Everything Candlepin

I will be the first to admit the timing of this post is WAY OFF since the event has already happened.  I was working hard with the Pro Series to figure out how we wanted to approach media aspect of it, and collectively the ideas culminated into the making of a blog.  I can’t thank Dave Barber and Mike MacIntosh enough in giving me the incentive and the encouragement to this for them, and for me.

Needless to say, I’m writing to you today, on the day the site launches about our first event, the Ultimate Ladder at Viking Recreation.  This post is the preview of the alley, as well as a post to give you more of an idea of what this site is all about.

I managed to make it to Viking a week before the tournament.  Fred Thompson was great, and gave me more information than I could handle.  I’ll fully admit due to the delay, and the end of summer bowling season I must have cleaned out my bag that had the information about the bowling alley.  If memory serves me – the bowling alley was built in 1990.  It has sixteen lanes, the first ten were from the old bowling alley in Bridgewater, and the other six were obtained when a bowling alley in Maynard, Massachusetts closed.

Throwing a few games of practice I was able to see first hand want the forums were talking about as far as the approaches.  Granted, they weren’t the most slippery lanes I’ve been on, but if you weren’t in control, forget about it.  I by no means thought it was a skating rink.  After throwing a handful of games I paid for my bowling, and chatted with Fred.

The bowling alley was clearly in great shape, and well maintained.  The pins were immaculate.   Fred told me that since he doesn’t put anything on his decks the pins will always be nice and shiny white.  You can tell what bowling alleys “juice” their lanes by the color of the pins.

He was a great conversationalist and he said he was looking forward to the tournament.  He also gave me a bit of wisdom when referring to the state of bowling all together.  He firmly believed that things like cell phones are actually killing the game.  It was news to me, because I never thought something like social media would dampen the game.  The way he explained it, since we have social media, everyone know where everyone is, and everyone is a fingertip away from each other at all times.  No one takes the time to, as he put it, make plans to go to a bowling alley.  The reason they are having so much trouble is the casual bowler doesn’t stop in as often as they used to.  People don’t pick up a telephone, in their kitchen, and call their friends and say let’s go bowling.

Fred also said that one of the things that makes it difficult to run a bowling alley is the adoption of automatic scoring.  He felt as though it creates extra effort every time one of those cameras is out of line.  Since the pins are plastic, and are so light, it’s easy when some of fireballers out there spray the pins up in the air.   It’s much easier on the bowlers on the lanes, and the staff behind the desk if the bowlers themselves control the score.  I tend to agree with him as it does make things easier, especially when 80+ can be walking into a house for a Pro Series tournament.

I had a great time bowling there.  I like honest difficult houses more than ones that are fast.  You always get interesting leaves in the world of candlepin – sometimes leaves that are weirder than others.  I am going to leave you with this image.  This is how to skillfully take out the 1-3-4.

Leaves like this are what make candlepin bowling so fun and yet, so frustrating all at the same time.  It will be interesting to see the Pro Series a week from now.  Next I will report on the results of the tournament.