Lane Change
Bowling isn't just for lodge brothers. Besides your traditional keggling of the kind that enraptured Ralph Kramden and Ed Norton, today there's bowling for disco lovers, kids, duck-pin lovers, even nudists.
Here's a look at some of the variations of the game out there.
Cosmic Bowling (a.k.a. "Glow Bowling," "Disco Bowling," "Rock Bowling"): A nightclub on the lanes. It's dark, the balls and pins glow, bowlers roll to rock or disco music. Sometimes, there are even live shows, lasers, and machine-made fog.
Bumper Bowling: It's the easy solution to those nasty gutter balls for players who are six years old, or who play as if they were. Some lanes offer bumpers or inflatable tubing that can be placed in the lane gutters. It makes it really difficult to miss the pins.
Candlepin: Not bowling by candlelight, but a variation of the sport offered by some lanes, particularly in the New England region. The ball weighs at most two pounds, seven ounces, compared to the standard ball's maximum of 16 pounds. The pins resemble candlesticks — shorter and straighter than standard bowling pins.
As for the game itself, rather than rolling two balls per frame, players get to roll three. The maximal 300 score is the same, as is the number of frames per game, 10. But the way to get to 300 differs.
In standard bowling, a player who hits a strike scores ten plus the total of the next two rolls. In Candlepin, you have the opportunity to roll as many as three strikes in one frame. The scores, consequently, tend to be lower.
Five Pin And Nine Pin: At one point, ten pin bowling was outlawed in some places, the rationale being that it was taking attention away from church and was related to gambling. The solution: change the number of pins. Nine pin bowling is still big in Canada, and some five pin alleys can still be found in Texas.
Duck Pin: Called so because of the ring around the neck of the pin, which is shorter and fatter than standard pins. The difference in size makes it harder to score a strike, since these pins are less likely to knock down other pins. Also, like candlepin bowling, there are three balls per frame and the balls are smaller.
Ladies Of The Morning League: From the famed Mustang Ranch brothel in Reno, Nevada came the Hooker's League. The working girls used to go bowling at 6:00 A.M. after ending their work night. They would play clothed, though, unlike fans of. . .
Nude Bowling: The nude bowling scene in Dream With The Fishes wasn't entirely fictitious. It is possible to bowl naked if you find the right alley. In Toronto, Danforth Bowl has welcomed nudists on three occasions. There are restrictions, though. Your group must rent the entire alley (Danforth only has six lanes, making it doable). Plus, one of you may have to guard the door and keep out non-nudists. You will still have to wear those dumb shoes.
Back to The Big LeBowlski
The Fast Lane
Don't Be A 'Powder Puff'!
A Shrine To Bowling's Legendary Rollers
Written by Rob Medich with graphic design by Emily Fader