Creativity, originality, and memorability (is there such a word?) Don’t just happen. Especially when it comes to making up the names of your bowling team. If you’re still looking for that catchy name (get it?) For your bowling team, is a good old-fashioned brainstorming session what you need? There are some simple rules and strategies that you can follow when creating your own team name. Rule number one for a fun bowling team naming session is “no name is too boring.” In fact, the more the team groans at any suggestion, the better the name.

Rule number two is to write down ALL the names of the bowling teams because you probably won’t remember them tomorrow due to rule number three. This is the Pythagorean theorem for team names, where the sum of the fun equals the sum of the square of the other two ingredients, beer and pretzels.

Rule number three is “always make time for a rhyme.” Start with a bowling word and come up with as many cute or, better yet, raunchy, rhyming words as you can. Here are a few to get your poetry flowing.

STRIKE, WALK, LIKE, TYKE, PIKE, DYKE.

SPLIT, WIT, FIT, TIT, HIT, ZIT, MIT, PIT.

GUTTER, FLUTTER, UTTER, MUTTER, STUTTER, PUTTER.

Now I know what you are thinking and I only have four words for you. Remember rule number one and have another beer. I guess that’s eight words, so it’s nice that the machine is counting the pins for me.

If you want to avoid cute rhymes, you can try the strategy of choosing one or two of the above words and matching them with an adjective for a little more pizzazz. Pick something that sounds good or a bit of alliteration. Such as;

‘Unlimited attacks’, (or more honestly, ‘attack from time to time’)

‘Crazy marauders’

‘Bowling Braves’

‘Soft shoe shakers’

Okay, okay, but remember rule number one! I recommend that you explore word games and word games. A good start is to think of a common phrase that uses one of those bowling-related words on the list. Just reuse that phrase and you will automatically have a bowling team name with double meaning. For example, “Spare Change”, “Wildcat Strikes” or “Alley Ways” are common phrases that work well for the names of bowling teams.

If you want to be even more experimental and want a more complex word game, you can try thinking of words, phrases, movie titles, or celebrity names that sound similar or rhyme with bowling terminology. Top of my list would be, “Spare Wars”, “The Referee Strikes Back”, “The Return of the Dead Eye”, “The Magnificent Five”. Or try swapping similar sounding words in and out of a bowling phrase. Here are some more ideas along those lines …

Thunder Bawl, Changing Lanes, Alley McBowl, The Mis-Split, Bowlfinger, The Tenpin Commandments, Axis & Alleys, Split-finger Fast-bowl, The Pin punctures the Incredibowls. Oh, I could go on! Regardless, whatever bowling equipment comes to mind, the important thing to remember is rule number one and that bowling is not real life. It is much more important than that!