Bowling

Athlete Eligibility and Classification

Athletes who compete in Special Olympics bowling events must have a primary diagnosis of mental retardation. They are classified according to a process called divisioning in which athletes are grouped by ability levels for competition. In bowling, divisioning is accomplished by grouping athletes according to a 15-game scoring average from previous competitions.

Bowlers who are deaf compete under CISS rules which require a minimum hearing loss of 55 dB in the better ear. Classification procedures and criteria are described on the CISS web site at http://www.ciss.org. Click on "about," then "regulations," then scroll down to Article 1.3 on eligibility.

Events

Events offered in Special Olympics competition include:

Deaflympics bowling competition includes singles, doubles, trios, and five-player team, as well as a masters finals involving the 16 all-event leaders.

Playing Area

The standard bowling lane is 60 feet (18.2m) x 41-42 inches (104-107cm), with the length of the lane measured from the foul line to the head pin. The approach to the foul line is 15 feet (4.6m) in length. Pins weigh at least 3 pounds (1.4kg) and are 15 inches (38.1cm) high.

Rules

The U.S. Olympic Committee web site (http://www.usoc.org) offers this explanation of tenpin bowling. "Each player in the game receives 10 turns, called frames.  In each frame, a player makes two attempts to knock down all 10 pins. A strike is credited if all pins are knocked down on the first shot, and 10 points are added plus the score of that player's next two rolls. If the player knocks down all 10 pins with two shots, a spare is credited, with 10 points added to the first ball rolled in the next frame. The highest score possible is 300."

Bowling at the Special Olympics World Games and the Deaflympics is governed by the Federation Internationale des Quilleurs (FIQ) and World Tenpin Bowling Association (WTBA) rules. Those rules are posted under the "playing rules" menu on the WTBA web site at http://wtba.org.my.

The FIQ/WTBA rules are used without modification at the Deaflympics. Special Olympics observes a few modifications in the ramp bowling events. In the ramp unassisted event, a helper may place the ramp according to the bowler's instructions, but the bowler must place the ball on the ramp and propel the ball independently. In the ramp assisted event, helpers assist the bowler as needed. In both ramp events, Special Olympic bowlers are allowed to bowl three consecutive frames at a time.

Equipment

Photo of bowling ramp from Sportime online
equipment catalog at http://www.sportime.com

Links

Page prepared by Mary Lou Schilling and revised by Gail Dummer