Bowling with Mommy

[Dynasty]

A highlight of every trip I make back to Massachusets is going bowling with my mother. I prefer to go candlepin bowling since I consider it both more challenging and fun but she wasn't interested in driving to New Hampshire to play at one of the few surviving candlepin alleys. So, we played the standard ten pin, or "big ball bowling" as I called it as a kid.

I am ultra-proud to announce that I totally crushed my near-60 year old mother at bowling despite not having my best game. In the first of our five games, I beat her 152-52 and she was never able to make a comeback. In fact, it was pretty much over when I hit three consecutive strikes on my first three balls while she threw three gutter balls. She keeps talking about joining a league to practice so she can beat me so maybe next year she will be more competitive.

I never was able to put together a consistent game and 152 was the best score I put up. But, Mom came back strong in the second game with a 96. She was actually in the lead after two frames and close fairly late as I had my worst game with a 125.

However, Mom stole the show with two spectacular spares. The first was a 2-4-10 thing of beauty. A professional bowler couldn't have made it look any better. She tapped the 2 pin every so slightly on it's right side taking it and the 4 pin out. The ball deflected to the right and nudged down the 10 pin stylishly. The fact that my mother bowls the ball somewhere around 0.001 mph only made it more artistic. Mom then may have topped that when she nailed a 1-2-6-7 in a similar manner.

[andyfox]

Nice post.

-What's candlepin bowling?

-How'd you manage only a 152 after starting with a turkey?

-A professional bowler wouldn't have made the 2-4-10 hitting the right side of the 2 pin. /images/graemlins/smile.gif

I once left the 2-7-9-10 standing. Hard to imagine where the ball went. I didn't convert.

[Inthacup]

LOL. This post is funny for so many reasons.


Cup

[Gamblor]

I hear you on this one.

America, god shed his grace on thee.

[Gamblor]

1
2 3
4 5 6
7 8 9 T

?

[Zeno]

Enjoyable post. The way I bowl, your mom would have real chance.

-Zeno

[Rushmore]

I'm all choked up. That was beautiful, man. Beautiful. A regular Fried Green Tomatoes.

[HDPM]

So how much were you playing her for? /images/graemlins/laugh.gif

j/k of course.

[andyfox]

Yes, in pyramid form of course. So the 7 and 10 pins are on the ends, in back, closest to the gutters.

[daryn]

we have candlepin in boston.. where were you in mass?

[kdog]

I thought candlepin was pretty much everywhere in Mass except the Fall River/New Bedford area where they bowl duckpin.

[Dynasty]

[ QUOTE ]
1
2 3
4 5 6
7 8 9 T

?

[/ QUOTE ]

It's better to view it like this.

7 8 9 10
4 5 6
2 3
1

[Gamblor]

[TimTimSalabim]

Or how about this:

7<font color="white"> * </font>8<font color="white"> * </font>9<font color="white"> * </font>10
<font color="white"> * </font> 4<font color="white"> * </font> 5 <font color="white"> * </font>6
<font color="white"> *** </font> 2<font color="white"> * </font> 3
<font color="white"> ***** </font> 1

(I must have too much free time).

[daryn]

yeah i thought so too... no need to drive to new hampshire.

[Al_Capone_Junior]

Good post. Glad you had fun with mom. I'm going fishing with mine in a week or so. Redfish are big in april.

Bowling is fun. I am no pro, hell I probably couldn't beat your 150 or whatever it was. But as long as there's beer and pizza, bring it on!

al

[pudley4]

<font class="small">Code:</font><hr /><pre>
7 8 9 T
4 5 6
2 3
1
</pre><hr />

(code) function rules /images/graemlins/laugh.gif

[NotMitch]

Candlepin does rule and it is alive and well in Somerville at least, so no need to hit up NH.

[Dynasty]

[ QUOTE ]
Candlepin does rule and it is alive and well in Somerville at least, so no need to hit up NH.

[/ QUOTE ]

My parents live in Lowell which is near the New Hampshire border. I'm sure the nearest lanes are in New Hampshire but it's still a 15-30 minute drive.

[NotMitch]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Candlepin does rule and it is alive and well in Somerville at least, so no need to hit up NH.

[/ QUOTE ]

My parents live in Lowell which is near the New Hampshire border. I'm sure the nearest lanes are in New Hampshire but it's still a 15-30 minute drive.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes I would guess Nashua, NH would be the closest. When I was growing up in Tewskbury there was a bowling alley that was half candlepin and half duckpin. But I dont think it is around anymore.

[jdl22]

Sorry to be foolish here but is candlepin the same game we know and love but with thinner pins?

[Dynasty]

[ QUOTE ]
When I was growing up in Tewskbury there was a bowling alley that was half candlepin and half duckpin. But I dont think it is around anymore.

[/ QUOTE ]

That was Wamesit Lanes and I loved it. It closed down in the early '90s.

The closing of Wamesit Lanes was one of those depressing "my childhood is being stolen from me" moments (but without any trauma). It was a place my grandmother took me even before my oldest memories. My baseball Little League would have bowling fundraisers there. As a teenager, it would be the occassional weekend hangout for a few hours. That was a place I never wanted to see go away.

I certainly didn't want to see it leveled for a Home Depot.

[Dynasty]

[ QUOTE ]
Sorry to be foolish here but is candlepin the same game we know and love but with thinner pins?

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes. The pins are tall and candle shaped. You get three balls in every frame rather than two.

For an amateur, bowling a 100 is very hard. For a semi-pro (there can't be many pros) player, an average of 133 is very impressive. Nobody could average 150.

[NotMitch]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
When I was growing up in Tewskbury there was a bowling alley that was half candlepin and half duckpin. But I dont think it is around anymore.

[/ QUOTE ]

That was Wamesit Lanes and I loved it. It closed down in the early '90s.

The closing of Wamesit Lanes was one of those depressing "my childhood is being stolen from me" moments (but without any trauma). It was a place my grandmother took me even before my oldest memories. My baseball Little League would have bowling fundraisers there. As a teenager, it would be the occassional weekend hangout for a few hours. That was a place I never wanted to see go away.

I certainly didn't want to see it leveled for a Home Depot.

[/ QUOTE ]


I had moved away to NH before it was leveled, but that whole area is so different now it doesn't feel like the place I grew up at all. I know I spent many birthday parties there bowling like crazy.

[jdl22]

If you get a strike (is that even possible?) do you count your next two balls or three for that frame?

[daryn]

you count your next 2.

and of course it's possible.. didn't dynasty mention in his post that he bowled 3 in a row?

[jdl22]

Yeah but he wasn't candlepin bowling. I'm asking about candlepin. I'm curious if you count the next two or the next frame worth.

While we're on the subject of bowling, I'm from Sutherlin, Oregon a tiny (ex)logging town boasting a population of around 7000 give or take a couple grand. There are two professional bowlers from there. Pretty amazing stat if you ask me.

[daryn]

oops.. ok i understand now he was talking about 10-pin, so forget my comment about his 3 strikes, but i do know candlepin bowling. when you get a strike, you count the next 2 balls, not 3. maybe dynasty didn't get 3 strikes in a row but i've seen it happen plenty of times.

[youtalkfunny]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Sorry to be foolish here but is candlepin the same game we know and love but with thinner pins?

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes. The pins are tall and candle shaped. You get three balls in every frame rather than two.

[/ QUOTE ]

Also, the ball isn't much bigger than a softball, and it's very light. And the pins are spaced out far apart. You could fire your ball right down the middle, and take out one pin.