The History of Duckpin Bowling

Who knew there are so many variations of bowling? With ten pins, candlepins there is also duckpins. Did you know that, besides for baseball, this was Babe Ruth's favorite sport? The pins are shorter and lighter than ten pins. However, they are wider than candlepins. Commonly played in most of the New England states, duckpins is similar to candlepins. For example, the bowler has three attempts in a frame to knock down all ten pins. The ball, like the one in candlepins has no finger holes.

The biggest debate in the duckpin bowling world is when did this sport originate? Some say it started in 1900 when two baseball players owned bowling alleys in Maryland and Massachusetts. Others state this sport originated earlier than that.

Since ten pin bowling was mostly a winter sport, most bowling alleys closed during the summer months. A few alleys remained open in Maryland where people could practice with small balls. The pins were trimmed down to match the ball's size.

Two baseball players, John McGraw and Wilber Robinson participated in this sport. They were both avid duck hunters. To them, the falling pins resembled a flock of flying ducks. They went on to open two duckpin bowling alleys in Maryland and Massachusetts. However, these bowling allies were only traced back to the late 1930's. According to "Duckpins: The Tenth Frame" this sport existed in 1894. There were several articles describing duckpin tournaments at that time. What it looks like McGraw and Robinson did was add a name to a sport that already existed.

During the Roaring Twenties, duckpin bowling became popular. Not only were people playing this sport during the summer months, they were also playing in the winter. Leagues were starting to spring up from New England to Georgia and Washington D. C.

The National Duckpin Congress was established in 1927. The rules, bowling balls, pins and lanes were standardized. For example, the bowling balls must weigh three pounds twelve ounces or less.

In 1967 duckpin bowling reached a peak of 300,000 bowlers. Then it went into a decline. However, it is still a popular sport in Baltimore, Washington D. C., Connecticut and Rhode Island.

In 1982, the Women's National Duckpin Association was established. This gives women a chance to compete in this sport at a professional level. With several tournaments in New England and the Mid-Atlantic, the best bowlers get a chance to make it to the final tournament of the year. His is the Grand Prix.

With the steady decline of duckpin bowling, there is the question of why people are losing interest. Maybe there is too much competition with ten pin bowling. If there is not a turn around, this sport may slip out of existence with the next decade.