Fund-raiser offers bowling, fun, slices of pizza

How can you not love bowling?

There may be debate over whether or not it’s an official sport, sure. It’s not in the Olympic Games and, truth be told, it doesn’t really require one to sweat while enjoying the thrill of competition.

But on the other hand, it does require special shoes and it involves a ball.

Okay, so two of its most famous advocates were Fred Flintstone and Ralph Cramden. It’s still part of the basic ESPN lineup of sports, and ESPN wouldn’t do that if it wasn’t a sport, right?

And, truth be told, there is something not quite right about the sport’s fashion. The bowling shirt will never be considered haute couture. Even draped over Brad Pitt. It did very little for the handsome Jeff Bridges in “The Big Lebowski.”

Bowling is, however, much older than most people think. Artifacts from a game similar to modern bowling have been found in the tomb of an ancient Egyptian youth who died in about 5200 B.C. Ancient Polynesians played a similar game with stones. During the third and fourth century, bowling was a religious ceremony for determining the absence of sin – knock down a pin and you could avoid having to perform an act of penance.

During the 100-Year War in England, the game of bowling was so popular that people would skip out on archery practice to play the game – which explains an overall poor level of marksmanship on the part of the English and probably led to that war lasting from 1337 to 1453. King Edward III and King Richard II both banned the sport.

The game has added to our cultural lexicon. Without bowling, there would be no “gutterball.”

Bowling is the first sport to have a woman place during a men’s tournament – a feat that happened just this year.

It’s a sport where you can be catered to during the game. It’s a game where you get to sit down between exertions.

And if you go by Players & Spectators next Saturday you can bowl to help produce miracles.

The event is called Bowling for Miracles, and it benefits the Children’s Miracle Network.

Anyone who raises at least $15 receives an hour of bowling, two pieces of pizza and a soft drink.

It’s the utmost in fund-raising.

The money goes to a good cause, the effort yields an hour of fun and a great snack!

What more could you ask for?