Youth, Style, and Inaccessibility
Who could have thought that the simple game of bowling would ever become one of the most elitist pastimes? All kinds of people, young and old, come to roll the balls (this is what bowling, so popular in the West, basically comes down to) despite the clearly mind- boggling prices for this entertainment in Kyiv. But what is it that makes it so attractive? First, it must be the risk taking spirit that our emotional Slav nation has never lacked. However, in contrast to the familiar roulette or slot machines now on every street-corner here, bowling does not offer a money prize. Second, there is the game’s simplicity. Bowling requires no encyclopedic knowledge or mathematical calculations: all you need is adroitness and, of course, a little muscle. It should be noted that the very process, in spite of its relative lack of sophistication, is quite mesmerizing.
You can only play bowling in Kyiv’s and, for that matter, Western clubs if you wear special changeable club footwear, so that stylish heels do not leave scratches on the polished alleys and the player feels comfortable. Then the display board flashes the name(s) and one can shoot the balls at the plastic targets for an hour or so in order to strike down all ten pins without unduly racking your brains or practicing postures. Incidentally, bowling is a universal game in the West because in the US alone there are 8000 bowling clubs. But in this country, although the principle of the game is commonly known from childhood, the sport itself remains exotic, testimony to which is the fact that Kyiv with its two million inhabitants has only two bowling clubs amid countless casinos, night clubs and slot machine parlors.
Bowling has a very long history. Balls and pins have been found even in the tombs of Egyptian pharaohs, ancient Polynesians played on the same-as-now 18,228 meter alleys, while fifth century Germanic tribes considered the game part of their religious rites because they believed that knowing how to play tenpins was the sign of being a model Christian. Now in the West, there are broad bowling movements, with teams of housewives, businesspeople, physicians, and journalists, who compete in their mastery at rolling the ball.
Conversely, Ukrainian bowling is still young, both literally and figuratively: it came into being only quite recently and is attracting more and more young people. A while ago I happened to see a funny picture in one of Kyiv’s bowling clubs. Some boys put on a real show for their parents, proudly demonstrating how easy it was to lift the really heavy balls and “accurately hit the targets.” Employees at Kyiv’s Strike Bowling Club, believe that this sport, now one of the few existing varieties of family entertainment, should become another bridge between the interests of different generations. This is why the club constantly holds shows aimed at children. Perhaps interest in this half-sport and half-hobby will melt the ice of its inaccessibility and selectivity to make the game a fixture of everyday life. This is certainly quite possible, but not soon.
