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TENPIN BOWLING
Tenpin bowling is the
sport per excellence in Cantabria. Its existence dates from the
old times. Even nowadays, it's the most common entertainment in
the villages of Cantabria. Bowling alleys, the places where this
game is played, are usually located beside taverns and churches.
Their outside area are usually made up of walls, which are used
as stands. There are also trees all around which shade the court
and the spectators. The shape of the bowling alleys is lengthened,
wider at the top than at the back side ("el tiro").
Despite being rural in its origins, this sport has become very popular.
Spanish championships are celebrated every summer and even broadcast
on TV.
There are nine pins and a smaller one than the rest, which is called
"emboque o bolinche". They are placed by hand in an upright
position on "las estacas" (pieces of wood buried into
the ground of the court with flat ironed heads).
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The pins are placed keeping the same distance
from one to another. This task is done by "el pinche"
and it is called "armar o pinar los bolos". The nine
pins are put into three rows and "el bolinche", the
small one, on the right or left of them.
The wooden ball, whose weight is about 1 or 2 Kg, is thrown making
it turn to the right or left depending on the position of the
"bolinche", and describes a parabola on its journey
through the air. This throw, which is called "tirar",
is done from a distance of 12 to 21 metres. The ball is thrown
again from the exact position where it landed but this time in
the opposite way, this is called "birlar". The official
tournaments consist of eight throws of three balls in one direction
and other eight in the other.
A certain number of pins should fall down after each throw. Each
pin that falls down scores one point. However, if the ball hits
first pin of the middle row and rolls towards the "emboque"
("embocar"), which is really difficult, ten points are
scored. The player who gets a higher score wins the competition.
Sergio González Sualdea
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