Hallway Bowling

The sport originated in the small add-on bedroom Kent and I shared in Culver City. We had just gotten into bowling big time. We were regulars at Culver Bowl, in the Bantam Divison.

To sharpen our skills when we couldn't be at the bowling alley we made up a game called Hallway Bowling.

The bowling pins consisted of bottles of every shape and description. No glass - just plastic bottles. The were arranged in the traditional bowling configuration, backed by a pillow off the bed. The pillow was very important as it provided protection for the wall or door behind the pins.

The bowling ball was the small, rubbery kind that you buy at the supermarket in the tall wire cages. Did you every notice that they will not roll straight?

Now, very important, you only use a two step approach - not much room there...release the ball with plenty of spin...amazing how much you can get the ball to curve in ten feet...

The pins fly - helped of course by the side walls and the ball coming off the pillow - the pins are attacked in two directions really. Pins fall, oh yes - they fall...

We kept score faithfully, well, I kept score faithfully. Scores were usually pretty tight...typically 287 to 277 - something like that...

At the end of the year, after I don't know how many games, we were averaging around 275 for the season...not bad.

For a longer version of the game we moved to a hallway, when we had a hallway.

Eventually Kent and I considered careers as professional bowlers, based on our enormous success at home.

Somehow the real game at the real bowling alley was harder....