Bowling Ethnography

Heather Dooley 10 Pound B in alls We 10d to think that wheel is a real simple and boring sport played by just now older custody. I did my fieldwork at a wheel alley during cardinal contrastive confederacys to explore the divers(prenominal) social interactions among axial motioners. I learned that bowling is non limited to one specific age group or gender. I withal discovered on that point is a unique pecking order among the bowlers that is non determined by their age or gender. This social condition is dependent upon their bowling average, caseful of swelling used, and the weight of their balls.I arrange there were many otherwise social interactions that occurred between smaller groups of bowlers such as groupmates. I first entered the field during a Wednesday night bowling league. The bowling alley was filled with mostly custody. I walked the length of the twist and couldnt find any wo custody bowling. I soon found divulge this was a work force only bowling league. I was told there was also a wo manpower only bowling league that occurred on Tuesdays. The majority of the men bowling were middle-aged or older. However, there were a lot of men in their twenties bowling as well. On my second gear entree into the field it was during a Friday night bowling league.On this night the bowlers were all different ages scarce with a majority of younger men and women in their twenties. When I walked the length of the bowling alley that night I counted around an equal amount of women as I did men. In this league it was necessitate to drive home at least dickens or three women on each team. This is called a mixed league. On the third night of observations, my second Wednesday night, I sat crush at a table with a team of bowlers. Three were in their twenties and two were in their novel forties. While I was talking to one of the younger men I told him how I noticed a lot less women in this league then the Friday night league.I asked what the r equirements were, if any, to join either league. He utter In order to join this league you had to have a one hundred eighty average. He also told me this league was much competitive because it was only men and because they had the average requirement. This league has a larger amount of money to be won at the end of the season because of the competitiveness. When the bowler referred to average he meant the average amount of pins he go forth usually knock subjugate during three naughtys. Every game you have the opportunity to knock down 120 pins. Each game played has ten drifts. The term frames gist each turn all the bowlers take.Every frame the bowler has the misfortune to knock down ten pins. If you knock down all ten pins at once this is called a strike. When you bowl a strike it earns you more than then ten points. If you bowl a strike for every frame you fuck receive a 300 game. This is the highest score you can area and it is very difficult to achieve. Strike Termino logy 1 Strike 2 Double 3 Turkey 4 Four pugilist 5 Five Bagger 6 Six Bagger 7 seven Bagger 8 Eight Bagger 9 Nine Bagger 10 Ten Bagger 11 Eleven Bagger 12 Twelve Bagger I discovered the main way bowlers articulate each others skills is through the average they hold. nearone with a 250 average considers himself a better bowler then someone with a 185 average, even if the lower average bowler beats him in a game. Another form of bowling hierarchy is determined by the type of ball you use. Some bowlers will pay anywhere between $250 to more than $300 for just one ball I learned that there are different types of bowling balls made to help you throw the ball a certain way. Some people may buy a ball they can throw straight better and others buy balls they can throw with a curve better. While I was sitting at the table with the bowlers I overheard a couple of them talking about their balls.Some men used them as a way to brag to the other men. They would say the reason another man is bowling so large is because he has a bad, cheap ball. I also noticed the men bowlers would use the weight of their balls to poke fun at the other bowlers. They will compare their balls weight to their manhood or manliness. For instance, Wow, youre only using that little ten pound ball. Did you borrow that from your female child? Careful carrying that big sixteen pound ball you might not be big enough for that yet. pic There are many different kinds of socialization among the bowlers.They joke and tease each other, give tips on how to bowl better and they also play card games with their teammates. There are two different types of games played among the different leagues. On Wednesday night they play a game called Kiddy Pot. This is a money game played by the men bowlers only that corresponds to how well you are playing. If you miss the quintet pin, throw a gutter ball, or miss the head pin twice you regress a dollar. If you are hung, which in bowling terms means iv memb ers of your team strike or split during the same frame but one does not, then the person who misses the strike loses two dollars.If all five members of the team strike during the frame, the next frame whoever misses the strike loses a dollar. At the end of the season all of the money lost playing this game is split among the players of the team evenly. pic pic The Friday night bowling league plays a different game. This game is set up like fire hook. Every member of the team who throws a strike or a split will study a card from the deck. If you miss a spare or have an open frame then a card is taken out from your pile.At the end of each game the person with the best poker hand wins. Usually any women who play this game dont lose a card if they miss a spare or have an open frame. I learned that bowling is a very complex social structure with its own set of socialization rules and terms. It is not gender or age specific. Bowlers have their own private wrangle they use to communica te towards one another. They are generally accepting of outsiders join in on their conversations and own private jokes. Is there more I could learn my entering the field and joining a league myself?