fbpx
Wikipedia

Ten-pin bowling

November 09, 2023

"Tenpin" redirects here. For the brand of bowling centres in the United Kingdom, see Tenpin Ltd.

Ten-pin bowling is a type of bowling in which a bowler rolls a bowling ball down a wood or synthetic lane toward ten pins positioned evenly in four rows in an equilateral triangle. The objective is to knock down all ten pins on the first roll of the ball (a strike), or failing that, on the second roll (a spare).

Ten-pin bowling
Ball contacts the 1, 3, 5, and 9 pins (sequentially tinted red) to achieve a strike.
Highest governing bodyInternational Bowling Federation
First playedc. 1810 England (outdoors)[1]
c. 1820,[2] United States
Characteristics
ContactNo
Mixed-sexYes
TypeBall sport, Target sport
EquipmentBowling ball, pins, lanes, bowling shoes
VenueBowling lanes
GlossaryGlossary of bowling
Presence
OlympicDemonstration sport in 1988
World GamesSince 1981

An approximately 15 feet (5 m) long approach area used by the bowler to impart speed and apply rotation to the ball ends in a foul line. The 41.5-inch-wide (105 cm), 60-foot-long (18 m) lane is bordered along its length by gutters (channels) that collect errant balls. The lane's long and narrow shape limits straight-line ball paths to angles that are smaller than optimum angles for achieving strikes; accordingly, bowlers impart side rotation to hook (curve) the ball into the pins to increase the likelihood of striking.

Oil is applied to approximately the first two-thirds of the lane's length to allow a "skid" area for the ball before it encounters friction and hooks. The oil is applied in different lengths and layout patterns, especially in professional and tournament play, to add complexity and regulate challenge in the sport. Especially when coupled with technological developments in ball design since the early 1990s, easier oil patterns common for league bowling enable many league bowlers to achieve scores rivaling those of professional bowlers who must bowl on more difficult patterns—a development that has caused substantial controversy.

Ten-pin bowling arose in the early 1800s as an alternative to nine-pin bowling, with truly standardized regulations not being agreed on until nearly the end of that century. After the development of automated mechanical pinsetters, the sport enjoyed a "golden age" in the mid twentieth century. People approach modern ten-pin bowling as either a demanding precision sport or as a simple recreational pastime.[3] Following substantial declines since the 1980s in both professional tournament television ratings and amateur league participation, bowling centers have increasingly expanded to become diverse entertainment centers.

Ten-pin bowling is often simply referred to as bowling. Ten-pin, or less commonly big-ball, is prepended in the English-speaking world to distinguish it from other bowling types such as bowls, candlepin, duckpin and five-pin.

Facilities and equipment edit

Lanes edit

See also: Bowling ball § Effect of lane characteristics on ball motion
 
True scale diagram: In ten-pin bowling lanes, the nearest pin is 60 feet from the foul line—more than 17 times the lane's 41.5-inch width.[4] The optical illusion of foreshortening that a bowler experiences when standing on the approach causes pins to appear closer together and bowling ball angles of entry to appear more dramatic than they are in fact.[5][6]

Ten-pin bowling lanes are 60 feet (18.29 m) from the foul line to the center of the head pin (1-pin), with guide arrows (aiming targets) about 15 feet (4.57 m) from the foul line.[4] The lane is 41.5 inches (1.05 m) wide and has 39 wooden boards, or is made of a synthetic material with the 39 "boards" simulated using marking lines.[4] The approach has two sets of dots, respectively 12 feet (3.66 m) and 15 feet (4.57 m) behind the foul line, to help with foot placement.[4]

Oil patterns, with greater oil concentrations represented by darker blues
(Horizontal scale is compressed.)
 
Simplified THS (typical house shot): relatively dry areas on the sides, and more heavily lubricated areas surrounding the centerline, help to guide the ball toward the pocket.[7]
 
Simplified sport pattern: a "flatter" (more even) distribution of oil across the lane presents a greater challenge to hit the pocket.[7]

Modern bowling lanes have oil patterns designed not only to shield the lanes from damage from bowling ball impacts, but to provide bowlers with different levels of challenge in achieving strikes. As illustrated, a typical house pattern (or THS, typical house shot) has drier outside portions that give bowling balls more friction to hook (curve) into the pocket, but heavier oil concentrations surrounding the centerline so that balls slide directly toward the pocket with less hooking.[7] In the more challenging sport patterns used in tournaments and professional-level matches, a "flat" oil pattern—one with oil distributed more evenly from side to side—provides little assistance in guiding the ball toward the pocket, and is less forgiving with regard to off-target shots.[7] The ratio of centerline oil concentration to side oil concentration (the oil ratio) can exceed 10-to-1 for THSs but is restricted to 3-to-1 or less for sport shots.[7]

Lane oils, also called lane conditioners, are composed of about 98% mineral oil that, with numerous additives, are designed to minimize breakdown and carry-down that would change ball reaction after repeated ball rolls.[8] Lane oils are characterized by different levels of viscosity, with oils of higher viscosity (thicker consistency) being more durable but causing balls to slow and hook earlier than lower-viscosity oils.[8]

Balls edit

See also: Bowling ball § Effect of coverstock, core and layout on ball motion
 
True scale diagram: A straight path, even one starting from the extreme outside corner of the lane, results in an angle of entry of at most 1.45°. Larger entry angles (shown in diagram) are achievable when hooking (curving) the ball. Larger entry angles have been shown to be generally more favorable for achieving strikes.[9][10]

Rubber balls (introduced in 1905) were eventually supplanted by polyester ("plastic") balls (1959) and polyurethane ("urethane") balls (1980s).[11] Coverstocks (surfaces) of bowling balls then evolved to increase the hook-enhancing friction between ball and lane: reactive resin balls arrived in the early 1990s, and particle-enhanced resin balls in the late 1990s.[11] Meanwhile, the increasingly sophisticated technology of internal cores (also called weight blocks) has increased balls' dynamic imbalance, which, in conjunction with the coverstocks' increased friction, enhances hook (curving) potential to achieve the higher entry angles that have enabled dramatic increases in strike percentage and game scores.[12]

Hook potential has increased so much that dry lane conditions or spare shooting scenarios sometimes compel use of plastic or urethane balls, to purposely avoid the larger hook provided by reactive technology.[11][13]

The USBC regulates ball parameters including maximum diameter (8.595 inches (21.83 cm)), maximum circumference (27 inches (0.69 m)), and maximum weight (16 pounds (7.26 kg)).[4]

Ball motion edit

See also: Bowling ball § Ball motion
 
Simplified representation of the skid, hook, and roll phases of bowling ball motion.[14] Technological advances since the early 1990s in ball design have allowed dramatically increased hook potential and strike frequency, without requiring additional skill on the part of bowlers.[12] (Horizontal scale is compressed.)

Because pin spacing is much larger than ball size, it is impossible for the ball to contact all pins. Therefore, a tactical shot is required, which would result in a chain reaction of pins hitting other pins (called pin scatter). In what is considered an ideal strike shot, the ball contacts only the 1, 3, 5 and 9 pins (right-handed deliveries).[9]

Most new players roll the ball straight, while more experienced bowlers may roll a hook that involves making the ball start out straight but then curve toward a target, to increase the likelihood of striking: USBC research[9] has shown that shots most likely to strike enter the pocket at an angle of entry that is achievable only with a hook.[10]

A complex interaction of a variety of factors influences ball motion and its effect on scoring results.[15][16][17] Such factors may be categorized as:

  • The bowler's delivery (see Effect of delivery characteristics on ball motion) Characteristics of the ball's delivery that affect ball motion include the ball's speed going down the lane, its rotational speed (rev rate), the angle of the ball's axis of rotation in horizontal and vertical planes (axis rotation and axis tilt, respectively), and how far beyond the foul line that the ball first contacts the lane (loft).[18]
  • Bowling ball design (see Effect of coverstock, core and layout on ball motion). A 2005-2008 USBC Ball Motion Study found that the ball design factors that most contributed to ball motion were the microscopic spikes and pores on the ball's surface (present in balls with reactive resin coverstock), the respective coefficients of friction between ball and lane in the oiled and dry parts of the lane, and the ball's oil absorption rate, followed in dominance by certain characteristics of the ball's core (mainly radius of gyration and total differential).[12] Friction-related factors may be categorized as chemical friction (degree of "stickiness" designed by manufacturers into the resin coverstock) and physical friction (which can be modified by sanding or polishing, or by including additives that physically increase lubrication).[10][19][12] "Weak" (pin down) versus "strong" (pin up) layouts of the finger and thumb holes with respect to core orientation affect skid lengths and hook angularity.[20][21]
  • Lane conditions (see Effect of lane characteristics on ball motion). Lane conditions that affect ball motion include lane transition (including breakdown and carry-down),[5] the oil absorption characteristics of previously thrown balls and the paths they followed,[5][22] wood versus synthetic composition of the lane (more generally: soft vs. hard lanes),[5] imperfections in lane surface (topography),[5] and oil viscosity (thick or thin consistency; innate viscosity being affected by temperature and humidity).[5]

Pins and pin carry edit

 
Front view:[23] the ball impacts center pocket at "board 17.5"—found by a USBC pin-carry study[9] to maximize strike probability. The ideal impact point is closer to the center of the head pin than many believe.[23]
 
USBC study results indicating "board 17.5" to be the ideal ball location to achieve strikes, with higher entry angles (shown) and heavier balls (not graphed) generally improving chances of striking[9]
 
Ideal impact for strike[10]

Bowling pins (with a maximum thickness of 4.766 inches (12 cm) at the waist) are "spotted" (placed) in four rows, forming an equilateral triangle with four pins on a side to form a tetractys.[4] Neighboring pins are centered 12 inches (30 cm) apart, leaving a space of 7.234 inches (18 cm) between pins that can be bridged by a bowling ball of regulation diameter (8.5 inches (22 cm)).[4]

Pin carry essentially determines the probability of achieving a strike assuming the ball impacts in or near the pocket—varies with several factors.[9] Even before a 2008 USBC pin carry study, it was known that entry angle and ball weight increase strike percentages.[9] The 2008 study concluded that an impact with the ball centered at "board 17.5" causes pin scatter that maximizes likelihood of striking.[9][10] The material of the pin deck and "kickback" (side) plates was also found to materially affect pin carry.[9]

Ball delivery edit

Delivery style categories edit

See also: Bowling form and Bowling ball § Effect of delivery characteristics on ball motion

Three widely recognized categories are stroker, cranker and tweener.[24][25]

  • Strokers—using the most "classic" bowling form—tend to keep the shoulders square to the foul line and develop only a moderately high backswing, achieving modest ball rotation ("rev") rates and ball speeds, which thus limit hook potential and kinetic energy delivered to the pins.[24] Strokers rely on accuracy and repeatability, and benefit from the high entry angles that reactive resin balls enable.[24]
  • Crankers tend to open (rotate) the shoulders and use strong wrist and arm action in concert with a high backswing, achieving higher rev rates and ball speeds, thus maximizing hook potential and kinetic energy.[24] Crankers rely on speed and power, but may leave splits rarely left by strokers.[24]
  • Tweeners (derived from "in-between") have styles that fall between those of strokers and crankers; the term is considered by some to include power strokers who combine the high rev rates of crankers with the smooth delivery of strokers.[24]

Alternative deliveries edit

 
Conventional delivery. Finger position at release can induce side rotation causing the ball to hook (curve).
 
Two-handed delivery: Both hands retain contact with the ball until just before the release.
Though it is often incorrectly called a two-handed release, the actual release involves a single dominant hand for most bowlers.
 
Modern delivery styles often involve a long follow-through and widely extended balance arm and leg
(shown: Clara Guerrero)
Video: The two-handed delivery, first widely popularized by Jason Belmonte,[26] increases potential rev rate and hook.
(shown: Zach Wilkins)
  • So-called two-handed bowling, first popularized late in the 2000s by Australian Jason Belmonte, involves not inserting the thumb into any thumbhole, with the opposite hand supporting and guiding the ball throughout almost the entire forward swing.[26] This delivery style, involving more athletic ability, is increasingly popular with younger bowlers and technically still involves a one-handed release.[27] It allows the inserted fingers to generate higher revolution rates and thus attain greater hook potential than with a thumb-in-hole approach.[28] In contrast, in what is literally a two-handed delivery and release, children or physically challenged players use both hands to deliver the ball forward from between the legs or from the chest.[29]
  • No-thumb bowling involves only a single hand during the forward swing, without the thumb inserted. The ball is often balanced on the wrist and forearm of the delivery hand for this technique.[30] A successful professional who uses the one-handed no-thumb delivery is Tom Daugherty.[31]
 
The "UFO" or "helicopter" release: the thumb faces the body, while the middle and ring fingers face the pins.
  • The spinner style, which is mainly popular in parts of Asia, has a "helicopter" or "UFO" release that involves rotating the wrist to impart a high (vertical) axis of rotation that causes the bowling ball to spin like a top while traveling straight down the lane.[25] Usually involving a lighter (10-12 pound) ball, the spinner style takes advantage of the ball deflection from the head pin to then "walk down" the other visible pins and cause domino effects diagonally through the pins.[25]
  • In the backup (or reverse hook) release, the wrist rotates clockwise (for right hand releases) or counter-clockwise (for left hand releases), causing the ball to hook in a direction opposite to that of conventional releases.[32]

Grips edit

A conventional grip, used on non-customized house balls and some custom-drilled balls, involves insertion of fingers to the second knuckle.[33] A fingertip grip, involving insertion of fingers only to the first knuckle, enables greater revolution rates and resultant hook potential.[33] A thumbless grip, often used by so-called "two-handed" bowlers, maximizes ball rotational speed ("rev rate").[33]

Pins and scoring edit

Pins edit

The USBC indicated that, effective August 1, 2023, it is certifying string pinsetters and string pin bowling as an independent category of equipment and competition separate from conventional free-fall pinsetters.[34] USBC lab data indicated strike percentage on string pin bowling is 7.1% lower, causing the USBC to plan additional testing to determine whether a scoring conversion should be created between the categories.[34] String pinsetters are less expensive and easier to maintain, motivating bowling centers to phase them in.[35]

Traditional scoring edit

 
Traditional scoring of a strike:

Frame one: 10 + (3 + 6) = 19

Frame two: 3 + 6 = 9 → Total = 28
 
Traditional scoring of a spare:

Frame one: (7 + 3) + 4 = 14

Frame two: 4 + 2 = 6 → Total = 20
 
Though the second bowler's scratch score 183 is higher than the first bowler's scratch score 181, the first bowler's higher handicap (58 vs. 53) causes his total 239 to exceed the second bowler's total 236.

In traditional scoring,[36][37] one point is scored for each pin that is knocked over, and when fewer than all ten pins are knocked down in two rolls in a frame (an open frame), the frame is scored with the total number of pins knocked down. However, when all ten pins are knocked down with either the first or second rolls of a frame (a mark), bonus pins are awarded as follows:

  • Strike: When all ten pins are knocked down on the first roll (marked "X" on the scorescreen), the frame receives ten pins plus a bonus of pinfall on the next two rolls (not necessarily the next two frames). A strike in the tenth (final) frame receives two extra rolls for bonus pins.
  • Spare: When a second roll of a frame is needed to knock down all ten pins (marked "/" on the scorescreen), the frame receives ten pins plus a bonus of pinfall in the next roll (not necessarily the next frame). A spare in the first two rolls in the tenth (final) frame receives a third roll for bonus pins.

The maximum score is 300, achieved by getting twelve strikes in a row within the same game (known as a perfect game).

World Bowling scoring edit

The World Bowling scoring system—described as "current frame scoring"[38]—awards pins as follows:

  • A strike is 30 pins, regardless of ensuing rolls' results.
  • A spare is 10 pins, plus the pinfall on first roll of the current frame.
  • An open frame is the total pinfall of the current frame.

The maximum score is 300, achieved with ten consecutive strikes (as opposed to twelve in traditional scoring), but with no bonus pins received in the tenth frame.[39][40]

World Bowling scoring is thought to make bowling easier to follow than with traditional scoring,[39] increase television viewership,[38] and help bowling to become an Olympic sport.[38][40]

Variant of World Bowling scoring edit

Another variant of scoring, a 12-frame system introduced at the November 2014 World Bowling Tour (WBT) finals, resembles golf's match play scoring in counting the greater number of frames won rather than measuring accumulated pinfall score.[41] A frame may be won immediately by a higher pincount on the first roll of the frame, and a match may be won when one player is ahead by more frames than remain of the possible 12 frames.[41] This variant reduces match length and scoring complexity for two-player matches.[41]

History edit

For a more comprehensive history of other forms of bowling that pre-date ten-pin bowling, see Bowling § History.

Early history edit

 
An early (1820) newspaper ad features a "Ball and Ten Pin Alley" to attract customers to a "Baking and Confectionary Business".[2]
 
An 1829 newspaper editorial describes those who frequent bowling alleys and taverns: "the young, the frivolous, the headstrong, ... men of coarser passions and appetites, and fond of more riotous pleasures"[42]—reflecting the often negative image bowling had.[43]
 
An 1838 Indiana newspaper describes how ten-pin bowling was devised to evade a Baltimore statute prohibiting nine-pin bowling.[44]
 
An 1839 liquor license ordinance prohibited gambling in "any ball, nine or ten pin alley"—associating bowling with gambling and games having a "demoralizing tendency".[45]

Modern ten-pin bowling derives mainly from the German Kegelspiel, or kegeling, which used nine pins set in a diamond formation.[43] The enjoyment of kegeling by German peasants contrasted with (lawn) bowls that was reserved for the upper classes, consistent with bowling's enduring reputation as a common man's sport.[43]

A circa 1810 painting of Ipswich, England, shows a man bowling outdoors with a triangular formation of ten pins.[1] An outdoor version of ten-pin bowling was advertised, also in Ipswich, at least as early as 1828.[46]

An 1841 Connecticut law banned ninepin bowling because of its perceived association with gambling and crime, and people were said to circumvent the prohibition by adding a tenth pin.[47] Other locations (e.g., 1838, re Baltimore[44] and 1842, Charles Dickens re New York[48][49]) also recount that strategy. Even earlier, an 1834 Washington, D.C. ordinance had limited the time (before 8 p.m. and not on Sundays) and place (more than 100 yards from inhabited houses) of "nine pin and ten pins" or "any game in the likeness or imitation thereof ... played with any number of pins whatsoever".[50] U.S. newspapers referred to "ten pin alleys" at least as early as 1820[2] (also later in the 1820s[51] and in the 1830s[52][53][54][55][56][57][58]).

In the mid-1800s, various alternatives to free-standing pins received U.S. patents to solve perceived problems in pinsetting and ball return, aiming to avoid the need for human pinsetters to perform these functions. One scheme (1851) involved pins with spherical bases that when hit by a ball merely fell over, in place, to be rotated back to a vertical position.[59] A second arrangement (1853) involved resetting the pins via cords descending from respective pin bottoms to weights beneath the pin deck.[60] Another design (1869) involved suspending the pins with overhead cords.[61]

 
An 1895 advertisement for bowling lockers (price: $6.00 each section) suggests the attire and facilities used by bowlers of the era.[62]
 
Bowling alley at the Pleasant Beach Hotel, Bainbridge Island, Washington (c. 1898)
 
Human pinsetters (Pittsburgh, c. 1908) preceded automated mechanical pinsetters.

In 1884, the Brunswick Corporation became the first American bowling ball manufacturer, and by 1905[63] introduced the Mineralite (hard rubber) ball that was considered so revolutionary over wooden balls that it was displayed at the Century of Progress Exposition in 1934.[43] In 1886, Joe Thum—who would become known as the "father of bowling"—began opening bowling alleys and over decades strove to elevate the sport's image to compete with upper-class diversions such as theaters and opera houses.[43]

In 1875, delegates from New York City and Brooklyn bowling clubs formed the National Bowling Association (NBA) to standardize rules, but disagreements prevailed.[64] In 1887 Albert G. Spalding wrote Standard Rules for Bowling in the United States, and in the mid-1890s the United Bowling Clubs (UBC) was organized with 120 members.[43] The American Bowling Congress (ABC) was established in 1895, followed by the Women's International Bowling Congress (WIBC) in the 1910s, such organizations promoting standardized rules and striving to improve the sport's image.[43]

From 1920 to 1929, the number of ABC-sanctioned alleys grew from 450 to about 2,000, with Prohibition leading to the growth of family-appropriate "dry" alleys.[43] The 1933 repeal of Prohibition allowed breweries to sponsor teams and bowlers, adding to bowling's reputation as a working-class sport.[43] Though at the turn of the twentieth century most bowling alleys were small establishments, post-Prohibition bowling lanes shifted from side entertainment at fancy Victorian venues or seedier saloons to independent establishments that embraced the Art Deco style and fit the era's perceived "need for speed".[43]

1940s to early 1960s edit

 
Actual text from one of Gottfried Schmidt's patents, this one from an application filed in 1936 and describing how his "bowling pin setting apparatus" can pick up and replace pins even if they were off their proper spots[65]

Gottfried Schmidt invented the first mechanical pinsetter in his garage in 1936, one implementation of which was publicly exhibited in 1946 before AMF placed a production model into service in 1952.[66]

The 1940s through the 1970s became known as the "golden age of bowling",[67] with ABC membership growing from 700,000 (1940), to 1.1 million (1947), to 2.3 million (1958), to 4.5 million (1963),[43][68] Women's International Bowling Congress membership growing from 82,000 (1940) to 866,000 (1958),[68] American Junior Bowling Congress membership growing from 8,000 (1940) to 175,000 (1958),[68] and sanctioned individual lanes growing from 44,500 (1947) to 159,000 (1963).[43]

Bowling's growth was fueled by the deployment of automatic mechanical pinsetters by AMF (1952) and Brunswick (1955), television broadcasts (said to be "ubiquitous" in the 1950s), modernization and stylization of establishments with amenities to attract broader clientele, and formation of bowling leagues.[43] Though President Truman had installed a bowling alley in the White House in 1947,[43] a report of the American Society of Planning Officials in 1958 characterized bowling alleys as the "poor man's country club".[68]

ABC bylaws had included a "white-males-only" clause since its inception in the 1890s, but numerous lobbying efforts and legal actions after World War II by civil rights and labor organizations led to a reversal of this policy in 1950.[69]

Sports agent Eddie Elias founded the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) in 1958 with 33 members, and the first PBA tournaments began in 1959.[66] The Pro Bowlers Tour TV program aired from 1962[70][71] through 1997.[72][71]

In the 1930s and 1940s, professional bowling was dominated by "beer leagues" with many of the best bowlers sponsored by beer companies, but by 1965 the PBA tour was televised nationally on ABC Sports with sponsors such as Coca-Cola and Ford.[67]

In parallel with professional bowling was "action bowling" or "pot bowling"—bowling matches based on monetary bets—historically associated with the New York underworld from the 1940s to the 1970s.[67]

Late 1960s to 1980 edit

 
The Ronettes and New York disc jockey Murray the K using bowling as a promotional device in 1962, during the "golden age of bowling"[67]

The first ten-pin lanes in Europe had been installed in Sweden in 1909, but attempts to popularize the sport in Europe were unsuccessful over the next several decades, though hundreds of lanes were installed on U.S. military bases in the U.K. during World War II.[73] Various countries developed the sport to some extent, and the Fédération Internationale des Quilleurs (FIQ; now World Bowling) was formed in 1952 to coordinate international amateur competition.[73]

A firmer establishment of the sport began in the U.K. in 1960 in London (Stamford Hill) in January 1960,[74] and the British Tenpin Bowling Association (BTBA) was formed the following year.[73] The first British made tenpin was by H Massil and sons who received the permit no.1 from the BTBA.[75] Various other countries, including Australia, Mexico and Japan, adopted the trend over the ensuing decade.[73] After initial faddish growth in the U.K., however, the sport did not thrive as it did in the U.S., and by the 1970s many British bowling alleys were converted to serve competing pastimes, such as bingo.[76]

The "Lane Master" automatic lane cleaning and conditioning machine was first deployed in the 1960s.[70]

In the 1960s and early 1970s, top bowling professionals made twice as much money as NFL football stars, received million-dollar endorsement contracts, and were treated as international celebrities.[67] The $100,000 Firestone Tournament of Champions launched in 1965, in a decade that saw ABC membership peak at almost 4.6 million male bowlers.[70] The number of sanctioned bowling alleys peaked at about 12,000 in the mid-1960s,[68] mostly in blue-collar urban areas,[77] and Women's International Bowling Congress (WIBC) membership peaked at 4.2 million members in 1979.[78]

In the late 1960s, the participation sport of bowling found itself competing with spectator sports and outdoor recreational activities.[43] The number of certified bowling centers was to eventually decline from its 1960s high of 12,000[68] to 6,542 in 1998[77] and 3,976 in 2013.[68] The decline was noted acutely in waning league participation over the intervening decades.[68][79]

1980 to 2000 edit

 
A bowling alley in Berlin (1981) with early electronic displays

Tournament prize funds in the 1980s included the PBA National Championship ($135,000, its largest) and the Firestone Tournament of Champions ($150,000), and PBA membership approached 2,500.[80] Ten-pin bowling became an exhibition sport at the 1988 Summer Olympics (Seoul),[3][80] has been a medal sport since its debut at the 1991 Pan American Games (Havana),[72] and was included in the 1998 Commonwealth Games (Kuala Lumpur).[81]

Outside elite and professional bowling, participation in leagues—traditionally the more profitable end of the business—declined from a 1980 peak (8 million), compelling alleys to further diversify into entertainment amenities.[68] As busier, two-earner households became more common in the 1980s to make league participation more difficult, the number of spectator sports and competing leisure time opportunities (jogging, tennis, skiing) grew.[82] While league bowling decreased by 40 percent between 1980 and 1993, the total number of bowlers actually increased by 10 percent during that period, with nearly 80 million Americans going bowling at least once during 1993.[79] In 1995, the National Bowling Stadium (Reno, Nevada) was constructed at a cost of $47.5 million, but the PBA Pro Bowlers Tour TV program was canceled in 1997 after a 35-year run.[83]

In 1991, equipment manufacturer DBA Products released "The Lane Walker"—the first computer-driven lane cleaning and oiling machine, programmable to clean up to 50 lanes.[72]

The early 1990s brought the development of reactive resin ("reactive") balls with chemically "tacky" surfaces that enhance traction to dramatically enhance hook and substantially increase the likelihood of striking, raising average scores even for less experienced bowlers.[11]

The Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association (SGMA) reported 1997 bowling product sales of $215 million, the SGMA president attributed an increase in popularity to bowling alley remodeling, technological innovations in balls and lanes, computerized scoring, and promotion by bowling organizations.[84]

2000 to present edit

 
Example of a modern bowling alley (2010)

From 1998 to 2013, the number of American bowling centers fell by one quarter.[68] Similarly, in the two decades following 1997, the number of USBC-certified lanes—also indicative of business viability—declined by one-third.[85] This business decline is often attributed to waning league participation: USBC membership—indicative of league participation that was the main source of revenue—declined by two-thirds in those two decades,[85] and the portion of alley revenue attributable to leagues is estimated to have dropped from 70% to 40%.[68][86] Political scientist Robert D. Putnam's book Bowling Alone (2000) asserts, with some controversy, that the retreat from league bowling epitomizes a broader societal decline in social, civic and community engagement in the U.S.[68]

As an indication of the decline, AMF Bowling, the largest operator of bowling centers in the world at the time, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2001, and again in 2012.[87] By 2013, AMF Bowling had merged with New York-based Bowlmor (no relation to the defunct, 1940s-founded Bowl-Mor firm that invented the automatic pinsetter for candlepin bowling), the company becoming known as Bowlmor AMF.[88]

In 2000, three former tech industry executives bought a debt-laden PBA—which saw its 36-year television contract with ABC Sports end in 1997—and turned it from a non-profit league into a for-profit organization, and invested heavily in marketing.[89] The January 2005 merger of four U.S. bowling organizations to form the USBC formed a "central brand" aiming to grow the sport.[90] Beginning late in the decade of the 2000s, the two-handed approach became popularized, first by Australian Jason Belmonte,[26] with some hoping that the controversial delivery style would boost popularity of the sport.[26] In January 2013, the eight-team PBA League began competition,[91] the strategy being that basing teams in specific geographic localities would generate viewer enthusiasm and corporate sponsorship in the same manner as teams in other professional sports.[92] Still, continuing the reversal of bowling's peak popularity in the 1960s, in the 2012–2013 season the average yearly winnings of the ten highest-earning PBA competitors was less than US$155,000, and the average for the remaining 250 competitors was $6,500—all much less than a rookie NFL football player's minimum base salary of $375,000.[67]

 
To attract a broader range of patrons, many bowling centers offer "cosmic bowling" (shown) and host other special events.

Estimates of the number of total (league and non-league) bowlers in the U.S. have varied, from 82 million (1997, International Bowling Museum)[83] to 51.6 million (2007, research firm White Hutchinson)[86] to 71 million (2009, USBC),[93] the USBC stating in 2019 that bowling is still the #1 participation sport in the U.S.[94] More broadly, the International Bowling Museum stated in 2016 that bowling is played by 95 million people in more than 90 countries.[95] In an era of continual decline in league participation,[85][83] bowling centers promoted "party bowling"[67] and black-light-and-disco-ball "cosmic bowling"[83] and experienced a shift from blue-collar participants to open-play (non-league) family-oriented clientele in combined bowling and entertainment centers,[86] some offering laser tag, indoor playgrounds, go-karting, climbing walls, arcade games, skating rinks, gourmet restaurants, and nightclub-style bowling lounges.[82] School sport programs expanded, the USBC stating that more than 5,000 high schools offered bowling as a competitive sport, with 50,000 student bowlers participating in 2009–2010.[82] In 2011, the Bowling Proprietor's Association of America stated that more than 60% of U.S. bowlers were under age 34, that 46% were girls and women, and that children participated in bowling at a higher rate than any other population group.[82]

In contrast to the U.S., the 2000s and 2010s brought a bowling renaissance in the U.K., achieved by accommodating sophisticated modern tastes by providing (for example) retro style bowling alleys outfitted with 1950s Americana, "boutique bowling", "VIP lanes", and cameras for instant replays, and by rejuvenating bowling "alleys" into diverse-entertainment bowling "centres".[96][97] The population of ten-pin bowling centres grew from a low of barely 50 (in the 1980s) to over 200 (2006),[96] with almost a third of Britons going bowling in 2016 and league participation growing over 20% over two years (2015-2017).[97]

Though ten-pin bowling was a demonstration sport in the 1988 Summer Olympics (Seoul)[80] and has been included in the Pan American Games since 1991,[98] after making the short list for inclusion in the 2020 Summer Olympics (Tokyo), it was cut.[99] One commentator noted that the sport's limited geographic popularity (the U.S., Australia and a few European and South American countries), and aging demographic of those who follow the sport, make it difficult to convince an Olympic Committee that wants to appeal to youth.[99]

Bowling organizations edit

     In bowling, we are trying to deliver a heavy 14 or 15 pound bowling ball over the foul line at about an average speed of 16 or 17 miles per hour, apply a rotational force to the ball in order to gain an effective hook motion, hit a one inch sighting target on the lane, and accurately impact the pocket 60 feet away while smashing down about 36 pounds of lumber. There are certainly easier things to do.

—Rich Carrubba, 2013[100]

International edit

World Bowling (WB) was formed in 2014 from component organizations of the Fédération Internationale des Quilleurs (FIQ, International Federation of Bowlers), which in 1952 developed from the International Bowling Association (IBA) which began operations in 1926.[101] Since 1979 the International Olympic Committee has recognized the FIQ, and later, WB, as the sport's world governing body.[101] WB establishes rules for the uniform practice of bowling throughout the world, and promotes bowling as an Olympic sport.[101] The World Tenpin Bowling Association "membership discipline" (component organization) of WB serves the amateur sport of ten-pin bowling worldwide, adopting uniform playing rules and equipment specifications.[102]

United Kingdom edit

The British Tenpin Bowling Association (BTBA, formed in 1961) is the official governing body recognized by World Bowling as the official sanctioning body in England, and as such "is responsible for the protection, integrity and development of the sport".[103] Its stated vision is "to ensure that all people, irrespective of their age, disability, ethnic origin, marital status, sexual orientation or social status have a genuine and equal opportunity to participate in the sport at all levels and in all roles".[103]

The National Association of Youth Bowling Clubs (NAYBC) is a BTBA subcommittee serving youth bowlers and youth bowling clubs.[104]

The British Universities Tenpin Bowling Association (BUTBA, formed in 2008) organizes bowling events for present and former university and college students.[105]

The Tenpin Bowling Proprietors Association (TBPA, formed in 1961 as an umbrella organization) is a trade association for the British ten-pin bowling industry.[106]

United States edit

 
Poster for the first national bowling competition sanctioned by the American Bowling Congress. Highest per-game average scores: individual competition (216), doubles (200), five-man teams (181).[107] A protest was filed against the highest-scoring doubles team, alleging use of a ball that was a quarter-inch larger in circumference than permitted.[108]

The United States Bowling Congress (USBC) was formed as the governing body for the U.S. on January 1, 2005, by the merger of:[109]

  • the American Bowling Congress (ABC, an originally male-only organization founded in 1895),
  • the Women's International Bowling Congress (WIBC, 1916),
  • the Young American Bowling Alliance (YABA, 1982), which itself was formed from combining the American Junior Bowling Congress (AJBC, 1946), Youth Bowling Association (YBA, 1963–64), and ABC/WIBC Collegiate division (mid-1970s),[110] and
  • (Team) USA Bowling (1989).[109]

As the national governing body for bowling, its stated mission is to provide services, resources and the standards for the sport,[90] its stated goals including growing the sport and promoting values of "credibility, dedication, excellence, heritage, inclusiveness, integrity, philanthropy and sportsmanship".[109]

Museums edit

The International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame is located on the International Bowling Campus in Arlington, Texas, U.S.[111]

Tournaments edit

 
Conceptual diagram of a large bowling tournament. Entrants not eliminated in qualifying rounds go on to compete in match play, which determines seeding (initial ranking) for the final matches.[112]

World Bowling oversees quadrennial World Championship tournaments, and international championships for various sectors, including for women, seniors, youth and junior bowlers.[113]

The QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup (begun in 1965) is recognized as bowling's largest event in terms of number of countries competing, according to the USBC in 2018.[114]

The Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) Tour has held anywhere from 15 to 25 events annually in recent years, mainly at U.S. locations.[115] The PBA Tour includes "major" championship events: the U.S. Open, the USBC Masters, the PBA Tournament of Champions, the PBA World Championship, and the PBA Players Championship.[116] Dozens more PBA tournaments are held in various U.S. geographical segments as part of the PBA Regional Tour.

The United States Bowling Congress (USBC) has various tournaments for the PBA tour, PWBA, youth and seniors, including the USBC Masters and U.S. Open (both major tournaments on the PBA tour), and USBC Queens and U.S. Women's Open (both major tournaments on the PWBA tour), plus the USBC Team USA Trials/U.S. National Amateur Bowling Championships.[117] Additionally, the USBC has regional tournaments[118] and certifies local tournaments.[119]

The European Tenpin Bowling Federation (ETBF) owns the European Bowling Tour (organized in 2000),[120] including its final tournament, the European Bowling Tour Masters (first edition: 2008).[121]

The Commonwealth Tenpin Bowling Federation (CTBF), made up of World Bowling member federations within the Commonwealth of Nations, owns the Commonwealth Tenpin Bowling Championships, which has held tournaments at irregular intervals since 2002.[122]

The Weber Cup is an annual, three-day US vs. Europe tournament, named after Dick Weber,[123] that began in 2000 and has been held almost exclusively in the U.K.[124]

In the decade of the 2000s, the World Ranking Masters, owned by World Bowling, ranked standings in the Pan American Bowling Confederation (PABCON), Asian Bowling Federation (ABF), and European Tenpin Bowling Federation (ETBF).[125]

Though ten-pin bowling has not progressed beyond a demonstration sport at the Olympic Games,[3][80][99] international games modeled after the Olympics (awarding medals) do include the sport, including the World Games (governed by the International World Games Association), the Asian Games (governed by the Olympic Council of Asia, OCA)[126] and the Pan American Games (governed by the Pan American Sports Organization, PASO).[127] The Maccabiah Games (governed by the Israeli Bowling Federation, IBF, with events played according to WTBA-ETBF rules) host ten-pin tournaments as medal events.[128]

Leagues edit

Further information: Bowling league
 
USBC membership has declined, indicating waning league participation in the U.S.[85]
 
Same data, normalized to 1997 values to show relative change in lanes, centers and membership[85]
 
The average number of lanes per bowling center has trended upward slightly during this time period.[85]
 
In about 2015, U.S. bowling center employment reversed a long decline,[129] which some attribute to their diversification into more broad-based entertainment centers.[130]

Bowling leagues vary in format, including demographic specialization (male, female, mixed, senior, youth), number of bowlers per team (usually 3–5), number of games per series (usually 3), day and time of scheduled sessions, starting dates and duration of league seasons, scoring (scratch versus handicap), and systems for bestowing awards and prizes.[131] Usually, each team is scheduled to oppose each of the other teams over the course of a season.[132] Position rounds—in which the first place team opposes the second place team, third place opposes fourth place, and so on—are often inserted into the season schedule.[133]

Customarily, team position standings are computed after each series, awarding a first number of points for each game won and a second number of points for achieving the higher team score for that series, the particular numbers being specified in each league's rules.[134][135] Further, in leagues having "match point" scoring, individual bowlers on one team are matched against respective members of the opposing team, the winners receiving points that supplement their team's game and series points.[135]

The number of league bowlers in the U.S. peaked at 8 million in 1980,[80] declining to approximately 1 million by the early 2020s.[85]

Notable professional achievements edit

Titles and scores edit

Earnings and contracts edit

Youngest edit

Oldest edit

  • Oldest to win a standard PBA Tour title: John Handegard (1995, at age 57 years, 139 days)[157]
  • Oldest to win a PBA Tour major tournament (that was classified as a major when it took place): Pete Weber (2013 Barbasol Tournament of Champions at age 50 years, 222 days)[71] (NOTE: Ernie Schlegel won the 1996 USBC Masters at age 53 before it was considered a PBA event; he was retroactively credited with a major due to a 2008 rule change.)[158]

Perfect (300) game history edit

Main article: Perfect game (bowling)
 
A USBC "300 game" gold ring

Ernest Fosberg (East Rockford, Ill.) bowled the first recognized 300 in 1902, before awards were given out.[159] In 1908, A.C. Jellison and Homer Sanders (both of St. Louis) each bowled 300 games in the same season, the ABC awarding the gold medal for the highest score of the year to Jellison after a three-game tie-breaker match, without regard to the chronological order of their accomplishments.[159]

On January 7, 2006, Elliot John Crosby became the youngest British bowler to bowl a BTBA-sanctioned 300 game at the age of 12 years, 2 months and 10 days, breaking the 1994 record of Rhys Parfitt (age 13 years, 4 months).[160]

On November 17, 2013, Hannah Diem (Seminole, Florida) became the youngest American bowler to bowl a USBC-certified 300 game at the age of 9 years, 6 months and 19 days, breaking the 2006 record of Chaz Dennis (age 10) and the 2006 female record of Brandie Reamy (age 12).[161]

Jeremy Sonnenfeld (Sioux Falls, South Dakota) rolled the first certified 900 series in 1997.[162] A well-publicized court-contested 900 series by Glenn Allison in 1982, considered by many to be the first-ever 900 series, was denied certification due to non-conforming lane conditions.[163]

"Score inflation" controversy edit

 
The number of sanctioned perfect (300) games per league bowler has increased substantially since the 1990s. Freeman and Hatfield posit that the increase in perfect games is due to factors such as the introduction of reactive resin coverstocks, asymmetric ball cores, synthetic lane surfaces, and precision lane oiling machines.

The 905 perfect games that were rolled during the 1968–69 season increased 38-fold to 34,470 in the 1998–99 season.[67] Likewise, the number of perfect-game league bowlers increased from about one of 3150 (1900–1980) to about one of 27 (2007), a greater-than-hundredfold increase that many thought threatened to jeopardize the integrity of the sport.[12] Specifically, the USBC Technical Director wrote that the "USBC is concerned that technology has overtaken player skill in determining success in the sport of bowling," announcing in 2007 the completion of a ball motion study undertaken "to strike a better balance between player skill and technology".[164]

Automatic lane oiling machines can be programmed to lay down oil patterns of different levels of difficulty. "Typical house shots" enable higher scores than the more challenging "sport shots".

Separately, a USBC pin carry study completed in about 2008 found that dramatically increased entry angles improve pin carry[9] to result in higher scores—regardless of whether the bowlers supplied additional effort or improved their skill.[12] Among the factors allowing higher scores were technological advances in coverstock and core design[12] combined with improved lane surfaces and accommodative oil patterns.[165]

Specifically, the reactive resin balls and particle balls that came out in the 1990s increased frictional engagement with the lane to provide greater hook potential that made high entry angles easier to achieve.[13] Moreover, changes in lane surface technology, as well as the introduction of voids into pins to make them lighter and more top-heavy, helped to raise average scores as early as the 1970s.[166] Expanded choices in oil viscosity and electronically controlled lane oiling machines permitted alley owners to customize house oil patterns to optimize the advantages of the new ball technologies.[166] Technological progress allowed some 1990s league scores to surpass those of professionals in the 1950s.[166]

Responding to such concerns, the USBC initiated "sport bowling" leagues and tournaments that provide "sport", "challenge" and "PBA Experience" oil patterns that are more challenging than the accommodative patterns of typical house shots.[166] Still, the USBC has encountered enduring issues concerning how to maintain "average integrity" (fair handicapping) across leagues using oil patterns of differing difficulty.[167]

As a result of various USBC studies, including a bowling technology study[168] published in February 2018, the USBC Equipment and Specifications Committee established new specifications focusing mainly on balls.[169] The overall result of the new specifications was said to slightly limit hook potential, more specifically eliminating balance holes (as of the 2020–21 season) and setting a new specification for oil absorption.[169] The USBC stated that the new specifications will slow oil pattern transition, cause bowlers to move less, and keep the same scoring pace with lower oil volume.[169]

In media edit

Coverage of events edit

See also: Category:Bowling television series

Beginning in 1962, ABC's Pro Bowlers Tour was broadcast on Saturday afternoons[72][170] to be viewed by millions, and—with various entertainment-oriented programs including Make That Spare, Celebrity Bowling and Bowling for Dollars—confirmed the sport's popularity.[66] The Pro Bowlers Tour garnered excellent ratings in the 1960s and early 1970s, as a lead-in to ABC's Wide World of Sports. However, television ratings fell substantially,[83] from 9.1 in the mid-1970s to 2.0 in 1997,[171] the year in which Pro Bowlers Tour was canceled.[72][171]

The decline in bowling event coverage has been attributed to a variety of factors, including time demands burdening the schedules of two-income households,[83] small purses (winnings) for professional tournaments, declining participation in league bowling, the perceived demographic of bowlers (old, or of low social class), waning popularity with the public, competing sports programming on cable television, lack of corporate sponsorship, lack of an inspiring bowling star (2004),[172] and an aging audience for TV bowling.[171] A 2006 PBA article describing the PBA bowlers in the documentary A League of Ordinary Gentlemen called bowling athletes "the Rodney Dangerfields of professional sports".[173]

The decline in coverage has also been attributed to the perception that bowling is less an athletic sport (not being in the Olympic Games)[3] and more of a recreational pastime (such as for children's birthday parties).[174] This perception is reinforced by the easy lane conditions provided to bowling leagues that enable seasoned league bowlers to achieve scores rivaling those of professionals who must bowl under more challenging lane conditions.[174]

Former PBA Commissioner Mark Gerberich said that ABC paid the PBA $200,000 per broadcast in 1991, but by 1997 "we were paying $150,000 to stay on TV."[175] Said to be "near bankruptcy" in 2000,[176] the PBA changed ownership[170] to one that emphasized marketing with the goal of running the organization as a for-profit business.[89] ESPN featured bowling from 2000 to 2018 on Sunday afternoons, with CBS Sports Network also airing a smaller number of bowling tournaments.[170]

In 2019, the PBA entered an agreement, expected to last four years, in which Fox Sports would sell advertising and sponsorships for the sport to establish the sport's presence on broadcast television, also providing cable, streaming, and social media programming.[170] In September 2019, Bowlero Corporation purchased the PBA.[177]

Portrayal on television edit

Particular television broadcasts include:

In print edit

In J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Professor Albus Dumbledore is a fan of ten-pin bowling.[184]

Non-fiction films edit

Strikes and Spares (1934) was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Novelty Short.[185]

Pin Gods (1996) presents the early challenges of three young bowlers breaking into professional bowling.[186]

The PBS Independent Lens documentary A League of Ordinary Gentlemen (2006) chronicles the stories of four PBA Tour bowlers at different stages of their careers, following the purchase of the PBA and appointment of former Nike executive Steve Miller as Director.[173][176]

Fiction films edit

Further information: Category:Ten-pin bowling films

In the animated short cartoon The Bowling Alley-Cat (1942), cat and mouse Tom and Jerry do battle inside a bowling center.[187]

In Dreamer (1979), Tim Matheson plays a man aspiring to be a professional bowler who faces a challenger played by Dick Weber.[188]

In Greedy (1994), Michael J. Fox plays an "honest but luckless pro bowler with a bad wrist and a good woman."[189]

The Farrelly brothers' comedy Kingpin (1996) is a bowling comedy about which Randy Quaid said in an interview, "If we can't laugh at bowling, what can we laugh at?"[72]

In the Coen Brothers' The Big Lebowski (1998), "the Dude" (Jeff Bridges), a "slacker's slacker", hangs out with his buddies at a bowling alley,[190] in which John Goodman's character pulls out a gun to threaten a competitor who stepped over the foul line and refused to accept the mandatory zero score for the shot.[72]

In the Disney Channel's Alley Cats Strike (2000), high school students engage in a bowling rivalry.[191]

Games edit

See also Bowling video games.
 
The inventor of this 1870 patent claims to have "invented a new and useful adaptation of the old and favorite Game of Ten-Pins ... rendered available for parlor or indoor use".[192]

What is believed to be the first bowling video game was released in the 1977, a built-in provided with the RCA Studio II console.[193] A pseudo-3D game was released in 1982 for the Emerson Arcadia 2001 console, and a multi-player game was released by SNK in 1991, almost a decade before convincing 3D graphics arrived.[193] Wii Sports, which was released in 2006, includes a bowling game for the 3D-motion-controlled console, and mobile-device bowling games have since become increasingly popular.[193] Several organizations—including the PBA and entertainment franchises such as Animaniacs, The Simpsons, Monsters, Inc., and The Flintstones—have granted licenses to use their names for video games.[193]

See also edit

Publications edit

  • Benner, Donald; Mours, Nicole; Ridenour, Paul (2009). "Pin Carry Study: Bowl Expo 2009" (Slide show presentation). bowl.com. (PDF) from the original on December 7, 2010. USBC, Equipment Specifications and Certifications Division.
  • Freeman, James; Hatfield, Ron (July 15, 2018). Bowling Beyond the Basics: What's Really Happening on the Lanes, and What You Can Do about It. BowlSmart. ISBN 978-1 73 241000 8.
  • Stremmel, Neil; Ridenour, Paul; Stervenz, Scott (2008). "Identifying the Critical Factors That Contribute to Bowling Ball Motion on a Bowling Lane" (PDF). United States Bowling Congress. (PDF) from the original on June 3, 2012. Study began in 2005. Publication date is estimated based on article content.
  • United States Bowling Congress (USBC) (February 2012). "USBC Equipment Specifications and Certifications Manual" (PDF). bowl.com. (PDF) from the original on June 19, 2013.
  • United States Bowling Congress (USBC) (February 2018). "Bowling Technology Study: An Examination and Discussion on Technology's Impact in the Sport of Bowling" (PDF). bowl.com. (PDF) from the original on December 31, 2018.
  • United States Bowling Congress (USBC) (2021). "Playing Rules 2021-2022" (PDF). bowl.com. (PDF) from the original on November 2, 2021.
  • * Vogel, A. F. (December 1892). "Bowling" (PDF). Spalding's Athletic Library. Vol. 1, no. 3. New York: American Sports Publishing Company. (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2020.

References edit

  1. ^ a b Pluckhahn, Bruce (December 1988). "Bowling Games People Play". Bowlers Journal. Chicago, Illinois: National Bowlers Journal Inc. p. 121. (link to image of painting)
  2. ^ a b c "H. G. Kirk ... Banking and Confectionary Business (advertisement)". Indiana Centinel & Public Advertiser. Vincennes, Indiana, U.S. June 10, 1820. p. 3. (Click for image) The owner "has erected, for the amusement of those who favor him with their custom, a Ball and Ten Pin Alley".
  3. ^ a b c d Carrubba, Rich (April 5, 2013). "Is Bowling A Sport Or A Game?". BowlingBall.com (Bowlversity educational section). from the original on November 12, 2020.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g United States Bowling Congress (USBC) (February 2012). "USBC Equipment Specifications and Certifications Manual" (PDF). bowl.com. (PDF) from the original on June 19, 2013.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Freeman & Hatfield 2018, Chapter 14 ("Applying Your Tools").
  6. ^ Freeman & Hatfield 2018, Chapter 11 ("I was robbed!").
  7. ^ a b c d e Freeman & Hatfield 2018, Chapter 15 ("Lane play").
  8. ^ a b Carrubba, Rich (2012). "Bowling Lane Oil Facts". BowlingBall.com (Bowlversity educational section). from the original on November 15, 2015.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Benner, Mours & Ridenour 2009.
  10. ^ a b c d e Freeman & Hatfield 2018, Chapter 8 ("Why Does My Ball Hook?").
  11. ^ a b c d Carrubba, Rich (June 2012). "Bowling Ball Evolution". BowlingBall.com (Bowlversity educational section). from the original on September 17, 2018.
  12. ^ a b c d e f g Stremmel, Ridenour & Stervenz 2008.
  13. ^ a b Siefers, Nick (USBC research engineer) (April 23, 2007). "Understanding the relationship between core and cover stock". BowlingDigital.com (Courtesy of USBC Equipment Specification and Certification). from the original on September 20, 2018.
  14. ^ "Bowling Ball Reaction Keys". BowlingBall.com (Bowlversity educational section). July 28, 2016. from the original on November 10, 2016.
  15. ^ Carrubba, Rich (February 5, 2013). "The Simple Keys Of Bowling Ball Motion". BowlingBall.com (Bowlversity educational section). from the original on July 23, 2021.
  16. ^ "Your Bowling Ball Motion". BowlingBall.com (Bowlversity educational section). December 29, 2016. from the original on February 9, 2017.
  17. ^ "Variables You Encounter When Bowling". BowlingBall.com (Bowlversity educational section). April 18, 2016. from the original on October 12, 2016.
  18. ^ Freeman & Hatfield 2018, Chapter 13 ("Create a Bowler's Tool Kit").
  19. ^ Freeman & Hatfield 2018, Chapter 9 ("Track Flare, or Much Ado About Nothing?").
  20. ^ "How Should My Bowling Ball Be Drilled?". BowlingBall.com (Bowlversity educational section). January 2015. from the original on July 11, 2015.
  21. ^ Hickland, Ronald (April 11, 2017). "What is the difference between Pin up and Pin down Drilling on a Bowling Ball?". CTDbowling.com (news section).
  22. ^ Freeman & Hatfield 2018, Chapter 16 ("Advanced Considerations").
  23. ^ a b Freeman & Hatfield 2018, Chapter 10 ("The Pocket Isn't the Pocket... and It's Nowhere Near Where You Think It Is").
  24. ^ a b c d e f Wallace, Rich (January 6, 2011). . kingpin-bowling.com. Archived from the original on May 21, 2013.
  25. ^ a b c . TenPinBowling.org. 2004. Archived from the original on June 14, 2007.
  26. ^ a b c d Thompson, Adam (February 5, 2009). "Young Australian Puts a New Spin on Bowling: He Throws Two-Handed". The Wall Street Journal. from the original on March 31, 2015.
  27. ^ "One Handed Bowling Swing". BowlingBall.com (Bowlversity educational section). December 7, 2016. from the original on February 14, 2021.
  28. ^ Freeman & Hatfield 2018, Chapter 5 ("You Say You Want a Revolution").
  29. ^ Thompson, Ted (March 20, 2010). "Two-handed delivery". Kegel.net. Kegel, LLC. from the original on January 21, 2019.
  30. ^ Seymour, Dustin (2011). "2-Handed Bowling: Is It A Fad Or The Future?". BowlingBall.com (Bowlversity educational section). from the original on July 31, 2011.
  31. ^ "Xtra Slow Motion - Tom Daugherty's Bowling Release". youtube.com. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  32. ^ Mullen, Michelle (September 9, 2018). "Determining Stance Distance & Position". BowlingBall.com (Bowlversity education section). from the original on February 1, 2019. Excerpt from Bowling Fundamentals - Second Edition.
  33. ^ a b c Vernoy, Lee (December 3, 2017). "Looking for a bowling ball? Here's the guy to see". Great Falls Tribune. from the original on January 31, 2019.
  34. ^ a b Schroeder, Dave (April 27, 2023). "USBC Certifies String Pin Bowling as Independent Competition Effective August 1, 2023". Bowl.com. United States Bowling Congress (USBC). Archived from the original on May 1, 2023.
  35. ^ Johnson, John (January 22, 2023). "New 'String Pin' Technology May Change Bowling". Newser. from the original on April 28, 2023.
  36. ^ "Chapter 2: General Playing Rules / Rule 2 – The Game" (PDF). United States Bowling Congress (USBC). 2018. (PDF) from the original on March 20, 2019.
  37. ^ Carrubba, Rich (December 8, 2012). "Keep Your Bowling Score". BowlingBall.com (Bowlversity educational section). from the original on May 1, 2015.
  38. ^ a b c Mackay, Duncan (February 20, 2016). "New scoring system introduced for World Bowling Tour finals to try to help sport's Olympic ambitions". InsideTheGames.biz. from the original on November 18, 2016.
  39. ^ a b "Weber to go to World Scoring". Weber Cup. July 29, 2016. from the original on September 13, 2016.
  40. ^ a b Mackay, Duncan (February 21, 2016). "World Bowling Tour final winner backs new scoring system if it helps Olympic campaign". InsideTheGames.biz. from the original on September 13, 2016.
  41. ^ a b c "New Scoring System for Competitive Bowling to be Unveiled During World Bowling Tour Finals at WSOB VI". World Bowling. October 2014. from the original on November 7, 2014.
  42. ^ "Religious / From the Christian Examiner / Address of the National Society for Promoting the Observance of the Sabbath". Georgia Journal. Milledgeville, Georgia, U.S. June 22, 1829. p. 6.
  43. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Woloson, Wendy (2002). . St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture. Gale Group. Archived from the original on December 14, 2004. Retrieved March 31, 2006.
  44. ^ a b "Evasions of Law". Logansport Telegraph. Logansport, Indiana, U.S. March 10, 1838. p. 1.
  45. ^ "An Ordinance to License Taverns, Groceries, Coffee-Houses, Exchanges &c;". Logansport Telegraph. Logansport, Indiana, U.S. June 29, 1839. p. 3. Be aware: website URL as of June 11, 2019, incorrectly includes reference to "jun-29-1829" (incorrect year), but this error may be corrected after upload date, rendering link obsolete.
  46. ^ "Bury Saint Edmunds / Free Public House". The Ipswich Journal. No. 4701. April 26, 1828. p. 3. (Click for image) (auction notice describing "a garden ... wherein is a small Bowling Green, Ten-pin and Skettle Grounds")
  47. ^ Shepherd, Jeremy (March 30, 2018). "Final frame looms for longstanding North Van bowling alley". North Shore News. from the original on July 7, 2018.
  48. ^ Nazaryan, Alexander (February 7, 2012). "Charles Dickens at 200: When the great chronicler of London visited New York". New York Daily News. from the original on June 17, 2019. Quoting Dickens' American Notes for General Circulation. See also, footnote re The new York Herald of November 8, 1842.
  49. ^ Dickens, Charles (November 8, 1842). "American Notes for General Circulation / Additional Extracts / New York". The New York Herald. p. 1. ... ten pins being a game of mingled chance and skill, invented when the legislature passed an act forbidding nine pins. Dickens did not specify which legislature.
  50. ^ "AN ACT to restrict the playing at the game of Nine Pins". Daily National Intelligencer. Washington, D.C., U.S. August 7, 1834. p. 3. (Click for image)
  51. ^ "Miscellaneous / From the Western Spy". The Maryland Republican and Political and Agricultural Museum. Annapolis, Maryland, U.S. May 26, 1821. p. 4. (Click for image) Reference to "... keeper of the ten-pin alley".
  52. ^ "White House Retreat (advertisement)". Daily National Intelligencer. Washington, D.C., U.S. April 2, 1830. p. 4. (Click for image)
    ● A slightly earlier, though less clearly legible, version of the same ad ran the previous month: "White House Retreat (advertisement)". Daily National Intelligencer. Washington, D.C., U.S. March 24, 1830. p. 3.
    ● Advertises a property having "a first rate ten pin alley".
  53. ^ "York Sulphur Springs". Daily National Intelligencer. Washington, D.C., U.S. June 21, 1831. p. 3. (Click for image) Advertises a property with a "commodious and well-adjusted ten-pin alley".
  54. ^ "For Rent". The Globe. Washington, D.C., U.S. June 28, 1832. p. 3. (Click for image) Offering for rent, a "Public House" with "a good Ten Pin Alley attached".
  55. ^ "The Philadelphia Chronicle publishes the following pleasant notice". The Boston Morning Post. Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. May 18, 1833. p. 2. (Click for image) Reference to a "ten pin alley" in an inn in the Philadelphia area.
  56. ^ "Sheriff's Sale". Daily Savannah Republican. Savannah, Georgia, U.S. May 3, 1834. p. 5. (Click for image) Sheriff's sale of "Ten Pin Alley and Balls".
  57. ^ "Valuable Real Estate for Sale". Daily National Intelligencer. Washington, D.C., U.S. September 24, 1836. p. 3.(Click for image) Sale of "Coffee House" having "Ten Pin Alley".
  58. ^ "The Globe Hotel - By Geo. Kensett". The Globe. Washington, D.C., U.S. March 18, 1837. p. 3. (Click for image) Ad for hotel four blocks from White House touts "Billiard Room and Ten Pin Alley attached to the premises".
  59. ^ U.S. Patent 8,027, Sloan, Thomas J., "Game Board (Apparatus For Setting Up Ten-Pins)", issued April 8, 1851 
  60. ^ U.S. Patent 9,916, Eichell, George W., "Game Board (Setting Up Ten-Pins And Returning Balls)", issued August 9, 1853 
  61. ^ U.S. Patent 92,467, Pierce/Peirce, Amos T., "Bowling Alley (Improvement in Bowling-Alleys)", issued July 13, 1869 
  62. ^ "Bowling Catalog E". Gutenberg.org. Narragansett Machine Company. 1895. from the original on July 1, 2018. Project Gutenberg release date: June 16, 2018.
  63. ^ "Pollack Wins Tourney With a Mineralite". Oregon Journal. November 7, 1905. p. 12. (copy of article) Other sources are apparently wrong in citing 1914.
  64. ^ "History of bowling". bowl.com (United States Bowling Congress). from the original on October 30, 2016.
  65. ^ Schmidt, Gottfried J. (July 23, 1940). "Bowling Pin Setting Apparatus" (PDF). patentimages.storage.googleapis.com. United States Patent and Trademark Office. (PDF) from the original on January 28, 2019.
  66. ^ a b c . TenpinBowling.org. 2004. Archived from the original on April 15, 2006. Retrieved March 31, 2006.
  67. ^ a b c d e f g h i Crockett, Zachary (March 21, 2014). "The Rise and Fall of Professional Bowling". Priceonomics. from the original on March 16, 2018.
  68. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Witsil, Frank (May 9, 2015). "Is bowling in its final frames — or on a roll?". Detroit Free Press. from the original on January 26, 2019.
  69. ^ Rigali, James. H.; Walter, John C. (July 2005). . Afro-American Historical Association of the Niagara Frontier. Archived from the original on June 15, 2006. Retrieved March 31, 2006.
  70. ^ a b c d . PBS (Independent Lens). 2007. Archived from the original on October 20, 2017.
  71. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l . Professional Bowlers Association. Archived from the original on March 28, 2019.
  72. ^ a b c d e f g h . PBS (Independent Lens). 2007. Archived from the original on March 9, 2007.
  73. ^ a b c d Pluckhahn, J. Bruce. "Bowling". Encyclopaedia Britannica. from the original on September 19, 2018.
  74. ^ . Tenpin. 2014. Archived from the original on November 8, 2016.
  75. ^ "BTBA Bowling Pin – Who was William Ivor Massil? – Talk Tenpin". wp.talktenpin.net. Retrieved February 2, 2022.
  76. ^ Ruddy, Austin J (August 1, 2017). "Bowled over by Leicester's Top Rank entertainment: The classic era of Leicester's nightlife, 1960-1980". Leicestershire Live. from the original on January 17, 2019.
  77. ^ a b Buzzle Staff (July 22, 2017). "Bowling Was The Sport of Kings Back Then and Now of Working Men". buzzle.com (link to SportsAspire.com). from the original on January 29, 2019.
  78. ^ a b c "Bowling Through The Decades: The 1970s". PBS (Independent Lens). 2007. from the original on March 9, 2007.
  79. ^ a b Putnam, Robert D. (2000). Bowling Alone: America's Declining Social Capital. Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 223–234. doi:10.1007/978-1-349-62397-6_12. ISBN 978-1-349-62399-0. S2CID 154350113. Expanded from an article in Journal of Democracy, January 1995, pp. 65-78.
  80. ^ a b c d e f "Bowling Through The Decades: The 1980s". PBS (Independent Lens). 2007. from the original on March 9, 2007.
  81. ^ "1998 - Kuala Lumpur". InsideTheGames.biz. from the original on June 14, 2017.
  82. ^ a b c d McIntosh, Phyllis (2011). "Bowling / Entertainment for All Ages" (PDF). eric.ed.gov. U.S. Department of Education. (PDF) from the original on May 4, 2021.
  83. ^ a b c d e f Ahrens, Frank (June 21, 1997). "It's the End of the Lane for ABC's Bowling Broadcast". The Washington Post.
  84. ^ Krakowka, Lisa (July 1998). . Media Central, Inc. Archived from the original on September 26, 2004. Retrieved April 2, 2006. The SGMA is now (2019) The Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA).
  85. ^ a b c d e f g Data: Wayback Machine archives of USBC's bowl.com website. Links provided on Wikimedia's image page (archive thereof)
  86. ^ a b c "What's happening to bowling?". White Hutchinson. 2007. from the original on April 20, 2009.
  87. ^ Stempel, Jonathan (November 13, 2012). "AMF Bowling files for bankruptcy again". Reuters. from the original on May 29, 2019. Retrieved May 29, 2019.
  88. ^ Dorbian, Iris (July 1, 2013). "AMF Bowling Worldwide and Bowlmor Complete Merger". pehub.com. from the original on February 10, 2014. Retrieved May 29, 2019.
  89. ^ a b CNNfn (March 22, 2000). "High-tech execs spare PBA". CNN. from the original on April 3, 2019. {{cite news}}: |author1= has generic name (help)
  90. ^ a b "About USBC". Bowl.com (United States Bowling Congress). from the original on October 1, 2018. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
  91. ^ . Professional Bowlers Association. January 2013. Archived from the original on January 23, 2013.
  92. ^ Cimino, Peter (January 23, 2013). "PBA League Is Must-See TV: PDW, Duke, Barnes, Belmonte and Others Tell You Why". Bleacher Report. from the original on April 12, 2019.
  93. ^ . United States Bowling Congress (USBC). 2010. Archived from the original on January 4, 2011. Link is to a January 2011 archive of USBC website describing 2009 numbers.
  94. ^ "Bowlers". bowl.com (United States Bowling Congress "Press Room"). January 2019. from the original on January 29, 2019.
  95. ^ "History of Bowling". BowlingMuseum.com (International Bowling Museum & Hall of Fame). 2016. from the original on June 8, 2016.
  96. ^ a b Maley, Jacqueline (March 19, 2006). "Tenpin bowling is reborn as the new cool". The Guardian. from the original on January 30, 2019.
  97. ^ a b Walker, Rob (July 22, 2017). "Tenpin alleys boom as Britain is bowled over by retro vibes of 1950s America". The Guardian. from the original on January 2, 2019.
  98. ^ Young, Leslie (April 1, 2015). "10 Pan Am Games sports you won't see at the Olympics". Global News. Canada. from the original on September 15, 2018.
  99. ^ a b c Dougherty, Pete (December 3, 2018). "To grow, bowling needs Olympics". Times Union (Albany, NY). from the original on December 4, 2018.
  100. ^ Carrubba, Rich (March 5, 2013). "Squeezing Your Bowling Ball Gripping Holes". BowlingBall.com (Bowlversity educational section). from the original on August 8, 2016.
  101. ^ a b c "World Bowling / About". WorldBowling.org. 2019. from the original on January 11, 2019.
  102. ^ "WTBA Rules / 2015-06-01 / Introduction / Background" (PDF). WorldBowling.org. June 1, 2015. p. 7. (PDF) from the original on March 18, 2019.
  103. ^ a b "About". btba.org.uk. British Tenpin Bowling Association. May 12, 2017. from the original on March 14, 2019. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
  104. ^ "Frequently Asked Questions / + What is the NAYBC?". naybc.btba.org.uk. National Association of Youth Bowling Clubs. from the original on March 17, 2019. Retrieved March 17, 2019.
  105. ^ "Home / Coming Events". butba.co.uk/. British University Tenpin Bowling Association. from the original on September 4, 2014. The 2014 archive shows more explanatory detail.
  106. ^ "What is the TBPA?". gotenpin.co.uk. 2019. from the original on September 19, 2017.
  107. ^ "Bowlers' Tourney in Chicago / New York Teams First and Second in Two-Men Contest". The New York Times. January 12, 1901. p. 9. — F. Brill (Chicago) scored highest in the individual competition (averaging 216/game); Voorhees and Starr (New York) scored highest in doubles (averaging 200/game), and the Standard Bowling Club of Chicago scored highest among five-man teams (averaging 181/game).
  108. ^ "Protest New York Bowlers / Chicagoan Objects to Awarding Championship to Starr and Voorhies". The New York Times. January 12, 1901. p. 9.
  109. ^ a b c "USBC, ABC, WIBC and Team USA Bowling". Bowl.com (United States Bowling Congress). from the original on March 11, 2017. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
  110. ^ "Home / Youth / About Us / History". United States Bowling Congress. from the original on June 7, 2019. Retrieved June 7, 2019.
  111. ^ "About / Overview". BowlingMuseum.com (International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame). from the original on June 21, 2018. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
  112. ^ "Level 4 § 3. How do these tournaments work?". BowlingSeriously.com. 2015. from the original on July 15, 2017. Publication date is estimated based on March 2015 date of earliest archive.
  113. ^ "World Championships". WorldBowling.org. from the original on March 24, 2019.
  114. ^ Cannizzaro, Matt (November 5, 2018). "Opening Ceremony Kicks Off 2018 QubicaAMF World Cup In Las Vegas". bowl.com (United States Bowling Congress, USBC). from the original on November 6, 2018.
  115. ^ "2019 Go Bowling! PBA Tour Schedule". pba.com. Professional Bowlers Association. from the original on March 22, 2019. Retrieved March 26, 2019.
  116. ^ "Fox PBA 2019 TV Schedule" (PDF). Professional Bowlers Association. 2019. (PDF) from the original on March 26, 2019. Retrieved March 26, 2019. Major events are in red text.
  117. ^ "Championship Tournaments / Tournament Information". bowl.com. United States Bowling Congress (USBC). from the original on February 16, 2019. Retrieved March 26, 2019.
  118. ^ "2019 USA Bowling Regional Tournament Schedule". Bowl.com. United States Bowling Congress (USBC). from the original on December 27, 2018. Retrieved March 26, 2019.
  119. ^ "Tournaments" (PDF). Bowl.com. United States Bowling Congress (USBC). August 1, 2010. p. 1. (PDF) from the original on May 13, 2012. ● . Bowl.com. United States Bowling Congress (USBC). Archived from the original on December 3, 2016. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
  120. ^ "European Bowling Tour: A Historical Review". etbf.eu. European Tenpin Bowling Federation. from the original on March 25, 2019. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
  121. ^ "European Bowling Tour Masters: A Historical Review". etbf.eu. European Tenpin Bowling Federation. (PDF) from the original on March 25, 2019. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
  122. ^ "Commonwealth Championships: A Historical Review" (PDF). etbf.eu. European Tenpin Bowling Federation. (PDF) from the original on March 26, 2019. Retrieved March 26, 2019.
  123. ^ "Weber Cup / About". WeberCup.com. from the original on February 21, 2019. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
  124. ^ "Weber Cup / History". WeberCup.com. from the original on February 21, 2019. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
  125. ^ "World Ranking Masters: A Historical Review". etbf.eu. European Tenpin Bowling Federation. (PDF) from the original on March 25, 2019. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
  126. ^ . ocasia.org. Olympic Council of Asia. Archived from the original on March 27, 2019. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
  127. ^ "Team USA Home / 2019 Pan American Games". bowl.com. United States Bowling Congress (USBC). from the original on September 19, 2018. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
  128. ^ "Ten-Pin Bowling Regulations". maccabiah.com. Maccabi World Union. July 28, 2016. from the original on September 26, 2017.
  129. ^ "BLS Data Viewer / Time series CES7071395001". Bureau of Labor Statistics (bls.gov). from the original on October 28, 2019. presented by Bloomberg's Justin Fox.
  130. ^ Fox, Justin (October 26, 2019). "How Bowling Alleys Made a Comeback". Bloomberg. from the original on October 27, 2019.
  131. ^ "Bowling Leagues". BowlingBall.com (Bowlversity educational section). August 3, 2012. from the original on January 6, 2016.
  132. ^ "Bowling League Schedule" (PDF). United States Bowling Congress (USBC). (PDF) from the original on December 24, 2015. Sample schedules provided.
  133. ^ Goodger, Jef (March 6, 2017). "Position Round in Bowling". ThoughtCo.com. from the original on April 14, 2018.
  134. ^ "Sample Adult League Rules" (PDF). Rule 16 (sample rule): United States Bowling Congress (USBC). (PDF) from the original on May 28, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  135. ^ a b Small, Glenn (August 15, 1993). "Match point scoring can make league night more lively bowling". The Baltimore Sun. from the original on March 20, 2019.
  136. ^ Video of Nakayama rolling a perfect game on YouTube
  137. ^ "Hall of Fame / 35 / Mark Roth". Professional Bowlers Association. from the original on April 11, 2019.
  138. ^ "Women's Pro History". 11thframe.com. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
  139. ^ "Breaking More Barriers, Woman Takes P.B.A. Title". The New York Times. Associated Press. January 25, 2010. from the original on January 28, 2010.
  140. ^ "All-Time PBA Tour Titlists". Professional Bowlers Association. from the original on March 27, 2019. Retrieved March 26, 2019.
  141. ^ "Lisa Wagner – USBC profile". bowl.com. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
  142. ^ Hughes, Nolan (March 19, 2023). "JASON BELMONTE WINS RECORD-SETTING FOURTH TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS TITLE". pba.com. from the original on March 20, 2023.
  143. ^ "Liz Johnson wins 2017 U.S. Women's Open for 10th major title". pwba.com. August 6, 2017. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
  144. ^ "Aulby Announces Retirement Plans". PBA.com. October 22, 2003. from the original on March 5, 2020.
  145. ^ Vint, Bill (February 23, 2020). "Australia's Jason Belmonte Wins U.S. Open, Becomes Second Bowler to Complete PBA "Super Slam"". pba.com. from the original on February 24, 2020.
  146. ^ . Professional Bowlers Association. Archived from the original on February 5, 2010. Retrieved March 28, 2019.
  147. ^ "Lisa Wagner". Infoplease. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
  148. ^ Mullen, Michelle (June 12, 2008). "Aleta Rzepecki-Sill – Bowling's First Lady Millionaire". National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
  149. ^ "Kyle Troup Wins KIA PBA Playoffs for Eighth Career Title". pba.com. May 16, 2021. from the original on May 16, 2021.
  150. ^ Vint, Bill (January 22, 2011). . PBA. Archived from the original on January 25, 2011.
  151. ^ Goodger, Jef (February 21, 2021). "Kyle Troup Wins PBA Players CHampionship for First Career Major Title". PBA.com. from the original on March 10, 2021.
  152. ^ "Norm Duke". Professional Bowlers Association. from the original on May 26, 2010. Retrieved March 28, 2019.
  153. ^ Thomas, Jason (February 23, 2012). "Shafer Leads U.S. Open, But 14-Year-Old Kamron Doyle Becomes Youngest Casher in PBA Tour History". Professional Bowlers Association. from the original on March 26, 2019.
  154. ^ Cannizzaro, Matt (February 14, 2016). "19-Year-Old Simonsen Wins USBC Masters to Become Youngest to Win a Major Title". pba.com. from the original on July 8, 2019.
  155. ^ "Stow's Jillian Martin, 17, becomes youngest woman to win pro bowling event". Akron Beacon Journal. August 11, 2021. from the original on September 3, 2021.
  156. ^ "Southern Nevada Sports Hall of Fame - Wendy Macpherson". snshf.com. Southern Nevada Sports Hall of Fame. from the original on June 17, 2016.
  157. ^ "John Handegard". Professional Bowlers Association. from the original on August 7, 2016. Retrieved March 28, 2019.
  158. ^ Smith, Aaron (April 4, 2022). "Anthony Simonsen Wins Second USBC Masters Title At 2022 Event". PBA.com. from the original on April 4, 2022.
  159. ^ a b "Bowling Trivia 1". BowlingBall.com ("Info" section). 2004. from the original on September 21, 2005.
  160. ^ "Elliot Crosby becomes the youngest player in the UK to shoot 300". BowlingDigital.com. January 15, 2006. from the original on December 30, 2010.
  161. ^ Cannizzaro, Matt (November 20, 2013). "Florida Bowler Becomes Youngest to Bowl 300 Game". bowl.com (United States Bowling Congress, USBC). from the original on January 27, 2019.
  162. ^ "Bowling Trivia 2". BowlingBall.com ("Info" section). 2004. from the original on January 27, 2019.
  163. ^ Bigham, Terry (November 22, 2014). "USBC Concludes Re-evaluation of Glenn Allison 900 Series". bowl.com (United States Bowling Congress, USBC). from the original on December 10, 2014.
  164. ^ USBC Equipment Specifications and Certification section (December 17, 2007). "Research complete on USBC Bowling Ball Motion Study" (PDF). bowl.com (United States Bowling Congress, USBC). (PDF) from the original on December 7, 2010.
  165. ^ United States Bowling Congress (USBC) (February 2018). "Bowling Technology Study: An Examination and Discussion on Technology's Impact in the Sport of Bowling" (PDF). bowl.com. (PDF) from the original on December 31, 2018.
  166. ^ a b c d Carrubba, Rich (2012). "Are Today's Bowling Scores Too High?". BowlingBall.com (Bowlversity educational section). from the original on June 10, 2012.
  167. ^ Bigham, Terry (January 15, 2018). "USBC to reclassify more than 700 leagues as Sport or Challenge leagues based on research". bowl.com (United States Bowling Congress, USBC). from the original on January 31, 2019.
  168. ^ United States Bowling Congress (USBC) (February 2018). "Bowling Technology Study: An Examination and Discussion on Technology's Impact in the Sport of Bowling" (PDF). bowl.com. (PDF) from the original on December 31, 2018.
  169. ^ a b c "Bowling Technology Updates -- Frequently Asked Questions" (PDF). bowl.com (United States Bowling Congress). 2018. (PDF) from the original on July 8, 2019. Archive link provides for download of PDF file rather than viewing.
  170. ^ a b c d Steinberg, Brian (March 20, 2018). "Professional Bowling Rolls to Fox Sports". Variety. from the original on March 27, 2019.
  171. ^ a b c Callahan, Gerry (June 30, 1997). "The Last Frame After 36 Years on ABC, Bowling and Announcer Chris Schenkel Got Tossed Into the Gutter". Sports Illustrated. from the original on April 8, 2019. (Page image viewed 2019-04-08).
  172. ^ Clark, Tom (June 2, 2004). . Bowlers Journal. Archived from the original on May 1, 2005.
  173. ^ a b . Professional Bowlers Association (PBA). April 19, 2006. Archived from the original on May 6, 2006.
  174. ^ a b Clark, Tom (October 30, 2001). "Bowling's three hurdles to gain respect". USA Today. from the original on July 12, 2017.
  175. ^ Vint, Bill (February 16, 2017). "Mark Gerberich, Three Former PBA Stars Enter PBA Hall of Fame". Bowlers Journal. from the original on March 2, 2021.
  176. ^ a b "A League of Ordinary Gentlemen / The Film". PBS. 2006. from the original on September 8, 2006.
  177. ^ Barrabi, Thomas (September 11, 2020). "Professional Bowlers Association sold as Bowlero aims for perfect game". Fox Business. from the original on November 25, 2020.
  178. ^ "Bowling Through The Decades: The 1950s". PBS (Independent Lens). 2007. from the original on April 10, 2016.
  179. ^ "This confronting advertising campaign ran for only three weeks in the 1980s, but it is seared on the nation's collective memory". Canberra Times. May 25, 2020. Retrieved June 5, 2023.
  180. ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbSgGBGXm9g Bowling game featured on Nubeluz
  181. ^ "Bowling Through The Decades: The 2000s". PBS (Independent Lens). 2007. from the original on April 10, 2016.
  182. ^ St. James, Emily (November 12, 2009). "The best TV episodes of the decade". AV Club. from the original on March 18, 2022.
  183. ^ Easton, Anne (March 30, 2022). "'How We Roll' Hopes To Bowl Over Viewers With An Aspirational Story". Forbes. from the original on April 1, 2022.
  184. ^ J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Vancouver: Raincoast Books, 2004 paperback edition), p. 114.
  185. ^ . Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. 2011. Archived from the original on May 20, 2011. of full list at Oscars.org.
  186. ^ Fuchs, Cynthia (May 3, 2010). "Reviews / Pin Gods". PopMatters. from the original on April 9, 2019. (Video)
  187. ^ Mavis, Paul (October 13, 2009). "Review: Tom and Jerry's Greatest Chases, Vol. 3". DVD Talk. from the original on December 6, 2017.
  188. ^ "AFI Catalog of Feature Films / Dreamer (1979)". American Film Institute (AFI). 1970. from the original on April 3, 2019.
  189. ^ Piantadosi, Roger (March 4, 1994). "Greedy (review)". The Washington Post. from the original on December 15, 2018.
  190. ^ "The Big Lebowski / 1998". movie-locations.com. from the original on February 10, 2019. Retrieved April 3, 2019.
  191. ^ Blatt, Ben (June 26, 2014). "The Longest Movie Plot Summary on Wikipedia". Slate. from the original on March 28, 2019.
  192. ^ U.S. patent 107,030, "Game Board" or "Game-Box For Ten-Pins", issued September 6, 1870, to George Benedict Fowler of Brooklyn, New York. ()
  193. ^ a b c d Zwiezen, Zack (February 2, 2019). "A History Of Bowling In Video Games". Kotaku. from the original on February 4, 2019.
 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bowling.
 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bowling balls.

November 09, 2023
bowling, tenpin, redirects, here, brand, bowling, centres, united, kingdom, tenpin, type, bowling, which, bowler, rolls, bowling, ball, down, wood, synthetic, lane, toward, pins, positioned, evenly, four, rows, equilateral, triangle, objective, knock, down, pi. Tenpin redirects here For the brand of bowling centres in the United Kingdom see Tenpin Ltd Ten pin bowling is a type of bowling in which a bowler rolls a bowling ball down a wood or synthetic lane toward ten pins positioned evenly in four rows in an equilateral triangle The objective is to knock down all ten pins on the first roll of the ball a strike or failing that on the second roll a spare Ten pin bowlingBall contacts the 1 3 5 and 9 pins sequentially tinted red to achieve a strike Highest governing bodyInternational Bowling FederationFirst playedc 1810 England outdoors 1 c 1820 2 United StatesCharacteristicsContactNoMixed sexYesTypeBall sport Target sportEquipmentBowling ball pins lanes bowling shoesVenueBowling lanesGlossaryGlossary of bowlingPresenceOlympicDemonstration sport in 1988World GamesSince 1981An approximately 15 feet 5 m long approach area used by the bowler to impart speed and apply rotation to the ball ends in a foul line The 41 5 inch wide 105 cm 60 foot long 18 m lane is bordered along its length by gutters channels that collect errant balls The lane s long and narrow shape limits straight line ball paths to angles that are smaller than optimum angles for achieving strikes accordingly bowlers impart side rotation to hook curve the ball into the pins to increase the likelihood of striking Oil is applied to approximately the first two thirds of the lane s length to allow a skid area for the ball before it encounters friction and hooks The oil is applied in different lengths and layout patterns especially in professional and tournament play to add complexity and regulate challenge in the sport Especially when coupled with technological developments in ball design since the early 1990s easier oil patterns common for league bowling enable many league bowlers to achieve scores rivaling those of professional bowlers who must bowl on more difficult patterns a development that has caused substantial controversy Ten pin bowling arose in the early 1800s as an alternative to nine pin bowling with truly standardized regulations not being agreed on until nearly the end of that century After the development of automated mechanical pinsetters the sport enjoyed a golden age in the mid twentieth century People approach modern ten pin bowling as either a demanding precision sport or as a simple recreational pastime 3 Following substantial declines since the 1980s in both professional tournament television ratings and amateur league participation bowling centers have increasingly expanded to become diverse entertainment centers Ten pin bowling is often simply referred to as bowling Ten pin or less commonly big ball is prepended in the English speaking world to distinguish it from other bowling types such as bowls candlepin duckpin and five pin Contents 1 Facilities and equipment 1 1 Lanes 1 2 Balls 1 2 1 Ball motion 1 3 Pins and pin carry 2 Ball delivery 2 1 Delivery style categories 2 1 1 Alternative deliveries 2 2 Grips 3 Pins and scoring 3 1 Pins 3 2 Traditional scoring 3 3 World Bowling scoring 3 3 1 Variant of World Bowling scoring 4 History 4 1 Early history 4 2 1940s to early 1960s 4 3 Late 1960s to 1980 4 4 1980 to 2000 4 5 2000 to present 5 Bowling organizations 5 1 International 5 2 United Kingdom 5 3 United States 5 4 Museums 6 Tournaments 7 Leagues 8 Notable professional achievements 8 1 Titles and scores 8 2 Earnings and contracts 8 3 Youngest 8 4 Oldest 9 Perfect 300 game history 10 Score inflation controversy 11 In media 11 1 Coverage of events 11 2 Portrayal on television 11 3 In print 11 4 Non fiction films 11 5 Fiction films 11 6 Games 12 See also 13 Publications 14 ReferencesFacilities and equipment editLanes edit See also Bowling ball Effect of lane characteristics on ball motion nbsp True scale diagram In ten pin bowling lanes the nearest pin is 60 feet from the foul line more than 17 times the lane s 41 5 inch width 4 The optical illusion of foreshortening that a bowler experiences when standing on the approach causes pins to appear closer together and bowling ball angles of entry to appear more dramatic than they are in fact 5 6 Ten pin bowling lanes are 60 feet 18 29 m from the foul line to the center of the head pin 1 pin with guide arrows aiming targets about 15 feet 4 57 m from the foul line 4 The lane is 41 5 inches 1 05 m wide and has 39 wooden boards or is made of a synthetic material with the 39 boards simulated using marking lines 4 The approach has two sets of dots respectively 12 feet 3 66 m and 15 feet 4 57 m behind the foul line to help with foot placement 4 Oil patterns with greater oil concentrations represented by darker blues Horizontal scale is compressed nbsp Simplified THS typical house shot relatively dry areas on the sides and more heavily lubricated areas surrounding the centerline help to guide the ball toward the pocket 7 nbsp Simplified sport pattern a flatter more even distribution of oil across the lane presents a greater challenge to hit the pocket 7 Modern bowling lanes have oil patterns designed not only to shield the lanes from damage from bowling ball impacts but to provide bowlers with different levels of challenge in achieving strikes As illustrated a typical house pattern or THS typical house shot has drier outside portions that give bowling balls more friction to hook curve into the pocket but heavier oil concentrations surrounding the centerline so that balls slide directly toward the pocket with less hooking 7 In the more challenging sport patterns used in tournaments and professional level matches a flat oil pattern one with oil distributed more evenly from side to side provides little assistance in guiding the ball toward the pocket and is less forgiving with regard to off target shots 7 The ratio of centerline oil concentration to side oil concentration the oil ratio can exceed 10 to 1 for THSs but is restricted to 3 to 1 or less for sport shots 7 Lane oils also called lane conditioners are composed of about 98 mineral oil that with numerous additives are designed to minimize breakdown and carry down that would change ball reaction after repeated ball rolls 8 Lane oils are characterized by different levels of viscosity with oils of higher viscosity thicker consistency being more durable but causing balls to slow and hook earlier than lower viscosity oils 8 Balls edit See also Bowling ball Effect of coverstock core and layout on ball motion nbsp True scale diagram A straight path even one starting from the extreme outside corner of the lane results in an angle of entry of at most 1 45 Larger entry angles shown in diagram are achievable when hooking curving the ball Larger entry angles have been shown to be generally more favorable for achieving strikes 9 10 Rubber balls introduced in 1905 were eventually supplanted by polyester plastic balls 1959 and polyurethane urethane balls 1980s 11 Coverstocks surfaces of bowling balls then evolved to increase the hook enhancing friction between ball and lane reactive resin balls arrived in the early 1990s and particle enhanced resin balls in the late 1990s 11 Meanwhile the increasingly sophisticated technology of internal cores also called weight blocks has increased balls dynamic imbalance which in conjunction with the coverstocks increased friction enhances hook curving potential to achieve the higher entry angles that have enabled dramatic increases in strike percentage and game scores 12 Hook potential has increased so much that dry lane conditions or spare shooting scenarios sometimes compel use of plastic or urethane balls to purposely avoid the larger hook provided by reactive technology 11 13 The USBC regulates ball parameters including maximum diameter 8 595 inches 21 83 cm maximum circumference 27 inches 0 69 m and maximum weight 16 pounds 7 26 kg 4 Ball motion edit See also Bowling ball Ball motion nbsp Simplified representation of the skid hook and roll phases of bowling ball motion 14 Technological advances since the early 1990s in ball design have allowed dramatically increased hook potential and strike frequency without requiring additional skill on the part of bowlers 12 Horizontal scale is compressed Because pin spacing is much larger than ball size it is impossible for the ball to contact all pins Therefore a tactical shot is required which would result in a chain reaction of pins hitting other pins called pin scatter In what is considered an ideal strike shot the ball contacts only the 1 3 5 and 9 pins right handed deliveries 9 Most new players roll the ball straight while more experienced bowlers may roll a hook that involves making the ball start out straight but then curve toward a target to increase the likelihood of striking USBC research 9 has shown that shots most likely to strike enter the pocket at an angle of entry that is achievable only with a hook 10 A complex interaction of a variety of factors influences ball motion and its effect on scoring results 15 16 17 Such factors may be categorized as The bowler s delivery see Effect of delivery characteristics on ball motion Characteristics of the ball s delivery that affect ball motion include the ball s speed going down the lane its rotational speed rev rate the angle of the ball s axis of rotation in horizontal and vertical planes axis rotation and axis tilt respectively and how far beyond the foul line that the ball first contacts the lane loft 18 Bowling ball design see Effect of coverstock core and layout on ball motion A 2005 2008 USBC Ball Motion Study found that the ball design factors that most contributed to ball motion were the microscopic spikes and pores on the ball s surface present in balls with reactive resin coverstock the respective coefficients of friction between ball and lane in the oiled and dry parts of the lane and the ball s oil absorption rate followed in dominance by certain characteristics of the ball s core mainly radius of gyration and total differential 12 Friction related factors may be categorized as chemical friction degree of stickiness designed by manufacturers into the resin coverstock and physical friction which can be modified by sanding or polishing or by including additives that physically increase lubrication 10 19 12 Weak pin down versus strong pin up layouts of the finger and thumb holes with respect to core orientation affect skid lengths and hook angularity 20 21 Lane conditions see Effect of lane characteristics on ball motion Lane conditions that affect ball motion include lane transition including breakdown and carry down 5 the oil absorption characteristics of previously thrown balls and the paths they followed 5 22 wood versus synthetic composition of the lane more generally soft vs hard lanes 5 imperfections in lane surface topography 5 and oil viscosity thick or thin consistency innate viscosity being affected by temperature and humidity 5 Pins and pin carry edit nbsp Front view 23 the ball impacts center pocket at board 17 5 found by a USBC pin carry study 9 to maximize strike probability The ideal impact point is closer to the center of the head pin than many believe 23 nbsp USBC study results indicating board 17 5 to be the ideal ball location to achieve strikes with higher entry angles shown and heavier balls not graphed generally improving chances of striking 9 nbsp Ideal impact for strike 10 Bowling pins with a maximum thickness of 4 766 inches 12 cm at the waist are spotted placed in four rows forming an equilateral triangle with four pins on a side to form a tetractys 4 Neighboring pins are centered 12 inches 30 cm apart leaving a space of 7 234 inches 18 cm between pins that can be bridged by a bowling ball of regulation diameter 8 5 inches 22 cm 4 Pin carry essentially determines the probability of achieving a strike assuming the ball impacts in or near the pocket varies with several factors 9 Even before a 2008 USBC pin carry study it was known that entry angle and ball weight increase strike percentages 9 The 2008 study concluded that an impact with the ball centered at board 17 5 causes pin scatter that maximizes likelihood of striking 9 10 The material of the pin deck and kickback side plates was also found to materially affect pin carry 9 Ball delivery editDelivery style categories edit See also Bowling form and Bowling ball Effect of delivery characteristics on ball motion Three widely recognized categories are stroker cranker and tweener 24 25 Strokers using the most classic bowling form tend to keep the shoulders square to the foul line and develop only a moderately high backswing achieving modest ball rotation rev rates and ball speeds which thus limit hook potential and kinetic energy delivered to the pins 24 Strokers rely on accuracy and repeatability and benefit from the high entry angles that reactive resin balls enable 24 Crankers tend to open rotate the shoulders and use strong wrist and arm action in concert with a high backswing achieving higher rev rates and ball speeds thus maximizing hook potential and kinetic energy 24 Crankers rely on speed and power but may leave splits rarely left by strokers 24 Tweeners derived from in between have styles that fall between those of strokers and crankers the term is considered by some to include power strokers who combine the high rev rates of crankers with the smooth delivery of strokers 24 Alternative deliveries edit nbsp Conventional delivery Finger position at release can induce side rotation causing the ball to hook curve nbsp Two handed delivery Both hands retain contact with the ball until just before the release Though it is often incorrectly called a two handed release the actual release involves a single dominant hand for most bowlers nbsp Modern delivery styles often involve a long follow through and widely extended balance arm and leg shown Clara Guerrero source source source source source source source source Video The two handed delivery first widely popularized by Jason Belmonte 26 increases potential rev rate and hook shown Zach Wilkins So called two handed bowling first popularized late in the 2000s by Australian Jason Belmonte involves not inserting the thumb into any thumbhole with the opposite hand supporting and guiding the ball throughout almost the entire forward swing 26 This delivery style involving more athletic ability is increasingly popular with younger bowlers and technically still involves a one handed release 27 It allows the inserted fingers to generate higher revolution rates and thus attain greater hook potential than with a thumb in hole approach 28 In contrast in what is literally a two handed delivery and release children or physically challenged players use both hands to deliver the ball forward from between the legs or from the chest 29 No thumb bowling involves only a single hand during the forward swing without the thumb inserted The ball is often balanced on the wrist and forearm of the delivery hand for this technique 30 A successful professional who uses the one handed no thumb delivery is Tom Daugherty 31 nbsp The UFO or helicopter release the thumb faces the body while the middle and ring fingers face the pins The spinner style which is mainly popular in parts of Asia has a helicopter or UFO release that involves rotating the wrist to impart a high vertical axis of rotation that causes the bowling ball to spin like a top while traveling straight down the lane 25 Usually involving a lighter 10 12 pound ball the spinner style takes advantage of the ball deflection from the head pin to then walk down the other visible pins and cause domino effects diagonally through the pins 25 In the backup or reverse hook release the wrist rotates clockwise for right hand releases or counter clockwise for left hand releases causing the ball to hook in a direction opposite to that of conventional releases 32 Grips edit A conventional grip used on non customized house balls and some custom drilled balls involves insertion of fingers to the second knuckle 33 A fingertip grip involving insertion of fingers only to the first knuckle enables greater revolution rates and resultant hook potential 33 A thumbless grip often used by so called two handed bowlers maximizes ball rotational speed rev rate 33 Pins and scoring editPins edit The USBC indicated that effective August 1 2023 it is certifying string pinsetters and string pin bowling as an independent category of equipment and competition separate from conventional free fall pinsetters 34 USBC lab data indicated strike percentage on string pin bowling is 7 1 lower causing the USBC to plan additional testing to determine whether a scoring conversion should be created between the categories 34 String pinsetters are less expensive and easier to maintain motivating bowling centers to phase them in 35 Traditional scoring edit nbsp Traditional scoring of a strike Frame one 10 3 6 19 Frame two 3 6 9 Total 28 nbsp Traditional scoring of a spare Frame one 7 3 4 14 Frame two 4 2 6 Total 20 nbsp Though the second bowler s scratch score 183 is higher than the first bowler s scratch score 181 the first bowler s higher handicap 58 vs 53 causes his total 239 to exceed the second bowler s total 236 In traditional scoring 36 37 one point is scored for each pin that is knocked over and when fewer than all ten pins are knocked down in two rolls in a frame an open frame the frame is scored with the total number of pins knocked down However when all ten pins are knocked down with either the first or second rolls of a frame a mark bonus pins are awarded as follows Strike When all ten pins are knocked down on the first roll marked X on the scorescreen the frame receives ten pins plus a bonus of pinfall on the next two rolls not necessarily the next two frames A strike in the tenth final frame receives two extra rolls for bonus pins Spare When a second roll of a frame is needed to knock down all ten pins marked on the scorescreen the frame receives ten pins plus a bonus of pinfall in the next roll not necessarily the next frame A spare in the first two rolls in the tenth final frame receives a third roll for bonus pins The maximum score is 300 achieved by getting twelve strikes in a row within the same game known as a perfect game World Bowling scoring edit The World Bowling scoring system described as current frame scoring 38 awards pins as follows A strike is 30 pins regardless of ensuing rolls results A spare is 10 pins plus the pinfall on first roll of the current frame An open frame is the total pinfall of the current frame The maximum score is 300 achieved with ten consecutive strikes as opposed to twelve in traditional scoring but with no bonus pins received in the tenth frame 39 40 World Bowling scoring is thought to make bowling easier to follow than with traditional scoring 39 increase television viewership 38 and help bowling to become an Olympic sport 38 40 Variant of World Bowling scoring edit Another variant of scoring a 12 frame system introduced at the November 2014 World Bowling Tour WBT finals resembles golf s match play scoring in counting the greater number of frames won rather than measuring accumulated pinfall score 41 A frame may be won immediately by a higher pincount on the first roll of the frame and a match may be won when one player is ahead by more frames than remain of the possible 12 frames 41 This variant reduces match length and scoring complexity for two player matches 41 History editFor a more comprehensive history of other forms of bowling that pre date ten pin bowling see Bowling History Early history edit nbsp An early 1820 newspaper ad features a Ball and Ten Pin Alley to attract customers to a Baking and Confectionary Business 2 nbsp An 1829 newspaper editorial describes those who frequent bowling alleys and taverns the young the frivolous the headstrong men of coarser passions and appetites and fond of more riotous pleasures 42 reflecting the often negative image bowling had 43 nbsp An 1838 Indiana newspaper describes how ten pin bowling was devised to evade a Baltimore statute prohibiting nine pin bowling 44 nbsp An 1839 liquor license ordinance prohibited gambling in any ball nine or ten pin alley associating bowling with gambling and games having a demoralizing tendency 45 Modern ten pin bowling derives mainly from the German Kegelspiel or kegeling which used nine pins set in a diamond formation 43 The enjoyment of kegeling by German peasants contrasted with lawn bowls that was reserved for the upper classes consistent with bowling s enduring reputation as a common man s sport 43 A circa 1810 painting of Ipswich England shows a man bowling outdoors with a triangular formation of ten pins 1 An outdoor version of ten pin bowling was advertised also in Ipswich at least as early as 1828 46 An 1841 Connecticut law banned ninepin bowling because of its perceived association with gambling and crime and people were said to circumvent the prohibition by adding a tenth pin 47 Other locations e g 1838 re Baltimore 44 and 1842 Charles Dickens re New York 48 49 also recount that strategy Even earlier an 1834 Washington D C ordinance had limited the time before 8 p m and not on Sundays and place more than 100 yards from inhabited houses of nine pin and ten pins or any game in the likeness or imitation thereof played with any number of pins whatsoever 50 U S newspapers referred to ten pin alleys at least as early as 1820 2 also later in the 1820s 51 and in the 1830s 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 In the mid 1800s various alternatives to free standing pins received U S patents to solve perceived problems in pinsetting and ball return aiming to avoid the need for human pinsetters to perform these functions One scheme 1851 involved pins with spherical bases that when hit by a ball merely fell over in place to be rotated back to a vertical position 59 A second arrangement 1853 involved resetting the pins via cords descending from respective pin bottoms to weights beneath the pin deck 60 Another design 1869 involved suspending the pins with overhead cords 61 nbsp An 1895 advertisement for bowling lockers price 6 00 each section suggests the attire and facilities used by bowlers of the era 62 nbsp Bowling alley at the Pleasant Beach Hotel Bainbridge Island Washington c 1898 nbsp Human pinsetters Pittsburgh c 1908 preceded automated mechanical pinsetters In 1884 the Brunswick Corporation became the first American bowling ball manufacturer and by 1905 63 introduced the Mineralite hard rubber ball that was considered so revolutionary over wooden balls that it was displayed at the Century of Progress Exposition in 1934 43 In 1886 Joe Thum who would become known as the father of bowling began opening bowling alleys and over decades strove to elevate the sport s image to compete with upper class diversions such as theaters and opera houses 43 In 1875 delegates from New York City and Brooklyn bowling clubs formed the National Bowling Association NBA to standardize rules but disagreements prevailed 64 In 1887 Albert G Spalding wrote Standard Rules for Bowling in the United States and in the mid 1890s the United Bowling Clubs UBC was organized with 120 members 43 The American Bowling Congress ABC was established in 1895 followed by the Women s International Bowling Congress WIBC in the 1910s such organizations promoting standardized rules and striving to improve the sport s image 43 From 1920 to 1929 the number of ABC sanctioned alleys grew from 450 to about 2 000 with Prohibition leading to the growth of family appropriate dry alleys 43 The 1933 repeal of Prohibition allowed breweries to sponsor teams and bowlers adding to bowling s reputation as a working class sport 43 Though at the turn of the twentieth century most bowling alleys were small establishments post Prohibition bowling lanes shifted from side entertainment at fancy Victorian venues or seedier saloons to independent establishments that embraced the Art Deco style and fit the era s perceived need for speed 43 1940s to early 1960s edit nbsp Actual text from one of Gottfried Schmidt s patents this one from an application filed in 1936 and describing how his bowling pin setting apparatus can pick up and replace pins even if they were off their proper spots 65 Gottfried Schmidt invented the first mechanical pinsetter in his garage in 1936 one implementation of which was publicly exhibited in 1946 before AMF placed a production model into service in 1952 66 The 1940s through the 1970s became known as the golden age of bowling 67 with ABC membership growing from 700 000 1940 to 1 1 million 1947 to 2 3 million 1958 to 4 5 million 1963 43 68 Women s International Bowling Congress membership growing from 82 000 1940 to 866 000 1958 68 American Junior Bowling Congress membership growing from 8 000 1940 to 175 000 1958 68 and sanctioned individual lanes growing from 44 500 1947 to 159 000 1963 43 Bowling s growth was fueled by the deployment of automatic mechanical pinsetters by AMF 1952 and Brunswick 1955 television broadcasts said to be ubiquitous in the 1950s modernization and stylization of establishments with amenities to attract broader clientele and formation of bowling leagues 43 Though President Truman had installed a bowling alley in the White House in 1947 43 a report of the American Society of Planning Officials in 1958 characterized bowling alleys as the poor man s country club 68 ABC bylaws had included a white males only clause since its inception in the 1890s but numerous lobbying efforts and legal actions after World War II by civil rights and labor organizations led to a reversal of this policy in 1950 69 Sports agent Eddie Elias founded the Professional Bowlers Association PBA in 1958 with 33 members and the first PBA tournaments began in 1959 66 The Pro Bowlers Tour TV program aired from 1962 70 71 through 1997 72 71 In the 1930s and 1940s professional bowling was dominated by beer leagues with many of the best bowlers sponsored by beer companies but by 1965 the PBA tour was televised nationally on ABC Sports with sponsors such as Coca Cola and Ford 67 In parallel with professional bowling was action bowling or pot bowling bowling matches based on monetary bets historically associated with the New York underworld from the 1940s to the 1970s 67 Late 1960s to 1980 edit nbsp The Ronettes and New York disc jockey Murray the K using bowling as a promotional device in 1962 during the golden age of bowling 67 The first ten pin lanes in Europe had been installed in Sweden in 1909 but attempts to popularize the sport in Europe were unsuccessful over the next several decades though hundreds of lanes were installed on U S military bases in the U K during World War II 73 Various countries developed the sport to some extent and the Federation Internationale des Quilleurs FIQ now World Bowling was formed in 1952 to coordinate international amateur competition 73 A firmer establishment of the sport began in the U K in 1960 in London Stamford Hill in January 1960 74 and the British Tenpin Bowling Association BTBA was formed the following year 73 The first British made tenpin was by H Massil and sons who received the permit no 1 from the BTBA 75 Various other countries including Australia Mexico and Japan adopted the trend over the ensuing decade 73 After initial faddish growth in the U K however the sport did not thrive as it did in the U S and by the 1970s many British bowling alleys were converted to serve competing pastimes such as bingo 76 The Lane Master automatic lane cleaning and conditioning machine was first deployed in the 1960s 70 In the 1960s and early 1970s top bowling professionals made twice as much money as NFL football stars received million dollar endorsement contracts and were treated as international celebrities 67 The 100 000 Firestone Tournament of Champions launched in 1965 in a decade that saw ABC membership peak at almost 4 6 million male bowlers 70 The number of sanctioned bowling alleys peaked at about 12 000 in the mid 1960s 68 mostly in blue collar urban areas 77 and Women s International Bowling Congress WIBC membership peaked at 4 2 million members in 1979 78 In the late 1960s the participation sport of bowling found itself competing with spectator sports and outdoor recreational activities 43 The number of certified bowling centers was to eventually decline from its 1960s high of 12 000 68 to 6 542 in 1998 77 and 3 976 in 2013 68 The decline was noted acutely in waning league participation over the intervening decades 68 79 1980 to 2000 edit nbsp A bowling alley in Berlin 1981 with early electronic displaysTournament prize funds in the 1980s included the PBA National Championship 135 000 its largest and the Firestone Tournament of Champions 150 000 and PBA membership approached 2 500 80 Ten pin bowling became an exhibition sport at the 1988 Summer Olympics Seoul 3 80 has been a medal sport since its debut at the 1991 Pan American Games Havana 72 and was included in the 1998 Commonwealth Games Kuala Lumpur 81 Outside elite and professional bowling participation in leagues traditionally the more profitable end of the business declined from a 1980 peak 8 million compelling alleys to further diversify into entertainment amenities 68 As busier two earner households became more common in the 1980s to make league participation more difficult the number of spectator sports and competing leisure time opportunities jogging tennis skiing grew 82 While league bowling decreased by 40 percent between 1980 and 1993 the total number of bowlers actually increased by 10 percent during that period with nearly 80 million Americans going bowling at least once during 1993 79 In 1995 the National Bowling Stadium Reno Nevada was constructed at a cost of 47 5 million but the PBA Pro Bowlers Tour TV program was canceled in 1997 after a 35 year run 83 In 1991 equipment manufacturer DBA Products released The Lane Walker the first computer driven lane cleaning and oiling machine programmable to clean up to 50 lanes 72 The early 1990s brought the development of reactive resin reactive balls with chemically tacky surfaces that enhance traction to dramatically enhance hook and substantially increase the likelihood of striking raising average scores even for less experienced bowlers 11 The Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association SGMA reported 1997 bowling product sales of 215 million the SGMA president attributed an increase in popularity to bowling alley remodeling technological innovations in balls and lanes computerized scoring and promotion by bowling organizations 84 2000 to present edit nbsp Example of a modern bowling alley 2010 From 1998 to 2013 the number of American bowling centers fell by one quarter 68 Similarly in the two decades following 1997 the number of USBC certified lanes also indicative of business viability declined by one third 85 This business decline is often attributed to waning league participation USBC membership indicative of league participation that was the main source of revenue declined by two thirds in those two decades 85 and the portion of alley revenue attributable to leagues is estimated to have dropped from 70 to 40 68 86 Political scientist Robert D Putnam s book Bowling Alone 2000 asserts with some controversy that the retreat from league bowling epitomizes a broader societal decline in social civic and community engagement in the U S 68 As an indication of the decline AMF Bowling the largest operator of bowling centers in the world at the time filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2001 and again in 2012 87 By 2013 AMF Bowling had merged with New York based Bowlmor no relation to the defunct 1940s founded Bowl Mor firm that invented the automatic pinsetter for candlepin bowling the company becoming known as Bowlmor AMF 88 In 2000 three former tech industry executives bought a debt laden PBA which saw its 36 year television contract with ABC Sports end in 1997 and turned it from a non profit league into a for profit organization and invested heavily in marketing 89 The January 2005 merger of four U S bowling organizations to form the USBC formed a central brand aiming to grow the sport 90 Beginning late in the decade of the 2000s the two handed approach became popularized first by Australian Jason Belmonte 26 with some hoping that the controversial delivery style would boost popularity of the sport 26 In January 2013 the eight team PBA League began competition 91 the strategy being that basing teams in specific geographic localities would generate viewer enthusiasm and corporate sponsorship in the same manner as teams in other professional sports 92 Still continuing the reversal of bowling s peak popularity in the 1960s in the 2012 2013 season the average yearly winnings of the ten highest earning PBA competitors was less than US 155 000 and the average for the remaining 250 competitors was 6 500 all much less than a rookie NFL football player s minimum base salary of 375 000 67 nbsp To attract a broader range of patrons many bowling centers offer cosmic bowling shown and host other special events Estimates of the number of total league and non league bowlers in the U S have varied from 82 million 1997 International Bowling Museum 83 to 51 6 million 2007 research firm White Hutchinson 86 to 71 million 2009 USBC 93 the USBC stating in 2019 that bowling is still the 1 participation sport in the U S 94 More broadly the International Bowling Museum stated in 2016 that bowling is played by 95 million people in more than 90 countries 95 In an era of continual decline in league participation 85 83 bowling centers promoted party bowling 67 and black light and disco ball cosmic bowling 83 and experienced a shift from blue collar participants to open play non league family oriented clientele in combined bowling and entertainment centers 86 some offering laser tag indoor playgrounds go karting climbing walls arcade games skating rinks gourmet restaurants and nightclub style bowling lounges 82 School sport programs expanded the USBC stating that more than 5 000 high schools offered bowling as a competitive sport with 50 000 student bowlers participating in 2009 2010 82 In 2011 the Bowling Proprietor s Association of America stated that more than 60 of U S bowlers were under age 34 that 46 were girls and women and that children participated in bowling at a higher rate than any other population group 82 In contrast to the U S the 2000s and 2010s brought a bowling renaissance in the U K achieved by accommodating sophisticated modern tastes by providing for example retro style bowling alleys outfitted with 1950s Americana boutique bowling VIP lanes and cameras for instant replays and by rejuvenating bowling alleys into diverse entertainment bowling centres 96 97 The population of ten pin bowling centres grew from a low of barely 50 in the 1980s to over 200 2006 96 with almost a third of Britons going bowling in 2016 and league participation growing over 20 over two years 2015 2017 97 Though ten pin bowling was a demonstration sport in the 1988 Summer Olympics Seoul 80 and has been included in the Pan American Games since 1991 98 after making the short list for inclusion in the 2020 Summer Olympics Tokyo it was cut 99 One commentator noted that the sport s limited geographic popularity the U S Australia and a few European and South American countries and aging demographic of those who follow the sport make it difficult to convince an Olympic Committee that wants to appeal to youth 99 Bowling organizations edit In bowling we are trying to deliver a heavy 14 or 15 pound bowling ball over the foul line at about an average speed of 16 or 17 miles per hour apply a rotational force to the ball in order to gain an effective hook motion hit a one inch sighting target on the lane and accurately impact the pocket 60 feet away while smashing down about 36 pounds of lumber There are certainly easier things to do Rich Carrubba 2013 100 International edit World Bowling WB was formed in 2014 from component organizations of the Federation Internationale des Quilleurs FIQ International Federation of Bowlers which in 1952 developed from the International Bowling Association IBA which began operations in 1926 101 Since 1979 the International Olympic Committee has recognized the FIQ and later WB as the sport s world governing body 101 WB establishes rules for the uniform practice of bowling throughout the world and promotes bowling as an Olympic sport 101 The World Tenpin Bowling Association membership discipline component organization of WB serves the amateur sport of ten pin bowling worldwide adopting uniform playing rules and equipment specifications 102 United Kingdom edit The British Tenpin Bowling Association BTBA formed in 1961 is the official governing body recognized by World Bowling as the official sanctioning body in England and as such is responsible for the protection integrity and development of the sport 103 Its stated vision is to ensure that all people irrespective of their age disability ethnic origin marital status sexual orientation or social status have a genuine and equal opportunity to participate in the sport at all levels and in all roles 103 The National Association of Youth Bowling Clubs NAYBC is a BTBA subcommittee serving youth bowlers and youth bowling clubs 104 The British Universities Tenpin Bowling Association BUTBA formed in 2008 organizes bowling events for present and former university and college students 105 The Tenpin Bowling Proprietors Association TBPA formed in 1961 as an umbrella organization is a trade association for the British ten pin bowling industry 106 United States edit nbsp Poster for the first national bowling competition sanctioned by the American Bowling Congress Highest per game average scores individual competition 216 doubles 200 five man teams 181 107 A protest was filed against the highest scoring doubles team alleging use of a ball that was a quarter inch larger in circumference than permitted 108 The United States Bowling Congress USBC was formed as the governing body for the U S on January 1 2005 by the merger of 109 the American Bowling Congress ABC an originally male only organization founded in 1895 the Women s International Bowling Congress WIBC 1916 the Young American Bowling Alliance YABA 1982 which itself was formed from combining the American Junior Bowling Congress AJBC 1946 Youth Bowling Association YBA 1963 64 and ABC WIBC Collegiate division mid 1970s 110 and Team USA Bowling 1989 109 As the national governing body for bowling its stated mission is to provide services resources and the standards for the sport 90 its stated goals including growing the sport and promoting values of credibility dedication excellence heritage inclusiveness integrity philanthropy and sportsmanship 109 Museums edit The International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame is located on the International Bowling Campus in Arlington Texas U S 111 Tournaments edit nbsp Conceptual diagram of a large bowling tournament Entrants not eliminated in qualifying rounds go on to compete in match play which determines seeding initial ranking for the final matches 112 World Bowling oversees quadrennial World Championship tournaments and international championships for various sectors including for women seniors youth and junior bowlers 113 The QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup begun in 1965 is recognized as bowling s largest event in terms of number of countries competing according to the USBC in 2018 114 The Professional Bowlers Association PBA Tour has held anywhere from 15 to 25 events annually in recent years mainly at U S locations 115 The PBA Tour includes major championship events the U S Open the USBC Masters the PBA Tournament of Champions the PBA World Championship and the PBA Players Championship 116 Dozens more PBA tournaments are held in various U S geographical segments as part of the PBA Regional Tour The United States Bowling Congress USBC has various tournaments for the PBA tour PWBA youth and seniors including the USBC Masters and U S Open both major tournaments on the PBA tour and USBC Queens and U S Women s Open both major tournaments on the PWBA tour plus the USBC Team USA Trials U S National Amateur Bowling Championships 117 Additionally the USBC has regional tournaments 118 and certifies local tournaments 119 The European Tenpin Bowling Federation ETBF owns the European Bowling Tour organized in 2000 120 including its final tournament the European Bowling Tour Masters first edition 2008 121 The Commonwealth Tenpin Bowling Federation CTBF made up of World Bowling member federations within the Commonwealth of Nations owns the Commonwealth Tenpin Bowling Championships which has held tournaments at irregular intervals since 2002 122 The Weber Cup is an annual three day US vs Europe tournament named after Dick Weber 123 that began in 2000 and has been held almost exclusively in the U K 124 In the decade of the 2000s the World Ranking Masters owned by World Bowling ranked standings in the Pan American Bowling Confederation PABCON Asian Bowling Federation ABF and European Tenpin Bowling Federation ETBF 125 Though ten pin bowling has not progressed beyond a demonstration sport at the Olympic Games 3 80 99 international games modeled after the Olympics awarding medals do include the sport including the World Games governed by the International World Games Association the Asian Games governed by the Olympic Council of Asia OCA 126 and the Pan American Games governed by the Pan American Sports Organization PASO 127 The Maccabiah Games governed by the Israeli Bowling Federation IBF with events played according to WTBA ETBF rules host ten pin tournaments as medal events 128 Leagues editFurther information Bowling league nbsp USBC membership has declined indicating waning league participation in the U S 85 nbsp Same data normalized to 1997 values to show relative change in lanes centers and membership 85 nbsp The average number of lanes per bowling center has trended upward slightly during this time period 85 nbsp In about 2015 U S bowling center employment reversed a long decline 129 which some attribute to their diversification into more broad based entertainment centers 130 Bowling leagues vary in format including demographic specialization male female mixed senior youth number of bowlers per team usually 3 5 number of games per series usually 3 day and time of scheduled sessions starting dates and duration of league seasons scoring scratch versus handicap and systems for bestowing awards and prizes 131 Usually each team is scheduled to oppose each of the other teams over the course of a season 132 Position rounds in which the first place team opposes the second place team third place opposes fourth place and so on are often inserted into the season schedule 133 Customarily team position standings are computed after each series awarding a first number of points for each game won and a second number of points for achieving the higher team score for that series the particular numbers being specified in each league s rules 134 135 Further in leagues having match point scoring individual bowlers on one team are matched against respective members of the opposing team the winners receiving points that supplement their team s game and series points 135 The number of league bowlers in the U S peaked at 8 million in 1980 80 declining to approximately 1 million by the early 2020s 85 Notable professional achievements editTitles and scores edit First perfect game on live national television Jack Biondolillo 1967 Firestone Tournament of Champions 71 First female to bowl a perfect game on national television Ritsuko Nakayama 1970 Japan 136 Most titles in a single PBA Tour season Mark Roth 8 titles in 1978 71 137 Most titles in a single PWBA Tour season Carolyn Dorin Ballard 7 titles in 2001 138 First woman to win a PBA Tour event Kelly Kulick 2010 PBA Tournament of Champions 71 139 Most PBA Tour titles career Walter Ray Williams Jr 47 titles reached in 2010 140 Most PWBA Tour titles career Lisa Wagner 32 titles reached in 1999 141 First to earn 100 combined titles in PBA Tour PBA50 Tour and regional competition Walter Ray Williams Jr 2016 71 Most PBA Tour major titles career Jason Belmonte 15 reached in 2023 142 Most PWBA Tour major titles career Liz Johnson 10 reached in 2017 143 Only winners of a career Super Slam all five PBA majors Mike Aulby 1996 144 and Jason Belmonte 2020 145 Earnings and contracts edit First in any sport to receive 1 000 000 endorsement contract Don Carter 1964 with Ebonite International 67 First to earn more than US 100 000 in a single season Earl Anthony 1975 71 146 First female to earn more than US 100 000 in a single season Lisa Wagner 1988 147 First to earn US 1 million in career earnings Earl Anthony 1982 71 First female to earn US 1 million in career earnings Aleta Sill 1996 148 First to earn US 2 million in career earnings Walter Ray Williams Jr 1997 71 Most earnings in a single PBA season Kyle Troup 496 900 in 2021 149 First to earn US 3 million in career earnings Walter Ray Williams Jr 2002 03 71 Highest first place prize awarded in a single professional bowling tournament 250 000 in the 2011 PBA Tournament of Champions won by Mika Koivuniemi 150 and 2021 PBA Players Championship won by Kyle Troup 151 Youngest edit Youngest to win a standard PBA Tour title Norm Duke 1983 at age 18 years 345 days 152 Youngest to earn cash in a PBA Tour event Kamron Doyle age 14 2012 U S Open 153 Youngest to win a PBA Tour major tournament Anthony Simonsen 2016 USBC Masters at age 19 years 39 days 71 154 Youngest to win a standard PWBA Tour event Jillian Martin 2021 PWBA BowlTV Classic at age 17 years 16 days 155 Youngest to win a PWBA Tour major event Wendy Macpherson 1986 U S Women s Open at age 18 years 69 days 156 Oldest edit Oldest to win a standard PBA Tour title John Handegard 1995 at age 57 years 139 days 157 Oldest to win a PBA Tour major tournament that was classified as a major when it took place Pete Weber 2013 Barbasol Tournament of Champions at age 50 years 222 days 71 NOTE Ernie Schlegel won the 1996 USBC Masters at age 53 before it was considered a PBA event he was retroactively credited with a major due to a 2008 rule change 158 Perfect 300 game history editMain article Perfect game bowling nbsp A USBC 300 game gold ringErnest Fosberg East Rockford Ill bowled the first recognized 300 in 1902 before awards were given out 159 In 1908 A C Jellison and Homer Sanders both of St Louis each bowled 300 games in the same season the ABC awarding the gold medal for the highest score of the year to Jellison after a three game tie breaker match without regard to the chronological order of their accomplishments 159 On January 7 2006 Elliot John Crosby became the youngest British bowler to bowl a BTBA sanctioned 300 game at the age of 12 years 2 months and 10 days breaking the 1994 record of Rhys Parfitt age 13 years 4 months 160 On November 17 2013 Hannah Diem Seminole Florida became the youngest American bowler to bowl a USBC certified 300 game at the age of 9 years 6 months and 19 days breaking the 2006 record of Chaz Dennis age 10 and the 2006 female record of Brandie Reamy age 12 161 Jeremy Sonnenfeld Sioux Falls South Dakota rolled the first certified 900 series in 1997 162 A well publicized court contested 900 series by Glenn Allison in 1982 considered by many to be the first ever 900 series was denied certification due to non conforming lane conditions 163 Score inflation controversy edit nbsp The number of sanctioned perfect 300 games per league bowler has increased substantially since the 1990s Freeman and Hatfield posit that the increase in perfect games is due to factors such as the introduction of reactive resin coverstocks asymmetric ball cores synthetic lane surfaces and precision lane oiling machines The 905 perfect games that were rolled during the 1968 69 season increased 38 fold to 34 470 in the 1998 99 season 67 Likewise the number of perfect game league bowlers increased from about one of 3150 1900 1980 to about one of 27 2007 a greater than hundredfold increase that many thought threatened to jeopardize the integrity of the sport 12 Specifically the USBC Technical Director wrote that the USBC is concerned that technology has overtaken player skill in determining success in the sport of bowling announcing in 2007 the completion of a ball motion study undertaken to strike a better balance between player skill and technology 164 source source source source source source Automatic lane oiling machines can be programmed to lay down oil patterns of different levels of difficulty Typical house shots enable higher scores than the more challenging sport shots Separately a USBC pin carry study completed in about 2008 found that dramatically increased entry angles improve pin carry 9 to result in higher scores regardless of whether the bowlers supplied additional effort or improved their skill 12 Among the factors allowing higher scores were technological advances in coverstock and core design 12 combined with improved lane surfaces and accommodative oil patterns 165 Specifically the reactive resin balls and particle balls that came out in the 1990s increased frictional engagement with the lane to provide greater hook potential that made high entry angles easier to achieve 13 Moreover changes in lane surface technology as well as the introduction of voids into pins to make them lighter and more top heavy helped to raise average scores as early as the 1970s 166 Expanded choices in oil viscosity and electronically controlled lane oiling machines permitted alley owners to customize house oil patterns to optimize the advantages of the new ball technologies 166 Technological progress allowed some 1990s league scores to surpass those of professionals in the 1950s 166 Responding to such concerns the USBC initiated sport bowling leagues and tournaments that provide sport challenge and PBA Experience oil patterns that are more challenging than the accommodative patterns of typical house shots 166 Still the USBC has encountered enduring issues concerning how to maintain average integrity fair handicapping across leagues using oil patterns of differing difficulty 167 As a result of various USBC studies including a bowling technology study 168 published in February 2018 the USBC Equipment and Specifications Committee established new specifications focusing mainly on balls 169 The overall result of the new specifications was said to slightly limit hook potential more specifically eliminating balance holes as of the 2020 21 season and setting a new specification for oil absorption 169 The USBC stated that the new specifications will slow oil pattern transition cause bowlers to move less and keep the same scoring pace with lower oil volume 169 In media editCoverage of events edit See also Category Bowling television series Beginning in 1962 ABC s Pro Bowlers Tour was broadcast on Saturday afternoons 72 170 to be viewed by millions and with various entertainment oriented programs including Make That Spare Celebrity Bowling and Bowling for Dollars confirmed the sport s popularity 66 The Pro Bowlers Tour garnered excellent ratings in the 1960s and early 1970s as a lead in to ABC s Wide World of Sports However television ratings fell substantially 83 from 9 1 in the mid 1970s to 2 0 in 1997 171 the year in which Pro Bowlers Tour was canceled 72 171 The decline in bowling event coverage has been attributed to a variety of factors including time demands burdening the schedules of two income households 83 small purses winnings for professional tournaments declining participation in league bowling the perceived demographic of bowlers old or of low social class waning popularity with the public competing sports programming on cable television lack of corporate sponsorship lack of an inspiring bowling star 2004 172 and an aging audience for TV bowling 171 A 2006 PBA article describing the PBA bowlers in the documentary A League of Ordinary Gentlemen called bowling athletes the Rodney Dangerfields of professional sports 173 The decline in coverage has also been attributed to the perception that bowling is less an athletic sport not being in the Olympic Games 3 and more of a recreational pastime such as for children s birthday parties 174 This perception is reinforced by the easy lane conditions provided to bowling leagues that enable seasoned league bowlers to achieve scores rivaling those of professionals who must bowl under more challenging lane conditions 174 Former PBA Commissioner Mark Gerberich said that ABC paid the PBA 200 000 per broadcast in 1991 but by 1997 we were paying 150 000 to stay on TV 175 Said to be near bankruptcy in 2000 176 the PBA changed ownership 170 to one that emphasized marketing with the goal of running the organization as a for profit business 89 ESPN featured bowling from 2000 to 2018 on Sunday afternoons with CBS Sports Network also airing a smaller number of bowling tournaments 170 In 2019 the PBA entered an agreement expected to last four years in which Fox Sports would sell advertising and sponsorships for the sport to establish the sport s presence on broadcast television also providing cable streaming and social media programming 170 In September 2019 Bowlero Corporation purchased the PBA 177 Portrayal on television edit Particular television broadcasts include 1950s The Honeymooners 1952 Championship Bowling 1952 178 1960s Make That Spare premiere episode of The Flintstones 1960 1966 Jackpot Bowling 1959 1961 70 1970s Celebrity Bowling beginning in 1971 All In the Family Bowling for Dollars through 1980 Laverne and Shirley 1976 debut ESPN broadcasts five of six fall PBA Tour events in its debut year 1979 78 1980s The New Celebrity Bowling beginning in 1987 78 Married With Children 80 Grim Reaper AIDS awareness campaign 1987 179 1990s The Simpsons The Drew Carey Show annual contest 72 Nubeluz Los Palitroques Gigantes one of the Peruvian show s signature games 180 2000s According to Jim Let s Bowl on Comedy Central bowling to settle court disputes 181 Malcolm in the Middle 182 2020s How We Roll 2022 183 In print edit In J K Rowling s Harry Potter and the Philosopher s Stone Professor Albus Dumbledore is a fan of ten pin bowling 184 Non fiction films edit Strikes and Spares 1934 was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Novelty Short 185 Pin Gods 1996 presents the early challenges of three young bowlers breaking into professional bowling 186 The PBS Independent Lens documentary A League of Ordinary Gentlemen 2006 chronicles the stories of four PBA Tour bowlers at different stages of their careers following the purchase of the PBA and appointment of former Nike executive Steve Miller as Director 173 176 Fiction films edit Further information Category Ten pin bowling films In the animated short cartoon The Bowling Alley Cat 1942 cat and mouse Tom and Jerry do battle inside a bowling center 187 In Dreamer 1979 Tim Matheson plays a man aspiring to be a professional bowler who faces a challenger played by Dick Weber 188 In Greedy 1994 Michael J Fox plays an honest but luckless pro bowler with a bad wrist and a good woman 189 The Farrelly brothers comedy Kingpin 1996 is a bowling comedy about which Randy Quaid said in an interview If we can t laugh at bowling what can we laugh at 72 In the Coen Brothers The Big Lebowski 1998 the Dude Jeff Bridges a slacker s slacker hangs out with his buddies at a bowling alley 190 in which John Goodman s character pulls out a gun to threaten a competitor who stepped over the foul line and refused to accept the mandatory zero score for the shot 72 In the Disney Channel s Alley Cats Strike 2000 high school students engage in a bowling rivalry 191 Games edit See also Bowling video games nbsp The inventor of this 1870 patent claims to have invented a new and useful adaptation of the old and favorite Game of Ten Pins rendered available for parlor or indoor use 192 What is believed to be the first bowling video game was released in the 1977 a built in provided with the RCA Studio II console 193 A pseudo 3D game was released in 1982 for the Emerson Arcadia 2001 console and a multi player game was released by SNK in 1991 almost a decade before convincing 3D graphics arrived 193 Wii Sports which was released in 2006 includes a bowling game for the 3D motion controlled console and mobile device bowling games have since become increasingly popular 193 Several organizations including the PBA and entertainment franchises such as Animaniacs The Simpsons Monsters Inc and The Flintstones have granted licenses to use their names for video games 193 See also editGlossary of bowling List of ten pin bowlers List of world bowling champions BowlsPublications editBenner Donald Mours Nicole Ridenour Paul 2009 Pin Carry Study Bowl Expo 2009 Slide show presentation bowl com Archived PDF from the original on December 7 2010 USBC Equipment Specifications and Certifications Division Freeman James Hatfield Ron July 15 2018 Bowling Beyond the Basics What s Really Happening on the Lanes and What You Can Do about It BowlSmart ISBN 978 1 73 241000 8 Stremmel Neil Ridenour Paul Stervenz Scott 2008 Identifying the Critical Factors That Contribute to Bowling Ball Motion on a Bowling Lane PDF United States Bowling Congress Archived PDF from the original on June 3 2012 Study began in 2005 Publication date is estimated based on article content United States Bowling Congress USBC February 2012 USBC Equipment Specifications and Certifications Manual PDF bowl com Archived PDF from the original on June 19 2013 United States Bowling Congress USBC February 2018 Bowling Technology Study An Examination and Discussion on Technology s Impact in the Sport of Bowling PDF bowl com Archived PDF from the original on December 31 2018 United States Bowling Congress USBC 2021 Playing Rules 2021 2022 PDF bowl com Archived PDF from the original on November 2 2021 Vogel A F December 1892 Bowling PDF Spalding s Athletic Library Vol 1 no 3 New York American Sports Publishing Company Archived PDF from the original on March 27 2020 References edit a b Pluckhahn Bruce December 1988 Bowling Games People Play Bowlers Journal Chicago Illinois National Bowlers Journal Inc p 121 link to image of painting a b c H G Kirk Banking and Confectionary Business advertisement Indiana Centinel amp Public Advertiser Vincennes Indiana U S June 10 1820 p 3 Click for image The owner has erected for the amusement of those who favor him with their custom a Ball and Ten Pin Alley a b c d Carrubba Rich April 5 2013 Is Bowling A Sport Or A Game BowlingBall com Bowlversity educational section Archived from the original on November 12 2020 a b c d e f g United States Bowling Congress USBC February 2012 USBC Equipment Specifications and Certifications Manual PDF bowl com Archived PDF from the original on June 19 2013 a b c d e f Freeman amp Hatfield 2018 Chapter 14 Applying Your Tools Freeman amp Hatfield 2018 Chapter 11 I was robbed a b c d e Freeman amp Hatfield 2018 Chapter 15 Lane play a b Carrubba Rich 2012 Bowling Lane Oil Facts BowlingBall com Bowlversity educational section Archived from the original on November 15 2015 a b c d e f g h i j Benner Mours amp Ridenour 2009 a b c d e Freeman amp Hatfield 2018 Chapter 8 Why Does My Ball Hook a b c d Carrubba Rich June 2012 Bowling Ball Evolution BowlingBall com Bowlversity educational section Archived from the original on September 17 2018 a b c d e f g Stremmel Ridenour amp Stervenz 2008 a b Siefers Nick USBC research engineer April 23 2007 Understanding the relationship between core and cover stock BowlingDigital com Courtesy of USBC Equipment Specification and Certification Archived from the original on September 20 2018 Bowling Ball Reaction Keys BowlingBall com Bowlversity educational section July 28 2016 Archived from the original on November 10 2016 Carrubba Rich February 5 2013 The Simple Keys Of Bowling Ball Motion BowlingBall com Bowlversity educational section Archived from the original on July 23 2021 Your Bowling Ball Motion BowlingBall com Bowlversity educational section December 29 2016 Archived from the original on February 9 2017 Variables You Encounter When Bowling BowlingBall com Bowlversity educational section April 18 2016 Archived from the original on October 12 2016 Freeman amp Hatfield 2018 Chapter 13 Create a Bowler s Tool Kit Freeman amp Hatfield 2018 Chapter 9 Track Flare or Much Ado About Nothing How Should My Bowling Ball Be Drilled BowlingBall com Bowlversity educational section January 2015 Archived from the original on July 11 2015 Hickland Ronald April 11 2017 What is the difference between Pin up and Pin down Drilling on a Bowling Ball CTDbowling com news section Freeman amp Hatfield 2018 Chapter 16 Advanced Considerations a b Freeman amp Hatfield 2018 Chapter 10 The Pocket Isn t the Pocket and It s Nowhere Near Where You Think It Is a b c d e f Wallace Rich January 6 2011 Understanding Bowling Styles kingpin bowling com Archived from the original on May 21 2013 a b c The Game Styles TenPinBowling org 2004 Archived from the original on June 14 2007 a b c d Thompson Adam February 5 2009 Young Australian Puts a New Spin on Bowling He Throws Two Handed The Wall Street Journal Archived from the original on March 31 2015 One Handed Bowling Swing BowlingBall com Bowlversity educational section December 7 2016 Archived from the original on February 14 2021 Freeman amp Hatfield 2018 Chapter 5 You Say You Want a Revolution Thompson Ted March 20 2010 Two handed delivery Kegel net Kegel LLC Archived from the original on January 21 2019 Seymour Dustin 2011 2 Handed Bowling Is It A Fad Or The Future BowlingBall com Bowlversity educational section Archived from the original on July 31 2011 Xtra Slow Motion Tom Daugherty s Bowling Release youtube com Retrieved August 4 2022 Mullen Michelle September 9 2018 Determining Stance Distance amp Position BowlingBall com Bowlversity education section Archived from the original on February 1 2019 Excerpt from Bowling Fundamentals Second Edition a b c Vernoy Lee December 3 2017 Looking for a bowling ball Here s the guy to see Great Falls Tribune Archived from the original on January 31 2019 a b Schroeder Dave April 27 2023 USBC Certifies String Pin Bowling as Independent Competition Effective August 1 2023 Bowl com United States Bowling Congress USBC Archived from the original on May 1 2023 Johnson John January 22 2023 New String Pin Technology May Change Bowling Newser Archived from the original on April 28 2023 Chapter 2 General Playing Rules Rule 2 The Game PDF United States Bowling Congress USBC 2018 Archived PDF from the original on March 20 2019 Carrubba Rich December 8 2012 Keep Your Bowling Score BowlingBall com Bowlversity educational section Archived from the original on May 1 2015 a b c Mackay Duncan February 20 2016 New scoring system introduced for World Bowling Tour finals to try to help sport s Olympic ambitions InsideTheGames biz Archived from the original on November 18 2016 a b Weber to go to World Scoring Weber Cup July 29 2016 Archived from the original on September 13 2016 a b Mackay Duncan February 21 2016 World Bowling Tour final winner backs new scoring system if it helps Olympic campaign InsideTheGames biz Archived from the original on September 13 2016 a b c New Scoring System for Competitive Bowling to be Unveiled During World Bowling Tour Finals at WSOB VI World Bowling October 2014 Archived from the original on November 7 2014 Religious From the Christian Examiner Address of the National Society for Promoting the Observance of the Sabbath Georgia Journal Milledgeville Georgia U S June 22 1829 p 6 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Woloson Wendy 2002 Bowling St James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture Gale Group Archived from the original on December 14 2004 Retrieved March 31 2006 a b Evasions of Law Logansport Telegraph Logansport Indiana U S March 10 1838 p 1 An Ordinance to License Taverns Groceries Coffee Houses Exchanges amp c Logansport Telegraph Logansport Indiana U S June 29 1839 p 3 Be aware website URL as of June 11 2019 incorrectly includes reference to jun 29 1829 incorrect year but this error may be corrected after upload date rendering link obsolete Bury Saint Edmunds Free Public House The Ipswich Journal No 4701 April 26 1828 p 3 Click for image auction notice describing a garden wherein is a small Bowling Green Ten pin and Skettle Grounds Shepherd Jeremy March 30 2018 Final frame looms for longstanding North Van bowling alley North Shore News Archived from the original on July 7 2018 Nazaryan Alexander February 7 2012 Charles Dickens at 200 When the great chronicler of London visited New York New York Daily News Archived from the original on June 17 2019 Quoting Dickens American Notes for General Circulation See also footnote re The new York Herald of November 8 1842 Dickens Charles November 8 1842 American Notes for General Circulation Additional Extracts New York The New York Herald p 1 ten pins being a game of mingled chance and skill invented when the legislature passed an act forbidding nine pins Dickens did not specify which legislature AN ACT to restrict the playing at the game of Nine Pins Daily National Intelligencer Washington D C U S August 7 1834 p 3 Click for image Miscellaneous From the Western Spy The Maryland Republican and Political and Agricultural Museum Annapolis Maryland U S May 26 1821 p 4 Click for image Reference to keeper of the ten pin alley White House Retreat advertisement Daily National Intelligencer Washington D C U S April 2 1830 p 4 Click for image A slightly earlier though less clearly legible version of the same ad ran the previous month White House Retreat advertisement Daily National Intelligencer Washington D C U S March 24 1830 p 3 Advertises a property having a first rate ten pin alley York Sulphur Springs Daily National Intelligencer Washington D C U S June 21 1831 p 3 Click for image Advertises a property with a commodious and well adjusted ten pin alley For Rent The Globe Washington D C U S June 28 1832 p 3 Click for image Offering for rent a Public House with a good Ten Pin Alley attached The Philadelphia Chronicle publishes the following pleasant notice The Boston Morning Post Boston Massachusetts U S May 18 1833 p 2 Click for image Reference to a ten pin alley in an inn in the Philadelphia area Sheriff s Sale Daily Savannah Republican Savannah Georgia U S May 3 1834 p 5 Click for image Sheriff s sale of Ten Pin Alley and Balls Valuable Real Estate for Sale Daily National Intelligencer Washington D C U S September 24 1836 p 3 Click for image Sale of Coffee House having Ten Pin Alley The Globe Hotel By Geo Kensett The Globe Washington D C U S March 18 1837 p 3 Click for image Ad for hotel four blocks from White House touts Billiard Room and Ten Pin Alley attached to the premises U S Patent 8 027 Sloan Thomas J Game Board Apparatus For Setting Up Ten Pins issued April 8 1851 U S Patent 9 916 Eichell George W Game Board Setting Up Ten Pins And Returning Balls issued August 9 1853 U S Patent 92 467 Pierce Peirce Amos T Bowling Alley Improvement in Bowling Alleys issued July 13 1869 Bowling Catalog E Gutenberg org Narragansett Machine Company 1895 Archived from the original on July 1 2018 Project Gutenberg release date June 16 2018 Pollack Wins Tourney With a Mineralite Oregon Journal November 7 1905 p 12 copy of article Other sources are apparently wrong in citing 1914 History of bowling bowl com United States Bowling Congress Archived from the original on October 30 2016 Schmidt Gottfried J July 23 1940 Bowling Pin Setting Apparatus PDF patentimages storage googleapis com United States Patent and Trademark Office Archived PDF from the original on January 28 2019 a b c The Game gt gt History TenpinBowling org 2004 Archived from the original on April 15 2006 Retrieved March 31 2006 a b c d e f g h i Crockett Zachary March 21 2014 The Rise and Fall of Professional Bowling Priceonomics Archived from the original on March 16 2018 a b c d e f g h i j k l Witsil Frank May 9 2015 Is bowling in its final frames or on a roll Detroit Free Press Archived from the original on January 26 2019 Rigali James H Walter John C July 2005 Afro Americans in New York Life and History The integration of the American Bowling Congress the Buffalo experience Afro American Historical Association of the Niagara Frontier Archived from the original on June 15 2006 Retrieved March 31 2006 a b c d Bowling through the Decades The 1960s PBS Independent Lens 2007 Archived from the original on October 20 2017 a b c d e f g h i j k l PBA History Professional Bowlers Association Archived from the original on March 28 2019 a b c d e f g h Bowling Through The Decades The 1990s PBS Independent Lens 2007 Archived from the original on March 9 2007 a b c d Pluckhahn J Bruce Bowling Encyclopaedia Britannica Archived from the original on September 19 2018 Bowling History 101 The First British Bowling Alley Tenpin 2014 Archived from the original on November 8 2016 BTBA Bowling Pin Who was William Ivor Massil Talk Tenpin wp talktenpin net Retrieved February 2 2022 Ruddy Austin J August 1 2017 Bowled over by Leicester s Top Rank entertainment The classic era of Leicester s nightlife 1960 1980 Leicestershire Live Archived from the original on January 17 2019 a b Buzzle Staff July 22 2017 Bowling Was The Sport of Kings Back Then and Now of Working Men buzzle com link to SportsAspire com Archived from the original on January 29 2019 a b c Bowling Through The Decades The 1970s PBS Independent Lens 2007 Archived from the original on March 9 2007 a b Putnam Robert D 2000 Bowling Alone America s Declining Social Capital Palgrave Macmillan pp 223 234 doi 10 1007 978 1 349 62397 6 12 ISBN 978 1 349 62399 0 S2CID 154350113 Expanded from an article in Journal of Democracy January 1995 pp 65 78 a b c d e f Bowling Through The Decades The 1980s PBS Independent Lens 2007 Archived from the original on March 9 2007 1998 Kuala Lumpur InsideTheGames biz Archived from the original on June 14 2017 a b c d McIntosh Phyllis 2011 Bowling Entertainment for All Ages PDF eric ed gov U S Department of Education Archived PDF from the original on May 4 2021 a b c d e f Ahrens Frank June 21 1997 It s the End of the Lane for ABC s Bowling Broadcast The Washington Post Krakowka Lisa July 1998 American Demographics Bowling throws a strike Media Central Inc Archived from the original on September 26 2004 Retrieved April 2 2006 The SGMA is now 2019 The Sports amp Fitness Industry Association SFIA a b c d e f g Data Wayback Machine archives of USBC s bowl com website Links provided on Wikimedia s image page archive thereof a b c What s happening to bowling White Hutchinson 2007 Archived from the original on April 20 2009 Stempel Jonathan November 13 2012 AMF Bowling files for bankruptcy again Reuters Archived from the original on May 29 2019 Retrieved May 29 2019 Dorbian Iris July 1 2013 AMF Bowling Worldwide and Bowlmor Complete Merger pehub com Archived from the original on February 10 2014 Retrieved May 29 2019 a b CNNfn March 22 2000 High tech execs spare PBA CNN Archived from the original on April 3 2019 a href Template Cite news html title Template Cite news cite news a author1 has generic name help a b About USBC Bowl com United States Bowling Congress Archived from the original on October 1 2018 Retrieved March 13 2019 The League Professional Bowlers Association January 2013 Archived from the original on January 23 2013 Cimino Peter January 23 2013 PBA League Is Must See TV PDW Duke Barnes Belmonte and Others Tell You Why Bleacher Report Archived from the original on April 12 2019 Press Room Bowlers United States Bowling Congress USBC 2010 Archived from the original on January 4 2011 Link is to a January 2011 archive of USBC website describing 2009 numbers Bowlers bowl com United States Bowling Congress Press Room January 2019 Archived from the original on January 29 2019 History of Bowling BowlingMuseum com International Bowling Museum amp Hall of Fame 2016 Archived from the original on June 8 2016 a b Maley Jacqueline March 19 2006 Tenpin bowling is reborn as the new cool The Guardian Archived from the original on January 30 2019 a b Walker Rob July 22 2017 Tenpin alleys boom as Britain is bowled over by retro vibes of 1950s America The Guardian Archived from the original on January 2 2019 Young Leslie April 1 2015 10 Pan Am Games sports you won t see at the Olympics Global News Canada Archived from the original on September 15 2018 a b c Dougherty Pete December 3 2018 To grow bowling needs Olympics Times Union Albany NY Archived from the original on December 4 2018 Carrubba Rich March 5 2013 Squeezing Your Bowling Ball Gripping Holes BowlingBall com Bowlversity educational section Archived from the original on August 8 2016 a b c World Bowling About WorldBowling org 2019 Archived from the original on January 11 2019 WTBA Rules 2015 06 01 Introduction Background PDF WorldBowling org June 1 2015 p 7 Archived PDF from the original on March 18 2019 a b About btba org uk British Tenpin Bowling Association May 12 2017 Archived from the original on March 14 2019 Retrieved March 14 2019 Frequently Asked Questions What is the NAYBC naybc btba org uk National Association of Youth Bowling Clubs Archived from the original on March 17 2019 Retrieved March 17 2019 Home Coming Events butba co uk British University Tenpin Bowling Association Archived from the original on September 4 2014 The 2014 archive shows more explanatory detail What is the TBPA gotenpin co uk 2019 Archived from the original on September 19 2017 Bowlers Tourney in Chicago New York Teams First and Second in Two Men Contest The New York Times January 12 1901 p 9 F Brill Chicago scored highest in the individual competition averaging 216 game Voorhees and Starr New York scored highest in doubles averaging 200 game and the Standard Bowling Club of Chicago scored highest among five man teams averaging 181 game Protest New York Bowlers Chicagoan Objects to Awarding Championship to Starr and Voorhies The New York Times January 12 1901 p 9 a b c USBC ABC WIBC and Team USA Bowling Bowl com United States Bowling Congress Archived from the original on March 11 2017 Retrieved March 13 2019 Home Youth About Us History United States Bowling Congress Archived from the original on June 7 2019 Retrieved June 7 2019 About Overview BowlingMuseum com International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame Archived from the original on June 21 2018 Retrieved March 13 2019 Level 4 3 How do these tournaments work BowlingSeriously com 2015 Archived from the original on July 15 2017 Publication date is estimated based on March 2015 date of earliest archive World Championships WorldBowling org Archived from the original on March 24 2019 Cannizzaro Matt November 5 2018 Opening Ceremony Kicks Off 2018 QubicaAMF World Cup In Las Vegas bowl com United States Bowling Congress USBC Archived from the original on November 6 2018 2019 Go Bowling PBA Tour Schedule pba com Professional Bowlers Association Archived from the original on March 22 2019 Retrieved March 26 2019 Fox PBA 2019 TV Schedule PDF Professional Bowlers Association 2019 Archived PDF from the original on March 26 2019 Retrieved March 26 2019 Major events are in red text Championship Tournaments Tournament Information bowl com United States Bowling Congress USBC Archived from the original on February 16 2019 Retrieved March 26 2019 2019 USA Bowling Regional Tournament Schedule Bowl com United States Bowling Congress USBC Archived from the original on December 27 2018 Retrieved March 26 2019 Tournaments PDF Bowl com United States Bowling Congress USBC August 1 2010 p 1 Archived PDF from the original on May 13 2012 Introduction to Tournament Bowling Bowl com United States Bowling Congress USBC Archived from the original on December 3 2016 Retrieved March 27 2019 European Bowling Tour A Historical Review etbf eu European Tenpin Bowling Federation Archived from the original on March 25 2019 Retrieved March 25 2019 European Bowling Tour Masters A Historical Review etbf eu European Tenpin Bowling Federation Archived PDF from the original on March 25 2019 Retrieved March 25 2019 Commonwealth Championships A Historical Review PDF etbf eu European Tenpin Bowling Federation Archived PDF from the original on March 26 2019 Retrieved March 26 2019 Weber Cup About WeberCup com Archived from the original on February 21 2019 Retrieved March 25 2019 Weber Cup History WeberCup com Archived from the original on February 21 2019 Retrieved March 25 2019 World Ranking Masters A Historical Review etbf eu European Tenpin Bowling Federation Archived PDF from the original on March 25 2019 Retrieved March 25 2019 Bowling List of Events ocasia org Olympic Council of Asia Archived from the original on March 27 2019 Retrieved March 27 2019 Team USA Home 2019 Pan American Games bowl com United States Bowling Congress USBC Archived from the original on September 19 2018 Retrieved March 27 2019 Ten Pin Bowling Regulations maccabiah com Maccabi World Union July 28 2016 Archived from the original on September 26 2017 BLS Data Viewer Time series CES7071395001 Bureau of Labor Statistics bls gov Archived from the original on October 28 2019 Related BLS graphs presented by Bloomberg s Justin Fox Fox Justin October 26 2019 How Bowling Alleys Made a Comeback Bloomberg Archived from the original on October 27 2019 Bowling Leagues BowlingBall com Bowlversity educational section August 3 2012 Archived from the original on January 6 2016 Bowling League Schedule PDF United States Bowling Congress USBC Archived PDF from the original on December 24 2015 Sample schedules provided Goodger Jef March 6 2017 Position Round in Bowling ThoughtCo com Archived from the original on April 14 2018 Sample Adult League Rules PDF Rule 16 sample rule United States Bowling Congress USBC Archived PDF from the original on May 28 2016 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint location link a b Small Glenn August 15 1993 Match point scoring can make league night more lively bowling The Baltimore Sun Archived from the original on March 20 2019 Video of Nakayama rolling a perfect game on YouTube Hall of Fame 35 Mark Roth Professional Bowlers Association Archived from the original on April 11 2019 Women s Pro History 11thframe com Retrieved June 13 2023 Breaking More Barriers Woman Takes P B A Title The New York Times Associated Press January 25 2010 Archived from the original on January 28 2010 All Time PBA Tour Titlists Professional Bowlers Association Archived from the original on March 27 2019 Retrieved March 26 2019 Lisa Wagner USBC profile bowl com Retrieved June 13 2023 Hughes Nolan March 19 2023 JASON BELMONTE WINS RECORD SETTING FOURTH TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS TITLE pba com Archived from the original on March 20 2023 Liz Johnson wins 2017 U S Women s Open for 10th major title pwba com August 6 2017 Retrieved June 13 2023 Aulby Announces Retirement Plans PBA com October 22 2003 Archived from the original on March 5 2020 Vint Bill February 23 2020 Australia s Jason Belmonte Wins U S Open Becomes Second Bowler to Complete PBA Super Slam pba com Archived from the original on February 24 2020 Hall of Fame Earl Anthony Professional Bowlers Association Archived from the original on February 5 2010 Retrieved March 28 2019 Lisa Wagner Infoplease Retrieved June 13 2023 Mullen Michelle June 12 2008 Aleta Rzepecki Sill Bowling s First Lady Millionaire National Polish American Sports Hall of Fame Retrieved June 13 2023 Kyle Troup Wins KIA PBA Playoffs for Eighth Career Title pba com May 16 2021 Archived from the original on May 16 2021 Vint Bill January 22 2011 Major Mika Wins PBA Tournament of Champions Record 250 000 First Prize PBA Archived from the original on January 25 2011 Goodger Jef February 21 2021 Kyle Troup Wins PBA Players CHampionship for First Career Major Title PBA com Archived from the original on March 10 2021 Norm Duke Professional Bowlers Association Archived from the original on May 26 2010 Retrieved March 28 2019 Thomas Jason February 23 2012 Shafer Leads U S Open But 14 Year Old Kamron Doyle Becomes Youngest Casher in PBA Tour History Professional Bowlers Association Archived from the original on March 26 2019 Cannizzaro Matt February 14 2016 19 Year Old Simonsen Wins USBC Masters to Become Youngest to Win a Major Title pba com Archived from the original on July 8 2019 Stow s Jillian Martin 17 becomes youngest woman to win pro bowling event Akron Beacon Journal August 11 2021 Archived from the original on September 3 2021 Southern Nevada Sports Hall of Fame Wendy Macpherson snshf com Southern Nevada Sports Hall of Fame Archived from the original on June 17 2016 John Handegard Professional Bowlers Association Archived from the original on August 7 2016 Retrieved March 28 2019 Smith Aaron April 4 2022 Anthony Simonsen Wins Second USBC Masters Title At 2022 Event PBA com Archived from the original on April 4 2022 a b Bowling Trivia 1 BowlingBall com Info section 2004 Archived from the original on September 21 2005 Elliot Crosby becomes the youngest player in the UK to shoot 300 BowlingDigital com January 15 2006 Archived from the original on December 30 2010 Cannizzaro Matt November 20 2013 Florida Bowler Becomes Youngest to Bowl 300 Game bowl com United States Bowling Congress USBC Archived from the original on January 27 2019 Bowling Trivia 2 BowlingBall com Info section 2004 Archived from the original on January 27 2019 Bigham Terry November 22 2014 USBC Concludes Re evaluation of Glenn Allison 900 Series bowl com United States Bowling Congress USBC Archived from the original on December 10 2014 USBC Equipment Specifications and Certification section December 17 2007 Research complete on USBC Bowling Ball Motion Study PDF bowl com United States Bowling Congress USBC Archived PDF from the original on December 7 2010 United States Bowling Congress USBC February 2018 Bowling Technology Study An Examination and Discussion on Technology s Impact in the Sport of Bowling PDF bowl com Archived PDF from the original on December 31 2018 a b c d Carrubba Rich 2012 Are Today s Bowling Scores Too High BowlingBall com Bowlversity educational section Archived from the original on June 10 2012 Bigham Terry January 15 2018 USBC to reclassify more than 700 leagues as Sport or Challenge leagues based on research bowl com United States Bowling Congress USBC Archived from the original on January 31 2019 United States Bowling Congress USBC February 2018 Bowling Technology Study An Examination and Discussion on Technology s Impact in the Sport of Bowling PDF bowl com Archived PDF from the original on December 31 2018 a b c Bowling Technology Updates Frequently Asked Questions PDF bowl com United States Bowling Congress 2018 Archived PDF from the original on July 8 2019 Archive link provides for download of PDF file rather than viewing a b c d Steinberg Brian March 20 2018 Professional Bowling Rolls to Fox Sports Variety Archived from the original on March 27 2019 a b c Callahan Gerry June 30 1997 The Last Frame After 36 Years on ABC Bowling and Announcer Chris Schenkel Got Tossed Into the Gutter Sports Illustrated Archived from the original on April 8 2019 Page image viewed 2019 04 08 Clark Tom June 2 2004 Why the Media Hates Bowling Bowlers Journal Archived from the original on May 1 2005 a b PBS to Air A League of Ordinary Gentlemen Next Week Professional Bowlers Association PBA April 19 2006 Archived from the original on May 6 2006 a b Clark Tom October 30 2001 Bowling s three hurdles to gain respect USA Today Archived from the original on July 12 2017 Vint Bill February 16 2017 Mark Gerberich Three Former PBA Stars Enter PBA Hall of Fame Bowlers Journal Archived from the original on March 2 2021 a b A League of Ordinary Gentlemen The Film PBS 2006 Archived from the original on September 8 2006 Barrabi Thomas September 11 2020 Professional Bowlers Association sold as Bowlero aims for perfect game Fox Business Archived from the original on November 25 2020 Bowling Through The Decades The 1950s PBS Independent Lens 2007 Archived from the original on April 10 2016 This confronting advertising campaign ran for only three weeks in the 1980s but it is seared on the nation s collective memory Canberra Times May 25 2020 Retrieved June 5 2023 https www youtube com watch v CbSgGBGXm9g Bowling game featured on Nubeluz Bowling Through The Decades The 2000s PBS Independent Lens 2007 Archived from the original on April 10 2016 St James Emily November 12 2009 The best TV episodes of the decade AV Club Archived from the original on March 18 2022 Easton Anne March 30 2022 How We Roll Hopes To Bowl Over Viewers With An Aspirational Story Forbes Archived from the original on April 1 2022 J K Rowling Harry Potter and the Philosopher s Stone Vancouver Raincoast Books 2004 paperback edition p 114 Strikes and Spares 1934 Movies amp TV Dept The New York Times 2011 Archived from the original on May 20 2011 Archive of full list at Oscars org Fuchs Cynthia May 3 2010 Reviews Pin Gods PopMatters Archived from the original on April 9 2019 Video Mavis Paul October 13 2009 Review Tom and Jerry s Greatest Chases Vol 3 DVD Talk Archived from the original on December 6 2017 AFI Catalog of Feature Films Dreamer 1979 American Film Institute AFI 1970 Archived from the original on April 3 2019 Piantadosi Roger March 4 1994 Greedy review The Washington Post Archived from the original on December 15 2018 The Big Lebowski 1998 movie locations com Archived from the original on February 10 2019 Retrieved April 3 2019 Blatt Ben June 26 2014 The Longest Movie Plot Summary on Wikipedia Slate Archived from the original on March 28 2019 U S patent 107 030 Game Board or Game Box For Ten Pins issued September 6 1870 to George Benedict Fowler of Brooklyn New York Archive PDF a b c d Zwiezen Zack February 2 2019 A History Of Bowling In Video Games Kotaku Archived from the original on February 4 2019 nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bowling nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bowling balls Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Ten pin bowling amp oldid 1183887486, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.