Omaha daily bee., 1900-02-11
In The WORLD OF SPORT
Remarkable Degree Of Popularity that Bowl.
ing Has Gained in Omaha,
EXPERTS EXPRESS VIEWS ON THE SPORT
Reasons Given for MISREPRESENTATION
of CIubs-SuRgcsuons to Young
BowIcr-Lentz Makes Rec
ord nj Min pins.

Local interest in bowling, which was man
ifestcd last fall when indoor sports first
came In vogue, has continued undated and
10 more apparent at this time than ever be-
fore in the history Of this popular sport in
Omaha. a large number Of young and mid
dle-aged, and, indeed, some old men who
had never bowlcd before, were attracted by
the popularity Of the game, and some Of
these beginners have developed into expert
manipulators of the bowls.
Several Of the downtown alleys are
t~hronged afternoon and evening, and in one
Of the most accessible resorts, where regu-
lation alleys are maintained, 1t is a dificult
matter IL find an empty alley. Parties of
bowlers frequently are compelled to await
thenr turns, and the delay at times length
ems into an hour or longer.
The popularity which bowling has at
tained In Omaha is by no means strange.
All who are devotees OF the sport bear wit
ness that 1t provides excellent exercise and
necessitates a degree of proficiency on the
part of the players sufficient to enhance in
terest in the game. AS to its fascination
one needs only to visit the alleys a few
times to ascertain that the attraction is
strong enough to bring the same men to-
gether at every opportunity, anxious to en-
gage in a game of ten pins, nine pins, seven
back, four-back or cooked hat.
or late the question has frequently arisen
as to why the bowlers do not band them
selves into clubs and engage in match
games. This has been deemed inadvisable
by the promoters of the sport in Omaha be-
cause of the limited number of alleys pos
secsed by any of the bowling resorts. The
proprietors of the alleys have rather dis
couragcd such organizations because they
derive more remunerative benefit from gen.
eral play than they would from match con-
tests. In general play the game Is changed
to suit the fancy of the players and the
bowling progresses more rapidly than it does
where the players are engaged in an eX-
hibition contest.
we expect, said the proprietor of a local
bowling resort. ito enlarge our facilities
next summer by the addition of four or six
new alleys. Then we will be prepared for
the clubs, which will undoubtedly be or
ganized by that time. Thus far bowling in
Omaha is rather in it's infancy so far as
general public interest is concerned, and it
has been our effort this season to increase
interest in the sport and recruit new play
ers into the ranks. When the clubs are
ready for formation the ability of the play
ers who have been bowling right along will
be carefully weighed and the captains will
be able to select the men who have shown
themselves most proficient"
II saw a young man who had never bowled
n game in his life initiated into the sport
the ether afternoon by playing a game Of
tenpins,' said a local bowling authority a
day or two ago. He was rather slight in
build and the result of the two hours
bowling he engaged in left him sore and
crippled the next day. In all probability
he lost all interest in the sport and may
not bowl again. He made a mistake in play
ing tenpins on the start. The heavy balls
used in this game will tell on the strongest
man unless he has developed the muscles
used in bowling by playing games on the
start where the smaller bowls are used.
"One of the strongest arguments in sup
port of bowling is the exercise 1t gives the
bowler and the development CT the many
muscles brought into play. A novice. how
ever, should not start in on tenpins with the
big balls. He should play at first four
back, ninepins or cooked hat. Another mis-
taken notion young bowlers have is that
they should bowl with all their strength
and the herculean efforts some beginners
indulge in in releasing the bowls is anus
ing. One of the fine points of the game is
the ability to bowl a slow. easy ball and 1t
is easier to cultivate this at first than any
other time. The first thing a beginner
should endeavor to learn is how to con-
troll the ball. He will gradually find him
self able to put the speed into the bowl
necessi.ated by the ever-varying circum-
stances of the game and locations of the
pins"
Charles NJ. Lertz, who is one of the most
clever and most enthusiastic bowlers in the
city, established a record at n~inepins re-
Gently which entities him to consideration
In the bowling world at large. He started
in to bowl with no expectation of estab-
fishing a record and in the first game played
made but one score. In the second game