One of my teammates is practically blind. I don't know how far he can see ahead of him, but "George" does not see his foul-line target until he gets there. There have been several times in the past few weeks where others have nearly collided with him. I suppose they are trying to get their bowling balls down the lane quickly instead of waiting until he completely finishes his turn and comes back to the back end of the approach. Luckily, no one has been injured as yet.

Last season, "Dwayne," a very knowledgeable bowler got his hand caught in the ball return right where the ball comes out of the hole onto the ball return rack. A teammate's ball had not come completely up through the return hole. He was out for close to 8 weeks because stitches were required.

I checked into some statistics and found that there are over 18,000 cases of bowling-related injuries reported each year. Comparatively speaking, this is not an alarming figure if you consider there are untold numbers of people who bowl - both recreational and registered. Let's say we use a figure of 70 million people; that would make the injury rate around 0.02%, which in the field of statistics, is a miniscule percentage.

That brings me, then, to my "Choc-List" for bowling safety ("A-B-C-D"):

1) Awareness - just pay attention to what's going on around you when bowling. Stay on your approach at all times until your turn is over.

2) Be Cautious - learn how to pick up your bowling ball properly, check your shoes frequently, practice safety at all times.

3) Common Sense Does Rule - you are involved in an athletic activity and you should treat the sport accordingly. Reckless behavior and hi-jinks should not be in your playbook of things that are allowed on the lanes.

4) Don't "Know-It-All" - you are not an employee of the bowling center. Stay away from, and don't get involved with, any of their equipment.

Really, though, the best way to prevent injuries of any kind is to pay attention to what's going on around you. Attention to detail is the key for everyone; and if those around you won't, then you should.

Remember this old saying: "We now have unshakable conviction that accident causes are man-made and that a manmade problem can be solved by men and women." ~ W. H. Cameron.

A Hui Hou! (See You Again!)