Camarin and I are both baffled by the pleasure humans find with bowling. The noise is maddening, the equipment unsanitary, and the repetition boring. ~ Wishing for You
I admit I’m also baffled by the pleasure humans find in bowling. The reason for my perplexity is simple: I am no more skilled at this sport than I am at any other. Yet, despite my ineptitude—and the noise—it’s fun. Well, the full-figured version of bowling is. I have no idea about the candlepin variety and had never even heard of it until recently. Time to remedy that deficiency.
At Last--A Uniquely U.S. Sport
Candlepin Bowling got its start in Worcester, MA, back in 1887. Justin P. White owned a bowling and billiards parlor and thought he’d spice things up with a twist on bowling. That’s my interpretation of Very Local’s article. While the concept was White’s, two other guys (Jack Monsey and Jack Sheafe) standardized the rules and equipment specifications. Further, those two also marketed this sport effectively enough to establish it in the surrounding area, and candlepin bowling is still primarily a “thing” in New England. But how is it different?
Candlepin is very similar to traditional bowling, but as you can see from the image, the pins have no curvature. No neck, no rounded body. While they are the same height as traditional pins, they weigh about a pound less than the traditional version, on average. Another disparity is the weight and size of the bowling balls used. Candlepin balls weigh less than three pounds, and their diameter is about 4 1/2″ as compared to a “normal” bowling projectile which has a diameter of no less than 8 1/2″ and weighs from 6 to 16 lbs. Note that the terms vary as well. If you’d like to explore the Candlepin vocabulary, check out Candlepin 101.
Additionally, the rules aren’t identical. Instead of two plays per frame, you get three. Why more chances for players to increase their scores? We’re about to find out.
Perfection In Candlepin Bowling Is Elusive, At Best
According to Paramount Industries, the closest anyone has ever come to a perfect game is 245, and that was in 1984. Why is it harder? Recall that the pins are smaller and the bowling ball is smaller. As it happens, the setup is identical to traditional bowling. This means the pins have even more personal space surrounding them. The players require finesse, strategy, and whatever else they can bring to the foul line to earn a decent score.
One thing I haven’t mentioned is that the equipment has changed. Alley Kat Lane helps us with those details. Original candlepin setups included:
- Pins that were only 10″ tall,
- Bowling balls that weighed only 2 pounds, and
- No standardization of the distance from the foul line to the setup and distance between the pins.
As if that wasn’t enough of a challenge, the old versions of the pins and balls were made of wood, and not necessarily consistent in size or shape, especially after repeated use. Manufacturers now use synthetic plastic for durability and predictability.
Ready for Candlepin?
You may need to travel. Even now, most Candlepin lanes are in New England. A Google search will tell you that you’re most likely to find a place to play in Massachusetts, Maine, and New Hampshire, but Rhode Island, Vermont, and Connecticut might be possibilities. If you’re outside that state grouping, you’ll want to conduct research in advance of your trip, because this game didn’t take off nationwide. Not even with alterations that made it easier.
All of the changes should have been welcome, but I suspect someone who had a degree of success with the original game and the original equipment complained frequently once the changes began. Sounds just like us when we’re pushed out of our comfort zone. Consider that archeologists have found artifacts that reflect traditional (if somewhat primitive) bowling equipment that date back to 5200 B.C. Compared to that game, Candlepin has been around for about five minutes. Humans require time to adapt to new situations in the best of cases, and this alternative game is difficult.
Perhaps Candlepin will catch on by 9000 A.D. Or maybe it will go the way of the dodo (Raphus cucullatus). Nonetheless, the next time I’m in the northeast, I’ll will try to find a lane and stay in it while I roll that tiny little ball toward skinny little pins. Nobody knows me up there, and nobody will care that I can’t break a 100 even in traditional bowling. If I score any points at all, the victory is mine.
I had never heard of candlestick bowling. I loved this story!
I was taught to bowl furimg the late 70’s and got my pin in a League our business sponsored. I bowled 200. Pretty good for a country The pins here surely looked tiny. Interesting article