Fanology 101: 10-Pin Bowling
By Hailey Schopper, September 13 2024—
Often when people think about 10-pin bowling they think of birthday and work holiday parties, but believe it or not bowling is a sport enjoyed by many around the globe. This article outlines the basics of 10-pin bowling and how you can get involved.
Equipment
At the most basic level, you need a ball and pins. Something most people do not know is that all balls are different. House balls—the ones provided—are simple with various weights and generic finger holes that work for most people. As you get more competitive you can get balls where the placement of the weight differs which affects your ball reaction (how it moves down the lane). Additionally, you can get your ball drilled specifically for your hand size. There are two different types of balls: a strike and a spare ball. A strike ball is used on your first shot when all ten pins are standing, and a spare ball is used on your second shot to knock down the remaining pins.
Secondly, bowling shoes are important as they help keep the approach safe. Beyond that, bowling shoes can be customized to your preference to help you improve your game since your feet are comfortable.
Many other smaller pieces of equipment can help your game such as tape, towels, ball cleaner, and skin patch.
Scoring
In 10-pin bowling, there are 10 frames with two shots each, except for the tenth frame where you can get three shots. Three things can happen in a frame: one, you can get a strike meaning you knock down all 10 pins on the first shot; two, a spare in your second shot meaning you knock down the remainder of the pins from your first shot; three, an open frame meaning you do not knock down all 10 pins. To get three shots in the tenth frame you must strike or spare.
The total number of pins you can get in a game is 300, also known as a perfect game. When you bowl a strike you earn 10 pins plus the total number of pins you knock down on the next two balls. When you bowl a spare you earn 10 pins plus the total number of pins you knock down on the next ball. When you bowl an open frame your score is just the total number of pins knocked down in that frame.
Where to watch
If you want to watch the professionals the best place for that is on the PBA or PWBA YouTube channels where they post all of their step-ladders throughout the season. The PBA season runs from January to June, and the PWBA season runs from May to August.
Additionally, some players have YouTube channels that post vlogs showing the behind-the-scenes of tour life or tip videos to help improve your bowling game. Some of my favourites include Brad and Kyle and Jason Belmonte.
Where to bowl in Calgary
If you are looking to bowl in Calgary there are many options around the city including the three recently renovated Splitsville locations (Meridian, Highfield and Glamorgan). They offer public and league play. Splitsville Meridian and Highfield offer Saturday morning youth leagues for anyone under 22; the first day is Sept. 7 at 10 a.m. at both locations so feel free to show up and register! There are also adult leagues multiple nights throughout the week that will be starting up in September. Splitsville Meridian also has a Special Olympics league on Saturday mornings at 10 a.m. Keep an eye on their website and Facebook page, or feel free to call for more information!