Upon entering a bowling alley, you feel immediate nostalgia for one of America's finest pastimes. The unmistakable blast and resonating explosion of ten 15-inch pins scattered forcibly about a lane produces a rush of adrenaline as you cross the threshold. The pungent aroma from the cloud of disinfectant spray used to renew the tattered rental shoes brings back memories of your first strike. Was it so long ago that you went to Bobby So-and-so's birthday party at the local Bowl-O-Rama and first became interested in the sport? Whether you're reliving youthful days of blissful bowling or just looking to satisfy a craving for a new entertainment source, the greater Boston area abounds with a variety of bowling "houses" for both novices and experts. Newfound devotees and old-hat enthusiasts alike will find that the Internet also provides a cache of information on coaching, finding a local alley, and working on your mental game.
Bowling, in some form or other, has been around for quite a while. A version of recreational gaming resembling bowling can be traced back as far as early Egyptian times. According to the online Encyclopedia Britannica, the sport we now recognize as bowling at pins probably originated in Germany during the 3rd or 4th century AD as a ceremony of religious cleansing.
From there, the sport evolved into several different recreational pastimes, including lawn bowling, which became a craze for the European upper classes in the 14th century. But by the 15th and 16th century, following the advent of indoor alleys, bowling became outlawed in many countries for encouraging "unlawful assembly" and gambling behavior.
In the US, bowling alleys were for a long time associated with taverns and crime. Through the years, the game developed from its "nine-pin" origins into a game with ten pins, in order to avoid the laws banning the play of "nine-pin." After these legal regulations were done away with, and after the American Bowling Congress was formed in 1895, ten-pin bowling flourished in the US throughout the 20th century.
And few states offer such bowling exuberance than the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. In fact, along with Maine, Massachusetts voluminously boasts one of the New England states' claim to fame: Candlepin bowling.
Often called "duckpin bowling," this variation on the more widely recognized ten-pin form involves a small ball with no holes. The bowler is given three chances to roll the palm-able ball at a triangle formation of tall slender pins in each of the "frames," or new ten-pin settings.
In the slightly different "big ball bowling" - or "real bowling," as it is often called - the fallen pins are removed from the lane between rolls by the pin-setting mechanism. In duckpin bowling, fallen pins are not removed and can be used to knock down others. This, in the parlance of our times, is called "playing with the dead wood."
With such a history of being well-received by young and old, rich and poor, bowling must be easy, right?
Wrong. Not everyone who bowls ten-pin has the skill to roll with the big boys and girls. For those with deficiencies in the ability department, many online coaches and advice columns come to the rescue. A number sites can provide insight into tinkering with your approach and perfecting your hook - but be careful in accepting advice.
Some of the best bowling sites on the Internet will provide video advice for technique suggestions. By paying heed to this form of aid, you can observe how the pros handle the ball and stare in bewilderment. How they could possibly get the ball to spin that way. For some cool video tips to work on your game, take a look at ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/kennmelvin. And for links to over a thousand other bowling sites, visit www.kolumbus.fi/bowwwling.
These pros have their form down, and some of their tips can even prove useful to a first timer. Many bowling fanatics also stress the importance of the mental game and use terms like: "self talk" and "self imagery." Countless articles can be found online, but for one of the finest, go here: www.icubed.com/users/allereb/faq3.html.
For those seeking a nearby bowling establishment that provides both popular bowling options, Lanes and Games, located on Route 2 East, delivers. Along with a lounge for food and drinks and a full arcade with pinball and video games, the bowling experience is heightened by this double-floored extravaganza of 20 ten-pin lanes and 34 candlepin lanes. Games are priced at $3.50 per game/per person, a seemingly steep, but actually average price to pay for a game of ten-pin in Boston.
