( ), also known as Belgian Bowling or Krulbollen, is a

bowling Bowling is a target sport and recreational activity in which a player rolls a ball toward pins (in pin bowling) or another target (in target bowling). The term ''bowling'' usually refers to pin bowling (most commonly ten-pin bowling), though ...

sport related to

boules ''Boules'' () is a collective name for a wide range of games similar to bowls and bocce (In French: jeu or jeux, in Croatian: boćanje and in Italian: gioco or giochi) in which the objective is to throw or roll heavy balls (called in France, ...

, and originates from the

Flanders Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, ...

region of Belgium. The sport was introduced to

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and is played in some

rural In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry typically are describ ...

areas of the

Midwest The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four Census Bureau Region, census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of ...

and

Prairie Prairies are ecosystems considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and a composition of grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the ...

regions of the United States and Canada. One of the defining characteristics of Rolle Bolle is the wheel-like shape of the ball, or ''bolle''. Bolles are manufactured in a way so that they do not roll straight but in a curved,

elliptical Elliptical may mean: * having the shape of an ellipse, or more broadly, any oval shape ** in botany, having an elliptic leaf shape ** of aircraft wings, having an elliptical planform * characterised by ellipsis (the omission of words), or by conc ...

path.

History

The exact origins of Rolle Bolle are unknown, but it is known that it was developed in

, a

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

speaking region of

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

, before the 20th century. The Dutch name for Rolle Bolle, ''krulbollen'', literally translates to "curve ball" due to the elliptical path taken by the bolle. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries,

Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct languag ...

and

immigrants to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

and

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

introduced Rolle Bolle (''krulbollen'') and other similar Belgian sports such as

feather bowling Feather bowling is a game played with wooden balls shaped in a similar way to cheese wheels. It closely resembles the Scottish sport of curling. The game has its origins in western Flanders, Belgium, where it is known as ''Trabollen''. Rules ...

(''trabollen'').

Rules and play

Rolle Bolle is played on a flat court typically made of natural soil, crushed

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

, or pavement. Two stakes (or "pegs") are placed a distance apart on either ends of the court, typically . Courts are typically wide. Stakes can be between in diameter and are made of wood (such as a

baseball bat A baseball bat is a smooth wooden or metal club used in the sport of baseball to hit the ball after it is thrown by the pitcher. By regulation it may be no more than in diameter at the thickest part and no more than in length. Although histor ...

pounded into the ground), but other materials are also used. The balls, or ''bolles'', are typically in diameter and thick. Traditional bolles are made of wood, however other materials can be used such as hardened rubber or molded plastic. Bolles are

machined Machining is a process in which a material (often metal) is cut to a desired final shape and size by a controlled material-removal process. The processes that have this common theme are collectively called subtractive manufacturing, which utilizes ...

with a taper, which causes them to roll in an

fashion. Rolle Bolle is played by two teams of 3-4 players each. Games are broken up by rounds; each round is an opportunity for a single team to score points. In a round, players from opposing teams take turns rolling their bolle towards the stake at the far end of the court. At the end of each round, when all players have rolled their bolles, points are awarded to the team with the closest bolle(s) to the stake. The next round then begins in the same manner, aiming for the other stake. The first team to score a set number of points (typically 8) is the winner.

Scoring

A round is complete when both teams have played all of their bolles. If the round finishes then the team with the closest bolle wins the round and scores one point for each of its bolles that is closer to the jack than other team's closest bolle. The first team to a predetermined number of points is the winner of the game.

Strategy

When rolling a bolle, there are two main strategies a player can choose between: ''bowling'', and ''shooting''. When bowling, the player (bowler) aims the bolle along an elliptical course to get as close to the stake as possible. The bowler releases the bolle underhand, with not much speed. This strategy is used for good placement for scoring. The alternative option is to shoot. When shooting, the player (shooter) aims the bolle in a straight line, directly at an opponent's bolle nearby the stake. The bolle is released underhand, but with great speed. The goal is to knock the opponents' bolle(s) away from the stake.

Geographical distribution

In Europe, Rolle Bolle is played in the Flanders regions of the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

and

, where it originated. It is more common in rural areas, especially near

Ghent Ghent ( nl, Gent ; french: Gand ; traditional English: Gaunt) is a city and a municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the East Flanders province, and the third largest in the country, exceeded in ...

, in the

Meetjesland The Meetjesland is a historical region in the north-west of the province East Flanders in Belgium. Etymology There are many legends surrounding the origin of the name. The most known is the one of Emperor Charles V (Charles V) who was known for hi ...

region and the region from

Knesselare Knesselare () is a village and ''deelgemeente'' in the municipality of Aalter and a former municipality located in the Belgian province of East Flanders. The municipality comprised the towns of Knesselare proper and . The municipality's name is ...

Bruges Bruges ( , nl, Brugge ) is the capital and largest City status in Belgium, city of the Provinces of Belgium, province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium, in the northwest of the country, and the sixth-largest city of the countr ...

. In North America, Rolle Bolle is played in rural areas ranging from

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...

, in towns settled by

Belgian emigrants Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct language ...

. States and provinces where Rolle Bolle is played include:

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

Manitoba Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

, and

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

References

External links

{{Bowling Bowling Lawn games Belgian culture