The sporting life

Meetings & Conventions: Short Cuts February 2002 Current Issue
February 2002
Short Cuts:
The sporting life

For pin heads. International Bowling Museum

Americans always have had a love affair with their sports heroes, on the court, in the ring or on the ice. At various sporting halls of fame, attendees can relive the excitement of smashed world records and classic team rivalries, even while playing the games themselves.

At the International Bowling Museum (www.bowlingmuseum.com) in St. Louis, exhibits chronicle the 5,000-year history of the sport. Attendees can bowl on original 1920s-style lanes, complete with eager pin boys to reset their pins, as well as on modern computer-scored lanes, all under the watchful eye of pro bowlers, then skip next door to check out baseball slugger Mark McGwire’s batting records as well as his 1962 red Corvette (the museum also houses the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame).

For faster-paced footwork, the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame (www.basketballhalloffame.com) in Knoxville, Tenn., features four professional indoor courts where corporations can host their own friendly rivalries in the name of team building. The hall also features an extensive exhibit on the evolution of women’s basketball, along with countless items of memorabilia.

At the International Tennis Hall of Fame (www.tennisfame.org) in Newport, R.I., tennis buffs can view more than 7,000 objects and chalk up their own winning record on the hall’s historic grass courts, site of the 1881 U.S. National Lawn Tennis Championships. Facilities include locker rooms, towel service and professional tennis instruction.

• C.A.S.