Not many people think of bowling as a sport, but to many it is the way of life. Bowling is just like everything else out there, you have to work to be good at it and be willing to put in all the effort even during the summer months. Growing up in a bowling ally and as a bowler, you kind of look at the sport differently and appreciate the game a lot more than most. Here are the ten things that happen growing up as a bowler:

1. Waking up every Saturday before 9 a.m.

Bowling season really does not go into full effect until around mid-November early December. When that time hits, you are waking up every Saturday at least before 8 just to make the tournament that is an hour away. On good Saturdays, you have to wake up a little before 9 to make your morning league.

2. Spending At Least Three Days A Week In The Ally

During high school bowling, you are spending at least three days out of the week in the ally, and that is on a slow week. During the weeks before you hit regionals and states, you are probably in the ally five times just to make sure that you are perfect for the end of the season.

3. Spending More Money On Bowling Shoes Than School Shoes

Many people probably do not know this, but bowling shoes can be pretty expensive. When buying shoes you are still looking for the perfect fit on your feet, but you are also looking for how they grip on the lane and how well you can slide.

4. Buying A New Bowling Ball In Midseason

Getting a new bowling ball is like Christmas. It is like opening a new toy and seeing how it reacts to everything you throw at it. You finally get to see how it comes off of your hand, what kind of oil you will be able to throw the ball on and just everything that comes with getting a new ball.

5. Leaving A Tournament Knowing You Did Everything You Could

Most bowlers have more than one bowling ball that does something different. Sometimes, as a bowler, you have different equipment that you usually do not use but desperate times call for desperate measures, so you pull out everything that you have.

6. Knowing How To Be A Team Player And An Individual

In a lot of cases, you are bowling in individual tournaments but you still have to send your support to all of your teammates. When in team events and one of your teammates is not bowling up to par that is when you hold them up.

7. Never Being Able To Get The Smell Of The Bowling Ally Off Of You

The smell of bowling ally is not the best smell, but to a bowler it is kind of the smell of home.

8. Basing Places You Have Been By The Bowling Alleys

Bowling tournaments are all over the nation and all of your state. Depending on how much you love the sport depends on how much you travel. Sometimes someone will ask if you have ever been somewhere and you can respond with, "Yes, I went to the bowling ally over there."

9. Bowling Six Games Is Nothing

When you bowl three games it is like a warm up and six games is just the beginning. When you start to hit eight and above, is when you might start to struggle. People look at you like you're crazy when you tell them you just bowled six games.

10. Bowling Your First 300

The first one is the hardest because it is just a different feeling knowing that you are so close. It is the experience where everyone slowly crowds around you patiently waiting for you to throw the next ball and await its fate. When you bowl your first 300, it is a feeling unmatched by anything else in this sport.