With the
Winter Olympics in Sochi well underway, the excitement and thrill of watching
elite athletes compete in the Games can be infectious. If you've suddenly
been overcome with a desire to compete for gold yourself, it could be fun to
gather your friends and family and organise your own Olympic-themed family activities
- how about a mini 'Winter Olympics' at the bowling alley?
There's so
many ways to get into the Winter Olympic spirit. Here are just some of the ways
you can transform a classic game of bowling into an exciting
competition.
Make your
own medals
You may not
be able to fully replicate the gold, 
silver and bronze material of the Sochi
2014 Olympic medals, but there are other aspects you can use as a basis for
your own medal creation. If you'd like to create some
realistic replicas, the Olympic medals are 100mm in diameter and
10mm thick and always depict the five Olympic rings. There are also a number of materials that you can find around
the house, like coloured cardboard and aluminium foil. Apart from that,
get crafty and use your imagination to design your own works of art for the
triumphant winners of your mini Olympics.
Create
your own events
Instead of
simply competing to see who wins the game, create a series of mini-events to
give everyone a go at winning gold. Think categories such as 'most strikes in
the game', 'most strikes in a row', 'best at bowling with their left hand',
'best backwards bowler', and 'least times in the gutter'. You could even award
medals for 'most unique bowling style' and 'funniest bowling moment'!
Get
into character
Seeing as
it's currently blisteringly hot in Australia and we're missing a telltale
blanket of snow, a little creativity will be necessary to create that 'wintery'
feel. To get around this you could get each team
member to pick a country to represent, and dress up in national costume. Once
the games are over, head out to a cafe for a hot chocolate - a staple drink for
the winter!
If holding
your own Winter Olympic Games sounds like fun, any AMF bowling alley would be
the perfect location. What are you waiting for - it's time to get into the Olympic spirit!
