It's that time of year again. The kids are going to get out of school and head to the bowling alleys with their friends and/or parents, filling the lanes and cash registers of happy proprietors everywhere. The league bowlers, in the midst of their offseason, will go to the lanes to get in a few games to keep from falling apart over the summer (quite possibly literally).
The kids are going to bend a few rules, at least according to a bowling purist. They may bowl out of turn, or stand at the foul line making noises and taking pictures, or doing whatever other admittedly annoying but overall harmless activity it takes to make their friends laugh. For their part, they (or more appropriately, their supervising adult) should make an effort to learn general bowling etiquette so they can still have fun without impeding the fun of others.
For the serious bowlers, it's never bad to give yourself an etiquette refresher, but more importantly, I've always suggested these people make one of two choices. Either realize open bowling during the summer isn't subject to the stringent standards of etiquette you enjoy and have a slightly open mind to it, or bowl during times of the day when there are less likely to be etiquette violators in the lanes.
Bowling is the number one recreational sport in America because so many different people can have fun bowling in so many different ways. If we all treat each other with respect and common decency, we can coexist on the lanes.
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