I have a quick question to ask you. You are familiar with the game of bowling, right? (That wasn't the question.) You understand that there is a certain etiquette to the game, right? You know that you do a little dance of "you-go first-no-you" when two people in side-by-side lanes step up to bowl simultaneously, right? (Neither of those were The Question, either.)Here is the question: Should you be concerned with the bowler two lanes over? I say no. I say that you should concern yourself only with the person immediately to your right or left. Otherwise, what? you end up looking five fricking lanes down, hoping that you're not throwing someone off their game, thus throwing you off your own. It's ridiculous, is what it is.
On Sunday, for my league bowling (I bowled a 161, a 164 and a 144--not too bad) the people two lanes over (against whom we were not even competing) kept looking over at us and our competitors and basically rolling their eyes at us, as if to say, "Hey-Zeus! Those people don't even know the basic premises of courtesy in bowling!" The majorly-pregnant woman was the worst of the lot. I caught her a couple of times, looking over and shaking her head in disbelief. I wanted to shout, "Hey, bee-yotch, you're two fricking lanes over. If you have a problem with seeing us bowl out of the corner of your eye, I think you have some problems with concentration." Yeah, that would have stopped the eye-rolling, huh?
Focus, focus, focus. I should be able to do naked cartwheels in my lane--if it is two or more lanes removed--and not fuck up your approach.
14 comments:
Well. I oughta.
Everything in bowling distracts me. Just bowl and have fun.
But when it is a competition...
Oh by the way, i read your blog but don't always comment. But you knew that.
Two lanes over? What's next? Will people on the opposite side of the building ask you to be quiet while they concentrate? That's silly.
One lane over is all that is required ... or expected!
one lane over on each side is the usual etiquette. however, i am on a league with quite a few elderly women; and they do wait two lanes over on each side. but it seems that the higher average leagues only wait for the one lane. for me, nothing really bothers me. if i am bowling poorly, i bowl that way even if all the lanes are clear. and one time, during
practice, there were some high school girls playing some sort of game (in the lanes next to me) where they had to do tricks while they bowled: like bowling with the opposite hand, sitting down and pushing the ball with their feet, bowling backwards and between their legs, etc. i couldn't imagine the management allowing this to go on, but i used it as an exercise to try to keep focused on just my bowling. it helped me in the long run.
in the meantime, just try to ignore those who need to have it clear 2 lanes over. they're not technically right, but i'll bet they are older and less sure of themselves. just continue to enjoy knocking down those pins.
I'm glad this came up.
Ahem:
In most leagues, one lane over is all you need to be concerned with, and it's rather (!) like a 4-way stop - if you both step up at the same time, you yield to the right. (However, if the person to my left is attempting a particularly difficult spare, I've been known to distract myself with something-or-other to give them time and no peripheral hurry-up).
It's only in classic leagues (read: people with super-high averages who are seriously serious about the game) that you ever need to keep an eye on the action two lanes over, and that will be clearly stated in the rules. So, if you're not on a classic league, fuck 'em. (Sorry for the language, Mom, but honestly!)
There is a team on our mixed doubles league that acts all weird if someone two lanes over dares to go, and it irks me to no end. I told myself to let it go, don't pay attention, but it's really hard to get up there, set up, and see someone at the corner of my vision shake their head and get out of their stance. I wanted to pop those guys.
I didn't know there was such thing as bowling etiquette. Pretty much anyone at the bowling alleys near my house are either drunk, high, or both. In that case, chucking your ball down any lane is fair game.
i didn't know that in classic leagues (i guess "classic" means that it is a high average league) they needed the extra space. you would think that, even if it is serious business with them, they would be professional enough to be able to concentrate. thanks for the info, though. i'll remember that when the classic (elder) bowlers on our league give someone the eye from 2 lanes over.
I think if you take bowling that seriously you need to examine something within yourself.
I think if you take bowling that seriously you need to examine something within yourself.
Uuuh... yeah, it's just one lane over.
I learned that in my junior bowling league in fifth grade. Because, y'know, we had lessons.
Those people are uppity asswipes. The end. I would punch them.
Meegie: I knew that. =o) Let's go bowling sometime soon. We could do a bunch of nekkid cartwheels and piss people off! :-P
Jay-Jay: I know, man. And it's a fricking BOWLING ALLEY for cryin' out loud. The whole damned PLACE is distracting! ;-)
DNA: True dat.
BooBoo: High school girls are ALWAYS playing some kinds of silly games...you shoulda backhanded them. :-\
[;-)]
Missy: Thanks for pointing out the "rather." ;-) People take bowling WAAAAAY too seriously.
Frank: There IS bowling etiquette, but some people take it to an extreme.
BooBoo(redux): You shoulda backhanded the elderly ladies. :-\
[;-)]
M@: I agree. Oh, and I agree.
Caleal: I ended up backhanding them. :-P
Yeah, that's pretty much bullshit! Only the lane next to you is what you need to worry about. I wonder what the heck their problem was! I used to bowl in league back in the day and growing up around my grandparents I spent a ton of time at the bowling alley too. I've never heard anyone complain about 2 lanes over...how lame.
(btw, sorry I haven't been around lately. I suck.)
You do naked cartwheels?!? Where do you bowl again...? ;)
Chop-spork: You can come around whenever you'd like. :)
JenBun: Well, I'm taking my naked cartwheels on the road this summer...maybe I'll see you out in Cali during the western jaunt. ;-)
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