Gif Picture: bowling

bowling

Game in which a heavy ball is rolled down a long, narrow lane to knock down a group of 10 wooden objects (called pins). Versions of the game have existed since ancient times. Ninepin bowling was brought to the U.S. in the 17th cent. by Dutch settlers; it became so popular and so associated with gambling that it was outlawed in several states. According to legend, a tenth pin was added in the 18th cent. to circumvent such laws. The game grew to enormous popularity in the 20th cent., both as a recreational activity and (since 1958) as a professional sport. Each game is divided into 10 frames, and each player is allowed to deliver up to two balls per frame. If all the pins are knocked down on the first ball, a strike is recorded (10 points). If pins remain standing, and the second ball knocks them down, the player is awarded a spare (10 points). If a strike is thrown in a frame, the number of pins knocked down by the next two balls bowled count in that frame. After a spare, the score of the next ball counts in the spare's frame. Thus, the maximum point total for a single frame is 30. A perfect score is 300, or 12 strikes in a row. Versions of the game include candlepins, duckpins, and skittles.