Sportsmanship - what would you do?

[wchester]

I recently bowled a team tournament where each individual game was worth one point and each team game was worth two points. During the penultimate match, my opponent (left-handed, like myself) beat me by a single by going thru the face on his last shot, only to topple the two pin forward in some ungodly stroke of luck. This point put my team out of the running mathmatically and ticked me off more than just a little. i feel I should mention here that during this game, my opponent threw three brooklyn strikes and then the fill ball strike as described above.

Here's my question...
Would you shake the guy's hand after the game if he offered it to you? Mind you, he said nothing, just stuck out his hand which I took as sort of rubbbing it in my face. I know that in tennis, when a player makes a lucky shot for a point he always holds up his/her hand as to say "sorry". Should bowling be any different or am I just a poor sport?

 

[Michael Little]

Poor sport, unfortunately, that kind of thing happens all the time now. If the bloke genuinely thought he was bowling good shots and clearly wasn't, then you can understand being annoyed, however, unless there is some awesome sheep station waiting for you outside as a prize, hardly worth the fuss. The guy if he had any common sense, would have known he was lucky and was probably too embarrassed to say anything.

Me personally, I probably would have apologised because it wouldn't have been my intention to bowl those shots, but a win is also a win.

 

[Lyndsay_Packer]

Normally I would apologize for a strike off a howler...but if it's somewhere near the pocket and pin fall is messy I don't, will take that as much as my opponent would be pleased if I smashed the pocket and left something on the back row.

As for shaking hands, it's always something that was drilled into me, through other sports mainly was no matter the situation, always shake opponents and or referee/umpire/officials hand...no matter how they performed

 

[Wal B]

I've been playing for over forty years and I've never seen anyone knock back a Brooklyn Strike ... and for God's sake of course you take the guy's hand when he extends it to you!!

 

[John_Velo]

That person was good enough to strike regardless of how.

Always, always always be a good sport. What people will not remember is how he won, but how you took the defeat!

 

[magpi17]

So you are trying to say you have never thrown a couple of lucky balls that may have won you a game or 2 !!!!
Me I always try to shake the hands of others bowling with me including my team mates, I would rather be a good loser than a bad sport.
I always remember the old saying " what comes round goes round "

 

[Roysa]

Swings and roundabouts... Thing is once you let go of the ball it's out of your control. You can't on one hand take the good mixer strike but on the other bitch about the cold 10 pin. Frustrating? Sure but nothing to make yourself look like a dick over. Shake hands before and after every time.

 

[becka_girl]

Why apologies just because you got lucky? Thats like apologizing for sparing the 7-10 or any other big split....

I think you should also shake someones hand before and after a game. I always say good luck and then at the end say thanks for the game.

 

[Loose Cannon]

There are shots which are simply give and take, how many times do you hit the pocket with a perfect ball only to get a 4,7 or 10 pin left, hit a heavy head pin and the pins split & seperate to each side getting a strike, or the amount of spares as opposed to strikes actually left behind by a brooklyn usually the 5/9 pins . If i bowl a lucky shot i take it ,but you go thru alot of emotions in the aftermath of it all, disbelief,embarressment & relief . Ive played many sports in my time and always shake my opponents hand regardless of the result.

 

[jimcross]

I think I'd happily forego the 'fluke', 'lucky', etc., ones if I could please have the cold 8 pin, or the 4 - 9 split and so on, credited as strikes, from what look like perfect hits. Not that it isn't frustrating to have someone getting strikes from everything except gutter balls, while you're doing the above. Shake hands? Why not? How could you ever get the chance to rip it off his arm if you didn't have hold of it???

 

[STKFC1]

Be Humble in Victory and Gracious in Defeat

 

[sturner]

I'm shocked this is a question. Try and turn the tables and imagine how you would feel on the receiving end. As a female it is extremely uncomfortable when you are on the receiving end of this kind of treatment especially from a male. I've lost count how many times I've come across this in competition and in league.

Might I also point out you're doing no favors with this - people will become motivated just to beat especially when they know you're a bad sport.

 

[Rikki]

I recently knocked out a guy in a big tournament. i had only seen him bowl on tv before, with three lucky brookies i won 189 - 168, sure he was not happy and i got lucky but he shook my hand.

It made my day!!

 

[Jasonguru]

Not even worth discussing.

Of course you shake hands every time regardless. Unless someone refuses, then.....

 

[Dougy]

Harden up!! Win is a win. Lmfao

 

[philby]

This has only happened to me once. A guy who thought he was better than me turned out not to be on the day. I offered my hand to him as he came of the lanes and he walked straight past me and ignored me. I followed him to the back of the lanes and said out rather loudly, Mate well played and again offered him my hand to shake. He was most embarrassed but shock my hand. He must have learnt a lesson because he appoligised to me for ignoring my first guesture. After all it is only a game.

 

[fatblack]

I recently bowled......some ungodly stroke of luck......ticked me off more than just a little.
Here's my question...
Would you shake the guy's hand after the game if he offered it to you? Am I just a poor sport?

. Well Mister WC.........In reply to your post..........At the age of five(5) years I was told "it is most gracious and proper to greet a person with a smile and a handshake". Seventy plus years later I still extend my hand and smile to both friend and competitor alike. To do otherwise would be discourteous, ignorant, very poorly mannered and most un-Australian. As for whether you are a "poor sport" I cannot comment on your demeanor other than, dear oh dear how awful for you.

 

[wchester]

So far no one has commented on the professional tennis player's apologetic gesture when a net cord ball tumbles over the net for a point or when they mis-hit the ball and it drops in for a winner. That's all I ask for...and what I'd do if I
were the recipient of a lucky winning toss.

 

[nev25]

So far no one has commented on the professional tennis player's apologetic gesture when a net cord ball tumbles over the net for a point or when they mis-hit the ball and it drops in for a winner. That's all I ask for...and what I'd do if I
were the recipient of a lucky winning toss.

They still shake hands at the end of the match??????

 

[Dougy]

U always should shake hands no matter the out come is. If u dont u doing nothing but giving you self and the sport a bad name