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Page 3 • Monday, April 19. 1999
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Story by Kyle Whitacre
Photo Illustration by Sallie Thmer & Guy Rogers
W hat is it about the sport of
bowling that makes it dif
ferent from other sports?
No other pastime has such a unique
and independent following of play
ers and enthusiasts. Athletic
prowess and stamina are thrown
out the window, and all that is left
is skill, technique and dedication of
the player.
According to the Website of the
Bowling Association of New Jersey,
bowling is 7,000 years old. The ear
liest record of a game resembling
bowling comes from ancient Egypt,
where a round object resembling a
bowling ball and marble bars, sim
ilar to pins, were found in the ruins
of an Egyptian pyramid.
Recent movies like The Big
Lebowski and Kingpin have tried to
delve into the psyche of the ritual
bowler. From clothes to lifestyle to
personality, the fanatic bowler has
a style all his or her own.
On a typical weeknight, a juke
box plays top 40 hits as the players
line the alleys with cheap beer, cig
arettes, cool bowling shirts and per
sonalized bowling balls.
Ryan Jordan, a freshman electri
cal engineering major, said bowling
is unique in the world of sports.
“Bowling is 90 percent mental
and 10 percent physical,” Jordan
said. “You don’t have to be Michael
Jordan or Mark McGwire to be
good at bowling. That isn’t what
counts. The skill is more mental
than most sports.”
Style is also an important aspect
of the bowling fanatic. Mike Oates,
a junior psychology major, and Jor
dan own their own bowling shoes,
and Oates owns his own personal
ized bowling ball.
“I’ve been bowling for a long
time,” Oates said. “It takes a lot of
dedication. A girlfriend of mine a
few years ago made me choose be
tween her and bowling. I hated to
see her go, but 1 think it was for the
best.”
Bowling classes offered at Texas
A&M can be a breeding ground for
future bowling fanatics such as
bowler Jason Puckett, a sophomore
environmental design major.
“The bowling class I’m taking
got me hooked on it,” Puckett said.
“I bowl so much more now, at least
two or three times a week. My av
erage just keeps getting better and
better.”
The classes teach the beginning
bowler proper technique and form.
Bowlers are graded on pin average
and a midterm. To get an “A” in the
skills portion of the class, male stu
dents need to get above 165 and fe
male students need to get above 145.
“It’s all in the form,” Puckett
said. “I never thought about certain
things before that I’m learning, and
it’s making a difference. It just takes
a lot of practice. I tried to teach one
of my friends and he could never
get it down. It’s all about the thumb
position.”
Puckett said bowling has certain
advantages other sports cannot offer.
“You don’t need a lot of people
to play,” Puckett said. “Basketball,
baseball, football and other big
sports need a lot of people for a
game. One or two people is good
enough for a fun game of bowling.
That’s why smaller games like table
tennis and pool are really cool.
They can never get rained out, ei
ther. ”
Also, bowling does not offer the
physical workout of endurance of
most other active sports.
One of the oldest sports of all
time, bowling has always had a
unique following, from royalty to
peasantry to Lebowski. It has been
a part of popular culture for thou
sands of years, and the trend is still
running strong today in bowling
leagues across the nation. A new
spin has been put on bowling with
the introduction of galaxy bowling
in which black lights, glow in the
dark pins and laser lighting spice up
the bowling experience.
But for the hardcore bowlers, a
good pair of shoes, the perfect
bowling ball and a smooth lane is
all they need.
)r c\$
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14th Anniversary
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Special Good April 19th thru May 2nd
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SLAM FEST '99
3 on 3 Basketball Tournament
Where
Read Building
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April 24,
1999
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<k
A historical and military perspective
presented by
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Director of Military Studies Institute
7:00 p.m. Tuesday, April 20, 1999
Room 301 Rudder Tower
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