Last night was the very first night of the girls’ Bowlopolis, bowling league.
EA and MC were a little nervous and didn’t quite understand what would be going on, but by the end of the night they warmed up to it and had a blast!
The event was very well organized. They had the 4-6 year olds divited into four different teams, with around four or five children on each team. Thankfully, EA and MC were assigned to the same team.
My girls are pretty shy and quiet (they get it honestly). They also tend to get a little overwhelmed, so I was unsure of how it would all play out as I watched them sitting nervously in their seats, waiting on the bowling to begin.
The were able to play two whole games last night.
I had to lend EA and MC a little help. The 6 pound balls were quite heavy for them and they could barely lift them, much less throw or roll them down the lanes. Oh, yes, bumpers were used, but still…. The first time each of them bowled without help the balls lost momentum and stopped rolling half-way down the lane.
So, their coach asked me to go with them and give them a little help with rolling the balls, granny-style. Rest assured that you are not getting a snapshot of me bending over to help with with that task…believe me, it was not a pretty sight!
By the end of the night, MC was getting comfortable enough to try actually throwing the ball a little harder with less help from me.
EA on the other hand was getting to tired from lifting it, that she was requiring more help!
They asked for pizza about half-way through. I think all that exercise (who knew bowling could be so much exercise) was starting to wear on them.
The pizza ended up being one of the highlights of their night. In fact, when I asked EA this morning what her favorite part of bowling was. She responded quickly with, “The pizza“….GREAT, huh?
One concpet that they couldn’t quite wrap their minds around was why they got to bowl twice on each turn. EA would bowl once and head back towards her seat almost every. single. time. I had to remind her that she got to go again.
I was also surprised that I had to encourage them to watch the ball roll down the lane to see if it knocked any pins down. They were a bit oblivious and didn’t really care if it did or not. They were just happy as little larks to roll the ball….not a competitive bone in their bodies!
I got a babysitter to watch Will while the girls and I went out. I could have taken him with me, but I’m go glad that I decided to do something with just EA and MC. It allowed me to really focus on them, giving them encouragement and help without any additional demands on my time or attention.
I’m really looking forward to see how they do over the next six weeks of bowling….I’ll be sure to let you know!
Suzanne says
So cute! What fun. Our small group went bowling last night – what a hoot. We have a couple guys that are competitive and they bowled a pretty good game. I – on the other hand – am NOT competitive and I bowled a whopping 34 the first game and 71 the 2nd LOL.
Suzanne’s last blog post..A New Life
homegrownstrawberries says
I know its a local thing to where I live but have you ever heard of Duck pin boiling? Its great for the kids and solves the too heavy ball problem, They use little three pound balls and bumpered lanes with smaller pins. I know some adults who prefer it. (not that that would be me because I am Not so aweful at bowling that it is one of the only ways to ensure a decent score…) 🙂
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duckpin_bowling
homegrownstrawberries’s last blog post..The Hunt
Heidi @ ggip says
What fun! My older son is loving bowing computer games or bowling on the wii (at his grandparents’ house) and has only been to the actual bowling alley once. That was a year ago and it was really exhausting for me! Maybe I’ll try again sometime…
Heidi @ ggip’s last blog post..My Miis and Weekend in Photos
Sheila says
Hi, We really enjoyed the pics of the girls bowling.LOVE ,Nanny &Troy