Bowling-Compatible Attractions:
Bowling, Golf and Bankshot Basketball

Name the three ball-playing sports with the following attributes.
• Participants play alongside one another, not against one another.
• There is no offense or defense.
• Your opponents can show up tomorrow.
Why are these important?  Why are there so few? What are they? Read the title. In bowling, golf and Bankshot basketball, you play the court, not your play companion. Unlike fast-moving, aggressive sports played against an opponent, at these sports athletes can play alongside non-athletes including the differently-able because you take on the challenge of the court. It also means that in Bankshot and bowling, your wheelchair friend can join everyone else at play. No one need be excluded. A wheelchair golfer cannot easily negotiate a course, but some mini-golf courses are designed so that wheelchair users are included. Bankshot excels in inclusion. It was designed for that purpose and is promoted as “Total-Mix Sport based on Universal Design.” As in bowling, participants play together at Bankshot. There is no running, jumping or aggression. Rather, played like billiards, skill, intelligence and incremental improvement are the hallmarks of Bankshot. Indoors, alongside a bowling alley in a small space oriented area, Bankshot expands the challenge for a corporate outing, a family, a couple on a date or friends.
Bankshot is really trick shooting, softly threading the needle with players taking on different stations. The game starts off easy, becomes moderate then difficult and finally, demonic. Players better get their points early. Most astonishing is that youngsters who finally make one of the final maddening shots don’t necessarily move on. That player must try again to see if it can be made again. The court is also museum quality attractive: the Bankboards™ have been exhibited now in the fourth museum at the Boston Children’s Museum on permanent display. Check this out at the company’s website.
(For more information, circle 258 on card.)