webmonkee
Shared on Sat, 03/25/2006 - 01:06Yes, duckpin bowling. Never heard of it? Me either, until I spent a few days in Indianapolis. They have a duckpin bowling alley there.
Duckpin bowling is similar to 10-pin bowling (which is the bowling you already know) except that the ten pins are about 2/3 the size of regular pins, and the balls are about the size of softballs and weigh around 4 pounds. Now, the ally is just as wide as for 10-pin, so, since the pins are smaller, there is much more room between them, and you get very little pin action if you hit the traditional 10-pin sweet spots.
You get 3 balls per frame. The first two balls are scored just like 10-pin, a strike if you get them all in 1 ball and a spare if it takes 2. If you get all 10 down using all 3 balls in a frame, you just get 10 pins - no bonus from the next frame.
Now, I am a pretty good bowler, with an average in the high 180s. Not great by any means, but better than your average casual bowler. The last time I was in Indy, the folks I work with there took me bowling and regretted it because I spanked the crap out of them.
This time, they were ready. Theyd been playing duckpin for a few weeks and had gotten it down. I still beat them all with the monster scores of 79 and 83. And, I felt pretty damn good getting those scores.
Duckpin bowling may, in fact, be the ultimate drinkers game. You are going to suck at it whether you drink or not, so you might as well drink. The owner of the place told me that 75 is a good score, and I believe him.
Duckpins was pretty popular in the 1920s and 30s, but faded fast during and after WWII. Now you can only find duckpin lanes in 6 states, Indiana being one of them. I was told it is more popular in Canada than in the US.
If you happen to live somewhere with a duckpins lane, go check it out with a bunch of friends. I have bowled for 30 years, and I can honestly say that duckpins was the most challenging bowling Ive ever played, and the most fun Ive had bowling in years.
One more piece of trivia. Babe Ruth was a HUGE duckpins fan, and played it every chance he got.
Duckpin bowling is similar to 10-pin bowling (which is the bowling you already know) except that the ten pins are about 2/3 the size of regular pins, and the balls are about the size of softballs and weigh around 4 pounds. Now, the ally is just as wide as for 10-pin, so, since the pins are smaller, there is much more room between them, and you get very little pin action if you hit the traditional 10-pin sweet spots.
You get 3 balls per frame. The first two balls are scored just like 10-pin, a strike if you get them all in 1 ball and a spare if it takes 2. If you get all 10 down using all 3 balls in a frame, you just get 10 pins - no bonus from the next frame.
Now, I am a pretty good bowler, with an average in the high 180s. Not great by any means, but better than your average casual bowler. The last time I was in Indy, the folks I work with there took me bowling and regretted it because I spanked the crap out of them.
This time, they were ready. Theyd been playing duckpin for a few weeks and had gotten it down. I still beat them all with the monster scores of 79 and 83. And, I felt pretty damn good getting those scores.
Duckpin bowling may, in fact, be the ultimate drinkers game. You are going to suck at it whether you drink or not, so you might as well drink. The owner of the place told me that 75 is a good score, and I believe him.
Duckpins was pretty popular in the 1920s and 30s, but faded fast during and after WWII. Now you can only find duckpin lanes in 6 states, Indiana being one of them. I was told it is more popular in Canada than in the US.
If you happen to live somewhere with a duckpins lane, go check it out with a bunch of friends. I have bowled for 30 years, and I can honestly say that duckpins was the most challenging bowling Ive ever played, and the most fun Ive had bowling in years.
One more piece of trivia. Babe Ruth was a HUGE duckpins fan, and played it every chance he got.
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