Bowling is an old game. Behold the medieval teenager:

This game was actually called Skittles (which seems appropriate) and is an ancestor of today’s bowling.

Bowling with middle schoolers is still a Top Tier Contact Work win, even in a digital world. Lots of time for conversations. Easy invite for friends. A chance to meet parents at drop-off and pick-up. Reasonably priced.

In order to eliminate all fear of competition, failure, and comparison, adapt bowling to fit into a WyldLife and middle school world: make it fun, make it funny, and embrace – even celebrate – the awkward.

Game One: bowl with bumpers for lowest score. It’s ridiculous. It’s awesome. If you score low, you actually win. If you score high, it looks good when the digital scoreboard flashes WOW and AWESOME alongside fireworks graphics. Everyone feels good about themselves.

Game Two: bowl different frame games for highest score.

• Frame 1: wrong hand
• Frame 2: granny style
• Frame 3: tunnel bowl (through someone else’s legs)
• Frame 4: no-finger-holes hold
• Frame 5: sideways stance
• Frame 6: backwards through legs
• Frame 7: roll dice, bowl that number = strike
• Frame 8: slow motion
• Frame 9: one-footed hop
• Frame 10: normal

It’s ridiculous. It’s fun. If you score high, it looks good. If you score low, it’s not your fault: it’s the frame games’ fault. Everyone feels good about themselves.

Here’s a PDF of the bowling instructions: better-bowling-instructions.

Here are some instagram/fb announcements with space for you to add date/time/cost details: