 12th game of the weekly qualifier. Admittedly, the steak is still a rare choice, but that's just fine with me.

[JustRalph]

my wife's place has 12 lanes in it. There is a 2 hour waiting list to bowl on weekends............ it isn't a dead sport yet.

[wonatthewire1]

my wife's place has 12 lanes in it. There is a 2 hour waiting list to bowl on weekends............ it isn't a dead sport yet.


I think the closest ally to me is about an hour away these days.

Though I don't have any real good memories - the place usually smelled of Pell Mell's and Ballentine (Pabst-like to you midwesterners). The chicks there weren't even VP hot