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Bowling

Bowling is a game in which players attempt to score points by rolling a ball along a flat surface to knock down objects called pins. There are many forms of bowling, with the earliest dating back to ancient Egypt Ancient Egypt

Ancient Egypt was a long-lived ancient civilization [i] in north-eastern Africa [i]. ... 

. The best known form of bowling is probably the American United States

The United States of America, also known as the United States, the U.S., the U.S.A., a... 

 game of ten-pin bowling Ten-pin bowling

Ten-pin bowling is a competitive sport in which a player, called a bowler, attempts to knock down as man... 

. This form, in both amateur and professional versions, is played around the world, making it one of the largest participation activities worldwide.

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Bowling is a game in which players attempt to score points by rolling a ball along a flat surface to knock down objects called pins. There are many forms of bowling, with the earliest dating back to ancient Egypt Ancient Egypt

Ancient Egypt was a long-lived ancient civilization [i] in north-eastern Africa [i]. ... 

. The best known form of bowling is probably the American United States

The United States of America, also known as the United States, the U.S., the U.S.A., a... 

 game of ten-pin bowling Ten-pin bowling

Ten-pin bowling is a competitive sport in which a player, called a bowler, attempts to knock down as man... 

. This form, in both amateur and professional versions, is played around the world, making it one of the largest participation activities worldwide.

History

Historians have discovered forms of bowling as early as 3200 BC in Egypt, though some argue that it originated later in Germany Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country [i] in central Europe [i]. ... 

 around 300 AD. The first written reference to bowling was in reference to King Edward III Edward III of England

Edward III was one of the most successful English [i] kings [i] of medieval [i] times. ... 

 of England England

England is the largest and most populous constituent country [i] of the United Kingdom [i]. ... 

 banning his troops from playing the game in the 14th century. European settlers brought forms of the game to the United States in the colonial era Colonial America

Starting in the late 16th century, the English [i], the French [i], the Spanish [i], and ... 

.

The first standardized rules were established in New York City New York City

[i] in the [[United States]... 

, on September 9, 1895. In that year, the American Bowling Congress United States Bowling Congress

The United States Bowling Congress is a Ten-pin bowling [i] organization in the United States of America [i] ... 

  was formed. The female equivalent, the Women's International Bowling Congress  was founded later, in 1917. Later, the Young American Bowling Alliance  became the sanctioning body for junior bowling.

Originally, pinspotters Pinsetter

In bowling [i], a pinsetter, or pinspotter, was originally a person who would manually reset bowling pin [i] ... 

 manually set up pins. However, in 1952, the first automatic pinsetters were commercially produced, greatly speeding up the game and allowing its popularity to blossom.

Since bowling was an indoor sport without extreme movements, several early television Television

Television is a telecommunication [i] system for
... 

 shows featured bowling, including "Championship Bowling," "Make That Spare," "Bowling For Dollars," and "Celebrity Bowling."

The Professional Bowlers Association Professional Bowlers Association

Professional Bowlers Association is the major sanctioning body for the sport of professional ten-pin bowling [i] ... 

  was founded in 1958 by Eddie Elias. While the first season only featured three events, the tour blossomed, especially after joining the ABC's Saturday afternoon time slot in 1961. Through the years, professional bowling on ABC typically outdrew college basketball, even in its final days on the network in the late 1990s. The PBA continues to showcase the best bowlers in the world, with telecasts currently on ESPN ESPN

ESPN is an American [i] cable television [i] network [i] dedicated to broadcasting sports-related programming [i] ... 

.

In 2005, the ABC, WIBC, and YABA merged to form the United States Bowling Congress United States Bowling Congress

The United States Bowling Congress is a Ten-pin bowling [i] organization in the United States of America [i] ... 

  to serve as the single sanctioning body for all American bowling.

The United Kingdom United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a country and sovereign state [i] tha ... 

, the second largest ten-pin bowling Ten-pin bowling

Ten-pin bowling is a competitive sport in which a player, called a bowler, attempts to knock down as man... 

 advocate, is home to the British Tenpin Bowling Association British Tenpin Bowling Association

The British Tenpin Bowling Association is the official governing body of Ten-pin bowling [i] in the United Kingdom [i] ... 

 , which was formed on 26th May 1961. Although the PBA is a world-wide organisation with many professional British ten-pin bowling players, the UK still has its version of the association with the Premier Tenpin Bowling Club .

Forms



Most forms of bowling may be categorized as either indoor or outdoor. Most indoor forms are played on a "lane", a flat surface made of wood or a synthetic imitation, which is several times longer than it is wide.

Included in the indoor category:
  • Ten-pin bowling Ten-pin bowling

    Ten-pin bowling is a competitive sport in which a player, called a bowler, attempts to knock down as man... 

    , which evolved from ninepin bowling in the 19th Century 19th century

    The 19th century lasted from 1801 [i] through 1900 [i] in the Gregorian calendar [i].

... 

.
  • Five-pin bowling, played in Canada Canada

    Canada is the world's second-largest [i] country by total area, occupying most ... 

    .
  • Nine-pin skittles
  • Candlepin bowling Candlepin bowling

    Candlepin bowling is a variation of bowling [i] that is confined to the New England [i] ... 

    , played in eastern Canada and northern New England New England

    New England is a region of the United States [i] located in the northeastern corner of the country. ... 

    , is a variation of ten-pin bowling.
  • Duckpin bowling, commonly found in the mid-Atlantic and southern New England United States United States

    The United States of America, also known as the United States, the U.S., the U.S.A., a... 

     and eastern Canada Canada

    Canada is the world's second-largest [i] country by total area, occupying most ... 

    , is a variation of ten-pin bowling involving small, squat pins, sometimes with rubber at their widest points .
  • Feather Bowling  originated in Belgium Belgium

    The Kingdom of Belgium is a country in northwest Europe [i] bordered by the Netherlands [i] ... 

    . It is also popular in Detroit Detroit, Michigan

    Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state [i] of Michigan [i] and the seat [i] of Wayne County [i] ... 

    , as the Cadieux Cafe is the only United States venue where the game is available.
  • Six-Pin Bowling, a kids version of bowling, bowing set is usually bought at a toy store. There are no official tournaments, scoring systems, and venues for this game since it's just for kids.
  • No-tap bowling, identical to Ten-pin bowling Ten-pin bowling

    Ten-pin bowling is a competitive sport in which a player, called a bowler, attempts to knock down as man... 

    , with one major exception: a bowler knocking over nine pins counts the same as a strike.



For nearly a century, ten-pin bowling lanes had a surface made of wood. Beginning about 1980, most ten-pin lane surfaces have been converted to or built with a synthetic material imitating a wooden surface. In ten-pin bowling, a building containing many lanes has traditionally been called a bowling "alley" but in more recent times, to upgrade the image of the sport, bowling "center" is preferred.

Brunswick Bowling & Billiards is the leading full-line designer and producer of bowling products and operates 106 Bowling Centers in the United States, Canada and Europe.

The second category of bowling is usually played outdoors on a lawn. Here the players throw a ball, which is sometimes eccentrically weighted, in an attempt to put it closest to a designated point.

Included in the outdoor category:
  • Lawn bowls Bowls

    Bowls is a precision sport [i] where the goal is to roll slightly radially asymmetrical ball [i]s clo ... 

  • Bocce Bocce

    Bocce is a precision sport [i] closely related to bowls [i] and ptanque [i] with a common ancestry from ... 

  • Pétanque Pétanque

    Ptanque is a form of boules [i] where the goal is to throw metal balls as close as possible to a small w ... 



See also

  • Bowling ball Bowling ball

    A bowling ball is a round ball made from rubber [i], urethane [i], plastic [i], reactive resin or a comb ... 

  • Skittles — the sport from which "alley" based Bowling originated
  • Skee ball Skee ball

    [i] and one of the first [[redemption game]... 

     — a game that plays similar to bowling
  • Pin shooting — a pistol shooting game using bowling pins.
  • Professional Bowlers Association Professional Bowlers Association

    Professional Bowlers Association is the major sanctioning body for the sport of professional ten-pin bowling [i] ... 

     — ten-pin bowling's professional organization.
  • Premier Tenpin Bowling Club — another professional ten-pin bowling organization.

External links

  • - A historical game related to bowling






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