Fresh off my first experience at Snakes and Lattes, this cozy board game café, I came to the realization that alongside the high cheekbones, I inherited the family gene of extreme competitiveness. Any game in which I was not winning, I found myself asking the question of “Who the hell invented this game anyways?”- a question which many would mistaken for the symptom of a sore loser but what I like to think of as purely philosophical. And I’m sure the countless number of people who attended last week’s Bowl 4 the Arts: Visions Charity’s 2nd Annual Fundraiser, would agree with me.

Seeing my score of straight 0’s across the board, it was only natural that I would ask, “Who the hell invented this game anyways?” Whether it was a poor guy’s excuse to be staring at a pretty girl’s behind or an opportunity to wear funky coloured shoes without being judged, there is no denying that the game of bowling brought a handful of crowds to All Star Bowl on a Sunday evening in support of this TamilCulture-sponsored event that aims to raise money for Visions Toronto.

What is Visions Toronto all about? Well Visions is a global non-profit organization serving youth and communities through education. Their mission is to help students, teachers, schools, and non-governmental organizations become self-sufficient and capable of participating as leaders in today’s society. They have undertaken efforts in Sri Lanka, Kenya and India but currently Visions is focusing its programs in Sri Lanka and Southern India. The money raised from this event will be going towards supporting arts programs for children in those areas.

With that being said, you would think “Hey, it’s for charity right?” would be the best way to comfort a sore loser at this event but with raffle prizes for the winning team being a gift certificate to Swiss Chalet and top bowlers getting a pair of movie tickets, you soon discover how many other people have that extremely competitive family gene and that being last, just won’t cut it. This may not actually be the worst thing because by the end of the night, Visions Charity was able to raise over $1200!

Still it remains that no one wants to go bowling with a giant crowd and feel embarrassed that they…well…suck! So I’ve compiled three tips on how to survive as a beginner bowler at a charity event:

1. Be confident – Even if that ball lands in the gutter, keep your head held high! …but not too high because it’s still a tad embarrassing
2. Use an alias – Someone get on your nerves lately? Now would be the perfect time to pretend that you’re someone else – so make things more interesting!
3. Go granny-style – We’re all going to be old one day so don’t be ashamed to resort to granny-style. With the points it’ll rake in for you and possibly win you a prize, you’re going to get the urge to visit a senior’s home just out of gratitude.

Well there you have it, three pointers that will make your condemned bowling skills more bearable for one night. If all three fail and you can’t bring yourself to laugh at your single digit score – kindly remind yourself that “Hey, it’s for charity right?”

Event Pictures:

[flickr-gallery mode=”photoset” photoset=”72157628227145959″]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/67399035@N02/galleries/72157628227145959/

Event Highlights Video:

By: Shagana Ehamparam – Tweet me @shaGGyy01