<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><head><meta http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 15 (filtered medium)"><style><!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:blue;
text-decoration:underline;}
span.EmailStyle19
{mso-style-type:personal-reply;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
color:windowtext;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
font-size:10.0pt;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
--></style><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapedefaults v:ext="edit" spidmax="1026" />
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapelayout v:ext="edit">
<o:idmap v:ext="edit" data="1" />
</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>The problem with mainstream sports is that it gets too boring: the competitors all look alike and play alike after a while. Note international level mile runners: all have an optimal body style, long and lean, all alike, so boring:<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOlw80g8A4g">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOlw80g8A4g</a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Oh wait, wrong video. That one looks less boring. Here we go, all optimal nearly so, long, lean, running styles so similar you can’t tell one from another:<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Do3G-AEvJfY">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Do3G-AEvJfY</a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>OK so the beer mile was just for fun, but hell, games are supposed to be fun.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>This gave me an idea. We know championship bowling is a good example of the best players converge on a particular style. Up at the top level, they get strikes most of the time, snooze, but what if… instead of having ten pins with four in the back, we used all standard spacing, standard ball, standard pins, with 55 pins, 10 in the back row?<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Would that be a kick or what? We could bring in top level bowlers who are good enough to aim their ball to hit within about a cm or two of the sweet spot on the 1 pin. We could get them to come by having the spectators bet on how many pins they will demolish, give the proceeds to Covid-19 recovery or some worthy cause such as this.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>In championship bowling, the only interesting things to watch is when there is a 7-10 split. The best bowlers can sometimes pick up that difficult spare, and will risk the one point to try to pick up ten points: they hit right on the inner edge of the 7, bank it off the sideboard, sometimes it will come back over and take out the ten pin. In 55-pin bowling, splits will be common.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Second fun idea: have the solid modeling hipsters model it and see whose sim can most accurately predict the outcome (including sound.) Just the sound of all those crashing pins, that delightful recreational destruction, would appeal to the inner caveman.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Given a warehouse, I bet I could build a 55 pin alley.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>spike<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>