Mongo's post that mentioned 20+ years of bowling experience made me wonder who has the longest history with bowling.  Personally, my earliest memory was from around 1955 when I went bowling with a church group in Massachusetts.  I would have been around 9 years old, and I don't remember if it was duck pins or regular 10 pins.  My next memory is from around 1959, when my father took me bowling at a house in North Carolina that had pinboys and above ground returns.  Then I started in AJBC league (again, in NC) in 1962.  How far back do you go?  --  JohnP

In 1975 my father took my brother and I bowling, and I remember him struggling to teach me how to hold the ball as I seemed to drop it in the gutter consistently with my right hand. Then after a game he decided to let me try bowling with the other hand...and I've been a wrongsider ever since. He was shocked as everyone else in the family is righthanded.

I also remember the excitement in joining my first youth league when I was 6 years old in 1977. In our area you normally had to be 8 years old to join the bantams but the owner was willing to make an exception in my case because I was already averaging in the low 110's at the time I started the league. Plus my mother and father were youth bowling coaches.

I've also discussed my third youth memory, bowling with Marshall Holman at my local lanes in Winchendon, MA when I was 12 years old. Everyone in the youth league was excited to see him (they didn't know he was coming in, only my brother and I knew), he signed autographs and watched the kids bowl in the morning, then asked me to bowl a few games with him in the early afternoon. Those memories will stay with me forever...

Matt

My first bowling memories. Hmmm those go way, way back.

My first memory of bowling myself was when I was about 3. My folks got the desk to turn the lanes on after they were done with league. They let me throw one ball. My dad helped, but I got it down the lane and got a strike. The center had this really cool machine that molded a trophy out of wax - part of the trophy was a score sheet - I remember my mom scoring a big X on it for my strike!

Memories not throwing a ball - well, my history with bowling goes all the way back. My folks met bowling in 1948 or 49. I was almost born in a bowling center - my dad was winning pot games, my mom was watching - she was in labor, but didn't want to upset his $$ streak.

I was raised in bowling centers. Between them, my folks bowled 5 nights a week, and bowled tournaments almost every weekend.
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Bowlers are like puppies. The only difference is that someday the puppy will quit whining.
-- Found at Sam's Town Pro Shop