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Iowa Bowling Proprietors Association,
2518 Clarkson Avenue, Des Moines, IA
50310
Phone: 515-255-0808 Fax: 515-255-8915
E-mail: iowabowling@mchsi.com

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Little
known facts
and history of bowling.
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How
old is the game of bowling? |
| Very,
very old. Bowling pins and other bowling equipment have been
discovered in an Egyptian child's grave dating back to 5200 BC.
Bowling games have been popular all over the world. The
Germans in 200 AD rolled stones at nine wooden clubs called kegels
(bowlers in Germany are still sometimes called "keglers").
The English were bowling as early as the 1100s. The Dutch are
the ones who introduced the sport to America in the 1600s.
They called it "Dutch pins" and Dutch colonists in what is
now New York City liked to bowl in a particular section of the city
so much that it acquired the name "Bowling Green." |
Why
did an extra pin get added to the game of bowling? |
| People used to bowl at "nine pins" rather than
"ten pins." According to bowling historians, the
practice of using ten pins in the game of bowling actually
originated in colonial America as a means of getting around a gaming
law that forbade "bowling at nine pins." The
colonial authorities tried to quash the sport because too many
colonists were gambling on it. To avoid punishment for
disobeying the law, bowlers decided to add an extra pin and call it
...ten pins. ("Hey, there's no crime here, officer. As you can
clearly see, we are NOT bowling at nine pins.") |
Why
isn't bowling an
Olympic sport? |
| Bowling
isn't an Olympic sport yet, but the International Bowling Federation
would like it to be. According to the IBF, bowling is like
many other Olympic sports in that it requires accuracy, stamina,
concentration, and muscle control. The IBF points out that
bowling meets the minimum requirements set by the International
Olympic Committee for gaining acceptance (the rules state that an
Olympic sport must be contested in 75 countries for men's
competition and on four continents, and 40 countries for women on
three continents.) |
What
is a "turkey" in bowling? |
| Three
strikes in a row! |
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Who made the
catchphrase "hambone" so popular recently in bowling? |
"Hambone!"
According to wikipedia, Rob Stone is a commentator for ESPN who has
covered various sports from soccer to football. While announcing a
PBA tournament along side 13-time PBA titleist Randy Pedersen, he asked,
"if three strikes is a 'turkey", why isnt there a name for four
strikes?". Stone launched the hambone phrase in the following
week's final TV finals, and it soon took on a life all its own despite
criticism from traditionalists, some media and (at first) even a few
bowlers on the PBA tour.
Though many bowlers were slow to
embrace the catchphrase, it has become extremely popular with PBA
management, and even more so with bowling fans who now bring
"Hambone" placards to flash on camera whenever someone rolls
four straight strikes. The 'hambone' has also proven to be a ratings
booster for PBA matches televised on ESPN. In a February 17, 2008
match, Hall of Fame bowler Pete Weber, after rolling a fourth consecutive
strike, pointed to Stone in the TV booth and shouted over the cheers,
"Rob Stone, here's your hambone!" while performing his trademark
chop.
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