Bowling300

From a Different Perspective

In a previous blog post, I had interviewed two people from the Barberton High School Bowling Team. If you have not read that post, you can simply scroll down and find it under the title: From a Bowler’s Perspective. For today’s blog post, I thought it would be interesting to interview three people who only bowl for fun, or who don’t bowl at all to understand their perspective on the game.

Question #1: Do you view bowling as a sport or just recreational fun?

All three people said they view it as recreational fun and some did not even know it was a sport that was played professionally. All three had said they never viewed it as more than recreational fun because they were never exposed to it as a sport.

Question #2: Do you know anyone who has been on a bowling team/league or has bowled competitively?

Out of the three people I interviewed, only one person had known someone who was on a bowling team. The other two did not know anyone who had bowled competitively.

Question #3: How often do you go bowling?

These answers varied a little between the three of them. One said they go bowling at least once a year, one said they go bowling once every six months, and one said they go bowling once or twice every few months with friends and family.

Question #4: Do you watch any other sports?

I thought about asking this to see if there was a correlation between the popularity of other sports being higher than the popularity of professional bowling. However, only one out of the three had said they watch soccer and football while the other two said they did not watch any other sports at all.

Overall, I think that people will not view bowling as a sport unless they have a family member or someone very close to them urging them to try it out or to influence what they watch. I personally would have never gotten into bowling if it weren’t for my dad, who got into bowling because of his parents, and so on.

Tips and Tricks

For this blog post, I will be explaining some simple tips and tricks for beginners or for competitive people who just want to be better than their friends when they bowl for fun.

Shake hands with the head pin! Bowling pins are set up in a triangle formation and the head pin is the pin at the top of the triangle. This tip is essentially saying you have to keep your arm straight and put your hand out like you would when shaking someone’s hand.
Don’t get it twisted! One of the most important things when bowling is to keep everything in line and straight. Your arm needs to come straight back and straight forward, your hips need to stay facing the lane, and when you release the ball you need to stand up straight. Doing this will help guide the ball down the middle of the lane.
Consistency is key! If you are wanting to get better at bowling, you need to ensure that you are throwing the ball the same every time. With enough practice, the motions will become muscle memory and you won’t have to think about it, however, when starting out it can be hard to throw it the same every time. Once you become consistent with your throw, you can then tweak and change little things to perfect your game.

These tips will not automatically make you a great bowler, but with practice these fundamental tips will help a lot in the long run.

A Professional Look on Bowling

Professional bowling is vastly different from any other sport league out there. From the salary they make to the way the league operates, professional bowling is nothing like the other sports. Bowling is arguably one of the hardest leagues to become a professional in due to the way the league operates and it is not very rewarding compared to other sports.

First, we are going to talk about how professional bowling works. Unlike other sports like football or baseball where the teams have individual games to eventually be placed in a tournament according to their records, professional bowling is just one giant tournament after another. Sometimes participants have to pay to participate in these tournaments. That would be like LeBron James paying to play in a basketball game. Let me break down the tournament style for you. Bowling tournaments will start with a set number of participants who will gain points based on how they bowl. If they bowl over 200, they get points based on how much they bowl over 200. For example, if they bowl a 250, they would get 50 points. These points will determine if they move on in the tournament or not. This goes on and on until the winner is determined.

This is why bowling is the hardest league to become a professional in. Bowlers need to be very determined and need to practice and train everyday or else they will not win a tournament. For other sport leagues, it doesn’t matter if you win or lose your game because you are already on the team and are already a professional.

Professional bowling is also not very rewarding for the amount of effort and training that needs to go into it. According to ZipRecruiter, the average salary for a professional bowler is only $42,254. Bowlers also get sponsorships and some even have YouTube channels to increase their net worth, however, that first number is just based on winnings from tournaments. Also, it is essential to point out that if a bowler does not place high enough in a tournament, they will not get paid for it.

Professionals in other sports can get paid hundreds of thousands of dollars just to sit on the bench and not play. Also, just to show the vast difference between a bowler’s salary, $42,254, we can compare it to other sports leagues. According to Forbes, the average football player in 2016 earned $2.1 million, the average baseball player earned $4.4 million, and the average basketball player earned $6.2 million. The highest paid bowler, who is Walter Ray Williams earned a career total of $4.8 million, which is only a little bit higher than what an average baseball player made in one year.

Personally, learning about all of these differences just made me appreciate professional bowlers even more. They really have such a great love and passion for the game and they do not care about the money aspect of it, they simply just love to bowl.

How has COVID-19 Affected the Bowling Industry?

The coronavirus has made drastic changes on everyone’s life. Businesses have closed, people are staying home, and the sport industry has cancelled/rescheduled games. While all of this is necessary to keep ourselves and others safe, it is still hard adjusting to these changes. For this blog post, I will be talking about the Professional Bowlers Association’s, or PBA, response to this pandemic.

The reason I wanted to write about this is because I saw a meme going around on social media around the time the NBA, MLB, and other major sports leagues were cancelling their games. In the video you can see people watching and cheering on bowling. This is the first time I had seen bowling get recognition from the masses on social media as a true sport, even if it was just a meme.

Around March 12th, we all heard the news that major sports leagues such as the NBA, MLB, MLS, NHL and more were cancelling their games, and whole seasons, due to the Coronavirus. It wasn’t until March 17th that the PBA decided to cancel all tournaments to help keep people safe during these scary times. That’s almost a week later. This is around the time that the meme was circulating and it was around this time that the bowling tournaments got more recognition on TV and was shown more, since the other sport leagues were cancelled. There are still reruns of past championships and tournaments being played on FOX sports while this hiatus is happening.

Could there be a rise in bowling popularity or is this just a temporary thing that will fade once everything goes back to normal? Tell me what you think! I hope you all are staying safe and adjusting throughout all of this.

The Top 5 Bowling Alleys in Northeast, Ohio!

#1 The Corner Alley- Cleveland, Ohio

Starting us off is The Corner Alley. Along with the bowling lanes, they have some arcade games, a bar, and high definition TVs so people can watch the big game while enjoying time with their friends.

#2 Scene 75- Cleveland, Ohio

This bowling alley offers bowling just like any other alley, except it’s mini-bowling! They have smaller bowling balls and shorter lanes. There’s also only 6 lanes in this whole alley. This is one place you will definitely want to check out!

#3 Roseland Lanes- Oakwood Village

These lanes specialize in family fun. It is kid friendly and even has options for seniors as well! They host leagues, have special nights, and youth programs too.

#4 Wickliffe Lanes- Wickliffe, Ohio

These lanes cater to any bowler’s needs. They have 40 lanes in their establishment, bumpers that can rise and lower with every player’s turn, 2-full service bars and a full service food bar.

#5 Southland Lanes- Middleburg Heights

Along with bowling, they have over 20 pinball machines, a bar/snack bar, and a pro shop where you can buy balls, shoes, bags, and other products making it a place you definitely want to check out!

From a High School Bowler’s Perspective

For this blog post, I interviewed two people who bowl on my old high school bowling team. I conducted this interview because I wanted to see what their thoughts and experiences they have about bowling.

Name: Joe Berlin

Name: Madison Goodrich

Age: 17

Graduation Year: 2021

Graduation Year: 2020

Q: When did you start bowling?

Joe’s A: I have gone bowling with my family and church for recreational fun but I just started bowling competitively two years ago.

Madison’s A: I started bowling when I was in second grade.

Q: What was the biggest influence for you to start bowling competitively?

Joe’s A: My sister was on the bowling team and always talked about how much fun it was. Also, my mom gave me the choice of bowling or playing indoor soccer and I thought bowling would be less work.

Madison’s A: My biggest influence to start bowling competitively was just to simply get out of the house and find something I could do that a lot of people didn’t necessarily do as much . I wanted to be the odd one out.

Q: What is your favorite thing about bowling?

Joe’s A: I made a lot of friends while being on the bowling team. My favorite thing was the jokes and memories that came from these friendships.

Madison’s A: My favorite thing about bowling is hearing all the pins crash and fall over when you get a good strike.

Q: Do you think bowling is viewed as less of a sport by other people?

Joe’s A: Yes in comparison to the other winter sports offered by my high school, bowling would receive less emphasis by the school. There were times when the buses would be late picking us up to take us to a match and there were no support from other students.

Madison’s A: I feel like a lot of people don’t think bowling is a sport because there isn’t too much physical activity to it, but I disagree.

Q: Do you think bowling as a sport is dying or growing in terms of popularity?

Joe’s A: I think it is growing because you see the PBA bowling on TV more and the professional bowlers are getting more recognition than they have before.

Madison’s A: I honestly think bowling is growing because you see it on TV a lot more and people seem to be getting into it now a days.

My Bowling Story

For the past few weeks, I have been blogging about the different aspects of bowling. Today, it’s time to share my story. I first got into bowling after trying out for the High School Bowling team during my freshman year. A couple of my friends were joining as a joke and I decided to join as well. Little did I know that this sport would bring me many successes, friends, and memories that will last a lifetime.

I am naturally a very competitive person, so even though I joined to spend more time with my friends, I did take it very seriously. I remember having bowling lessons when I was very young but I did not bowl competitively much after that. My dad started bowling as a kid and he was the one that taught me everything once I joined the team. I also got advice from my grandparents, who bowled competitively when they were younger. Since both sets of my grandparents and my dad bowled competitively, you could say bowling was in my blood. With the help from my family and coaches, I ended up going to a regional bowling competition my sophomore year where I bowled well enough to advance to states. I placed high enough at states to earn a small scholarship for college. I was honored to win MVP my Junior and Senior year, as well as being captain my senior year. The knowledge I gained from everyone that helped me allowed me to help the new players that were joining. Even now, I am thinking about continuing to help others by becoming a Coach for the Barberton High School team.

The friendships that were made through bowling were one of the best things about being on the team. My high school had just brought bowling back as a club sport my freshman year. Since it was so new, there were only about 5-7 girls on the team for the first two years. The smaller team lead to us becoming very close friends. We would go out to eat after matches and have “girl’s nights” that continued even after the season ended. I graduated high school in 2017, and I still keep up with my bowling buddies today.

The memories I have from being on the bowling team for four years are ones that I will have for the rest of my life. Since the team was so close, we had inside jokes and we would joke around during the matches and tournaments, which made the 8+ hour days go by a lot faster. The memories of victories, bowling my highest game, cheering on my teammates, and all the other little things made my bowling experience that much better. I would have never thought that bowling would become an important aspect of my high school career and would be something that still has importance to me today.

Comment down below to share your favorite bowling memory or to share your bowling story! I would love to hear from you. 🙂

The Best Bowling Products for You!

Before I started bowling competitively, I did not realize how much equipment bowlers actually needed. I thought that they just needed a ball and some shoes. However, once I started bowling, I had a ball, (which turned into two balls later in my career) bowling shoes, a bowling bag, a couple of towels, and an elbow brace. With a sport that requires so much equipment, how do you know you are choosing the right products to use? In this blog, I will examine different products and go into detail about them, so that you can easily find the best one for you!

Bowling Bags

This may be the easiest one to shop for. Lots of places have a variety of bags that can hold 1, 2, or even 3 balls at once. Some have wheels so you can pull your bag alongside you versus carrying it or using the shoulder strap. Some bags have extra pockets that you can store your towels, braces, and shoes in. buying a bowling bag depends on how much equipment you have and what your preferences are!

Braces

Most people wear a wrist brace to support their wrist while bowling and to keep it from collapsing when releasing the ball. The major difference between these products will be what is comfortable for you. Below are the three most popular wrist braces used today.

Kool Kontrol Bowling Wrist Protector- This brace features unique fabric construction and front and back metal support. Since there are metal supports on the front and back of this brace, it leaves nothing to chance when preventing minor or major injuries to your wrist. However, the open back on the fingers could provide discomfort when releasing the ball.

Vive Wrist Brace- This brace is designed for people who suffer from carpal tunnel, but also provides great support when bowling. It has a removable splint and can easily be adjusted. However, this brace frays easily so you may need to purchase a new one faster.

Mongoose Lifter Bowling Wrist Brace- This brace is similar to the first one but it keeps the little finger tucked inside so that it does not snap when releasing the ball. This brace is designed to help you achieve a consistent roll every time you bowl.

Bowling Shoes

While there are a variety of shoes to choose from, a lot of the decision has to come from your preference and how comfortable you want the shoes to be. Some of the big brand names include Dexter, Brunswick, Elite, and Storm. You can choose to get a classic bowling shoe design or you can even customize them and make them your own. The choice is yours!

Bowling Balls

There are millions of options when it comes to bowling balls. The materials can be different, the type of weight in the middle of the ball can be different and can be placed differently, the brands are different, and there are millions of designs and colors to choose from. First, let’s talk about the different materials a bowling ball is made out of:

Plastic- These bowling balls will have a smooth surface and have the least friction Making it perfect for beginners because of the low hook potential.
Urethane- This is more durable than plastic and offers more friction causing a higher hook potential and great pin action.
Reactive Resin- This is the least durable coverstock but it offers the highest friction, high hook potential, and the best pin action. These balls will be more sensitive to lane conditions making it more difficult to control.
Proactive- The surface of these balls are bumpy causing the highest friction possible on oily lanes. This is a great choice for intermediate and advanced bowlers.

When choosing a ball that’s perfect for you to keep in mind how much you want it to weigh and getting it drilled to fit your hands and fingers perfectly.

What bowling products do you think are the best to use? Comment below! If you missed one of my previous posts and want to catch up on them, simply scroll down and read!

5 Differences Between Bowling for Fun and Bowling as a Sport

The rules of the game

When bowling for fun, there are no rules. You go to socialize with your friends, eat food, and add some trash talk just to make it more interesting. When bowling as a sport, there are tons of rules you need to follow. For starters, during a match, you are not allowed to use your cellphone. You also are not allowed to eat food while your game is going on and any drinks you have have to stay away from the lanes because this can become a safety issue. Also, you have to make sure you are showing lane etiquette, which is when you make sure the two people on the lanes beside you are not getting set to through their ball before you step up to get ready. This is so people can focus on what they are doing without the distraction of someone else beside them.

The mindset of the bowler

Someone who bowls as a sport is constantly thinking about how the ball is reacting to the oil on the lanes, where they need to stand and where they need to throw the ball to get a spare, and they are constantly thinking about any changes they need to do to improve their game. When someone bowls for fun, they usually are not thinking about these factors and are simply just throwing the ball down the lane to knock some pins down.

The equipment used

When bowling for fun, you pay for rental shoes and use the balls already at the bowling alley. You don’t think about buying your own equipment because you will only be using them for a game or two before going back home. When someone is serious about bowling, they buy their own shoes, buy their own bowling balls, often having more than one, bags to hold their equipment, wrist elbow braces if they need them, shoe covers to protect the bottom of their shoes, the whole nine yards.

Competition

While bowling with your friends can get competitive, it does not get as competitive as a bowling match does. You might trash talk with your friends and rub it in their faces when you get a strike, but at the end of the day, it is all in good fun. People who bowl as a sport are very serious and competitive, however, they are competitive with themselves and get mad when they mess up somehow. There are a lot of bowling competitions out there that offer monetary prizes for the winner which heightens the competitive spirit of bowling.

Training

Recreational bowling is a social thing that you do occasionally. You decide to go on a Saturday night with some friends and may not go again for a few months. People who are on a team, league, or bowl professionally train multiple times a week to as often as multiple times a day. Much like a football player, soccer player, or baseball player, bowlers need to practice and train in order to improve.

Is Bowling a Thing of the Past or Will it Roll on?

We have all participated in a game of bowling at some point in our lives. Whether it was at a birthday party, during a competitive match, or even just on the Wii, we have all had the experience of throwing a bowling ball down the lane and (Hopefully) knocking some pins down.

But how did it all start? The earliest forms of bowling can be found dating back to 5000 B.C. in Egypt. Their game of bowling was slightly different, as they didn’t have bowling balls or lanes. They simply grabbed some stones and rolled them at different objects with the goal of knocking them down. Soon enough, different variations of the game would appear and the popularity of bowling would soon take off.

Bowling soon turned into a widespread phenomenon, which was tied to religion, sport, or even just for recreational play. Around 400 A.D., bowling began in Germany as a religious ritual to cleanse oneself from sin. In 1366, King Edward banned bowling because he felt it was a distraction from archery practice. This was the first mention of bowling in England. In the 15th-17th centuries, lawn bowling, which is when people would bowl outside, usually on surfaces made of baked clay or cinders, spread from Germany to Austria, Switzerland, and into the Low Countries. In 1455, these same lawn bowling lanes were roofed over, making bowling a game that could be played inside and could be played in all weathers.

Bowling was brought to America in 1670 but did not grow in popularity until the late 1800s. In 1895, the American Bowling Congress was formed. It was around this time that bowling in America moved from outdoors to indoors, became less about gambling, and became more socially acceptable. This was also when women started to bowl.

Even though bowling has an extensive history, it has not gained the attraction as other sports of today’s society has. Bowling as a sport peaked in the 60s-70s and has since then lost attraction to people as a competitive game. That does not mean all bowling is lost! People today still enjoy bowling as a fun, recreational pastime. It also seems a little unfair to say that bowling has lost its popularity since bowling is played by over 95 million people worldwide in over 90 countries, however, compared to the popularity it used to have and comparing it to other sports these days it is safe to say that bowling is left playing catch up.