One of the best lessons I've learned over the years is, "never take yourself too seriously." This is why I always try to joke and kid around when I'm bowling. Of course, there are some who will not loosen up; but, for the most part, I find that most people will respond positively. They are wanting to have a good time and enjoy themselves just like me.

I'd like to thing that I thought up most of the on-liners I'm about to share with you myself; however, I have traveled to many places and bowled with many different people, so I might have heard them in a different form and paraphrased them as my own. I'm also an avid reader so there is a potential that I may have read something along the same lines and used them as my own.

If you have heard them before, then, please bear with me. If you have not, feel free to "zing" your friends and team mates with them. Just keep in mind that, "it's all in fun," and please don't turn them around to be used in a vindictive manner. Remember also that you can turn the phases around to comment about yourself instead of others.

So, here's a short "Choc-List" of one-line "zingers" for joking around while bowling:

1) Someone has not thrown a strike for a bunch of frames. When they finally do, act as an announcer doing an interview and ask them, "excuse me, Mr. Smith, do you get nervous when you start stringing them up like this?"

2) A person is not bowling their average (not throwing strikes or missing spares). They get back on course and start making spares and striking. Take them around to the rest of the team saying, "Jim, I'd like to introduce you around to our team … "

3) You throw your first ball in the first frame and leave a bad spare to pick up. Turn around to the rest of the bowlers and proclaim, "well, takes the pressure off of THAT 300!"

4) I haven't been bowling very well (it's all relative, of course) when "suddenly" I get back on my game and string up about three or four strikes. I tell them, "it's about time the lanes adjusted to my style." (Variation: "it generally never takes this long for the lanes to adjust to my style.")

To enjoy yourself bowling, "never take yourself too seriously," and remember that "it's all in fun."

A Hui Hou! (See You Again!)