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Roll up to join the celebrations for National Bowling Day! This fun occasion aims to get more people involved in the sport. 

History of National Bowling Day

Bowling is one of the world’s most popular participation sports, with around 100 million enthusiasts. It appeals to all ages and both sexes, and many people with disabilities are able to be keen bowlers, making it a sport for just about anyone.

This history of bowling may date back to ancient Egyptian times, as primitive bowling pitches have been found in graves from around 5,000 BC. Much later, Edward, King of England was a keen bowler, but because he didn’t want others to share in the fun, he banned working men from taking part in case they neglected their duties.

Because bowling was considered to be a sport for men, women were originally banned from participating by the American Bowling Congress. However, in 1917, the Women’s National Bowling Association was founded to allow the sport to be played by both genders.

Since National Bowling Day was founded as an event in the USA in 2011, it has proved to be a striking success. The day was first sponsored by the Bowling Proprietor’s Association of America, Inc., with the intention of increasing awareness and participation in the game.

National Bowling Day is now celebrated annually and it continues to gain traction as folks all around the US, and even the world, are ready to spend some time bowling and enjoying the day!

How to Celebrate National Bowling Day

Whether bowling a strike, a spare or a gutter ball, bowling can always be loads of fun, especially when it is done with friends and family. Consider some of these ideas for observing and celebrating National Bowling Day:

Go Bowling, Of Course!

What else would a person do on this day? Thousands of bowling lanes and centers may be offering free taster sessions in celebration of National Bowling Day, so the ideal way to celebrate is to take to the lanes. Grab some bowling shoes, a bowling ball and a few friends, and head on over to knock down some pins. It’s possible that you could well be bowled over by how much fun this sport of bowling really is!

Watch Bowling on Television

Many people don’t even realize that bowling is a professional sport. That’s right, the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) has been in existence since 1958 and their games have been televised ever since.

Get involved with watching some of the most excellent of bowlers by catching some bowling on television. In addition to watching it on cable sports channels, it’s also possible to catch some games on Amazon Prime, Hulu + ESPN, Sling and various other online streaming providers.

Buy a New Bowling Ball

Those who are really into the sport of bowling might want to celebrate with the purchase of some new equipment. A new bowling ball or bowling shoes would be just the thing! Not sure which size ball to buy? A good standard is that a bowling ball should weigh 10% of the person’s body weight. The heaviest legal weight for a custom bowling ball is 23 pounds. Wow! Now that is one heavy ball to roll down the lane. 

Learn Fun Facts About Bowling

Those who are novices to the game but want to celebrate National Bowling Day in style might want to learn some bits of trivia about bowling to share and raise awareness for the day. Try out some of these fun facts about bowling:

  • The first perfect 300 game of bowling that was televised was rolled by Jack Biondolillo in 1967.

  • Bowling was featured as a demonstration sport in the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, Korea but, unfortunately for avid bowlers everywhere, the sport has never returned to the Olympic Games since.

  • An average person can burn more than 300 calories an hour while bowling!

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