We have all had our days on the lanes when nothing seems to go right, having trouble bowling strikes, and converting our spares. If you don’t seem to have these problems or are up for a new challenge, you should try Duckpin Bowling! Duckpin Bowling is much more difficult than the regular ten-pin bowling we are use to. This month I thought I would spend some time highlighting this variation of bowling that many are not aware of or don’t know much about.
Duckpin Bowling is commonly found in the southeastern and South Coast of Massachusetts and all of Rhode Island, most of Connecticut, Baltimore, Washington DC,and near the downtown area of Indianapolis, Indiana. Duckpin bowling uses bowling balls that are significantly smaller than those used in ten-pin bowling; weighing 2-4 pounds each, having a maximum diameter of 5 inches, and no finger holes. The pins are correspondingly shorter and lighter (about 2/3 the size of a regular ten pin) than their ten-pin equivalents and are more difficult to knock down with a single roll. The pins are arranged in a triangular fashion identical to that used in ten-pin bowling.
Duckpin Bowling rules are slightly different from ten-pin bowling. Over the course of 10 frames, bowlers try to knock down pins in the fewest rolls per frame. Bowlers use three balls per frame instead of two, as in ten-pin bowling, to knock over a set of 10 pins. If a bowler knocks down all ten pins with their first roll in a frame, it is scored as a strike. If all the pins are knocked down within the first two rolls, the bowler has made a spare. If all the pins are knocked down in the third ball of the frame, the bowler gets ten points with no bonus score. If pins are still standing after the third ball, the bowler gets one point for each pin knocked down with the three balls combined. The maximum possible score is 300, just like our game but to date no one has ever thrown a perfect game. According to the National Duckpin Bowling Congress (www.ndbc.org) 279 was the highest single game (1992); 655 was the highest 3 game series (1978); and the best season average was 164.47 (1983). According to the official website these scores are through 2006, not sure why it has not been updated since. An average over 100 is considered pretty good with the top averages right around 140-150.
The origin of the sport is a subject of some debate. One possible origin states that duckpin bowling began in Baltimore, Maryland around 1900, at a bowling alley owned by future baseball Hall of Famers John McGraw and Wilbert Robinson, both of the Baltimore Orioles. However, other articles confirm the existence of duckpins as early as 1894. During the Roaring Twenties, duckpin bowling became popular. Leagues sprung up anywhere from New England to Georgia to Washington D. C.
The National Duckpin Congress was established in 1927. The rules, bowling balls, pins and lanes were standardized. For example, the bowling balls must weigh three pounds twelve ounces or less. In 1967 duckpin bowling reached a peak of 300,000 bowlers, then it went into a decline. Despite the decline, it is still a popular sport in Baltimore, Washington D. C., Connecticut and Rhode Island.
Oh yea! I failed to mention earlier that the lanes you bowl on are the same size as the ten-pin lanes. This picture below was taken off of the Johnson Lanes website (www.johnsonlanes.com) just to give you an idea of what a center looks like. There are presently 11 states that have duckpin bowling alleys. Hard to tell exactly, but I believe that there are 60-70 locations still in operation. So, now you know a bit more about a variation of bowling that you may have not been aware of. Duckpin is not a growing sport like ten-pin, but it certainly played a vital role in the history of our sport. You think duckpin bowling sounds tough? Check out candlepin bowling! That’s a story for another day.
