Why Do You Bowl?

[killinginthename]

i have no idea why im still bowling...
this is my 19th year and many times ive been so over it all, i guess its mainly the fun of it (when im bowling well), the friendships and rivalrys made. i know i'd miss it if i stopped bowling, im always just "in the mood" to bowl, even if im only a "spectator" for the day i need to bowl.
id love to get back into the competetive side of it more now, who knows, guess i'll know why if im still bowling in another 19 years!
i <3 bowling!

 

[tonx]

Why do I bowl? 2 parts to this answer.

Why did I start bowling: Got told to piss off out of the house one day, they had a free come try it bowling day down the local lanes, and I got sucked in to comming back every week

Why do I continue to bowl: I simply can't be bothered taking the time to learn a competely new sport. I coach, drill and bowl (using the term bowl loosely) and for me to get to the level im at now in another sport would take too much bloody hard work!

Seriously though, what I love about the game, is there is always something new to learn. No-one is as good as they think they are, and until someone comes along and throws 300's every game, there is always room for improvement.

Every time I drill up a new ball, its something new to learn. There is a huge range of bowling balls out on the market, each with their own pro's and con's, and its a world of drilling and surface options to match. I have the advantage of having access to a spinner, and a drill press to learn these new things myself, but speaking with your proshop guy could create the same effect.

Lane conditions are always a big factor. 18mths ago, I would have tried bowling on a tough shot and perhaps got quite frustrated with myself. Now, I take each tough shot as a hard-ass lesson to learn, and I can see myself improving with every session.

In summary, this SPORT keeps the mind ticking with every ball. If I wasnt bowling, my mind would go to mush (more so than it already is )

Cheers!

 

[Ducati 851]

I dont think anyone could sum it up any better than that!!!

Seriously though, what I love about the game, is there is always something new to learn. No-one is as good as they think they are, and until someone comes along and throws 300's every game, there is always room for improvement.

Every time I drill up a new ball, its something new to learn. There is a huge range of bowling balls out on the market, each with their own pro's and con's, and its a world of drilling and surface options to match. I have the advantage of having access to a spinner, and a drill press to learn these new things myself, but speaking with your proshop guy could create the same effect.

Lane conditions are always a big factor. 18mths ago, I would have tried bowling on a tough shot and perhaps got quite frustrated with myself. Now, I take each tough shot as a hard-ass lesson to learn, and I can see myself improving with every session.


Well Said Tonx

 

[domesticengineer]

Hello all you Handsome and Beautiful Australians, I will be 76 this month and I bowl with people that are 86 and, until recently, one that was 92. I will be bowling in three leagues this fall, one highly competitive league with 230 average bowlers (My average is 181) and in the other two leagues averages are much lower. My Point? Tell me what sport - other than bowling - allows a man my age to compete (successfully) with boys and girls 20 - 30 years old? The oldest American bowler was 105, so I'm still good for 30 more years! Where I bowl, Northside Lanes in Winchester, VA, they have senior bowling at $1.75 a game. In addition, they provide on-line coupons for one free game when the bowler buys two. So, I can bowl three games for $3.50. Now where can I find a sport that I can enjoy so much for so little? Golfing? I don't think so. Anyhow, the people I bowl with, the management of the bowling alley, the tournaments I can (and do) go to, all represent a real pleasure and a little bit of exercise. Just recently, within the past year or so, my muscles would no longer support bowling 8 - 10 games at a time with my 14 pound bowling ball. I've dropped down to a 13 Pound and even down to a 10 pound ball trying to use the helicopter ball. And, again, with practice and effort, I've been able to bowl at nearly the same average level. In what other sport can one start over at a pretty good age and still be able to compete. In short, I love bowling because of the environment, the challenge, and the excitement when I get a turkey or more. Thanks for asking the question, it's been a hoot just remembering why I love it. Regards, Walt

 

[tonx]

Hello all you Handsome and Beautiful Australians

I like you already

Great post mate!

 

[finspin]

I gave up bowling for about 5 years for domestic reasons,when Ieft I was aged 40 years old with an average in the region of 185. My domestic reasons disappeared when I was 44.. by way of divorce.
I came back to bowling and realised that I had friends I never knew.
Joined the same league. took the game seriously in a way I never had previously. My average is now 198 and as the "domesticengineer" as pointed out, I can play this wonderful game of "TENPIN" for the rest of my life.
We have in our league a guy who has serious problems with arthrithis in his bowling hand (sorry about the spelling, its 2am, had a few beers). We had an excellent driller at our house, which enabled him to continue bowling.
You can spend loads of dosh on the best balls, but it all come down to the ability to throw a ball ACCURATELY regardless of how much you spent

 

[Ice_Magik]

why do i bowl.

Nowhere else, can i channel out everything that's happening around me, family, friends, all the bad things that happen in the world, and find a totally relaxied feeling like i do when i step onto an approach.

For me, waking up on a thursday, the day of my league, was, and is like it used to be when waking up as a child on a saturday morning, and being so excited that the cartoons are on tv.

Getting the satisfaction from bowling a strike is one of the better things in life, knowing that you've thrown a 14lb ball, 50+ feet away, rolling down a lane covered with oil, and getting it to roll exactly where you want it to, is a very hard challange, that brings many smiles to many faces!

You dont have to be the worlds best bowler to get a good result, or to win a competition. Almost every other sport, you need to be at the peak of your career to be chosen in a team, or to be in a leage of competition.
Everyone can enjoy bowling, kids from 3, up to and over 76 as domesticengineer is.

atm im currently learning fingertip, and getting that ball to hook, weather i miss every pin on the deck, or smash all 10 pins flying in every direction still brings a smile to my face as i am totally amazed when i see a ball move the way it does on an oily surface.

Well, thats why i bowl anywayz

Cheers

 

[Little Weed]

This is a wonderful post, with the words of Walt in mind, I still have 20 years to go! Walt's words are inspiring.
Obviously the Forum is very wide reaching and its membership ever increasing - as is the Senior Bowling fraternity in Australia.
Seniors are "older" not OLD!

 

[Murderdoll]

I just thought I would update this a bit. I started this thread looking for some encouragement and motivation to get back into it, and there was alot. But at the time I don't think my heart was completely into it.

Although it was over a year ago, just three weeks ago I decided to start bowling league again. My cousin asked me to join his team and bowl thursday nights at craigie (WA). So bowled the first night, only scraped into the 400's for 3. I thought that it was just gonna be like I left it.

Last week we pre-bowled. 191, 178, 267. Last game was clean, 10 strikes, 2 spares, bowled with my Storm PDW thats about 4 years old. There was the fun that I had been missing. It was excellent.

Then last night I pre-bowled again, this time on my own. Started off using my PDW, couldn't do anything right, and in the 9th frame changed to my Storm Fear Factor (again about 4 years old) And finished with a 4 bagger. 151 first game, second game had front 7 and finished second game with a 279. I was having fun on my own, and that's what I was looking for. Last game was a 212.

I felt good after that. I felt like I wanted to bowl alot more. I'm still dusting off alot of cobwebs and I know I've left it very late but this might just be the motivation I needed.

Just wanted to tell my story

Adrian

 

[Tiger]

Great to see you back chucking the orb Adrian

I know I posted earlier in the thread (was about a year or more back now) but I found out just how much I love the game itself when I had to give up all leagues for work reasons a few months ago.
I only get to bowl Sunday nights these days, and I bowl between 9-15 games a night to keep myself sharp for tournaments (whenever we actually have one).
I had contemplated chucking it in altogether after the way I bowled in the VIP Classic, but I missed it, had a change of mind a few weeks later and decided that league bowling wasn't getting me tournament-ready and hadn't done for years, so I decided to turn it into a positive and went and trained hard.
Strange thing is, I bowl more now than I did when I bowled in leagues, but I do miss the social side of it (not so the politics and whingeing), but hey, the money's too good to pass up and the job's gotten me fitter than I've ever been.