Explaining how Baker games work

If a rec league bowler walks into a bowling alley at the start of a high school match, he or she won't see anything too different than what they're used to on league night. At least at first. Each high school team has five bowlers who roll two individual games, and then those individual series scores are added up for a team total. The number of games increases to three in the postseason. Many rec leagues have their players roll three games for a series, but the concept's the same — individual tenpin efforts are combined for a team score. But that's just half of a high school match. Then come the Baker games, which are all team-focused. Each team has five bowlers who play as a unit, with each bowling two frames per game — Player 1 bowls frames 1 and 6, Player 2 bowls frames 2 and 7, Player 3 bowls frames 3 and 8, Player 4 bowls frames 4 and 9, Player 5 bowls frames 5 and 10. Ohio High School Athletic Association rules call for at least two Baker games per match, but many contests have up to five. When completed, team scores from the individual portion and the Baker games are added together to determine an overall winner. "Most would consider watching a Baker game more exciting than watching tenpin bowling," said Roxanne Price, the OHSAA staff member who oversees bowling while also serving as director of compliance and sporting behavior. "Baker games move at a much more rapid pace and involve more 'team' participation," she said. "Baker games seem to create much more 'energy.' It is like handing off the next frame to a teammate. Tenpin bowling is a more 'singular' event, Baker games are more 'team oriented.'" The format got its start from Frank K. Baker — hence the name — in the 1950s. He was the executive secretary of the American Bowling Congress and was looking for a way to increase interest for the professional ranks, but the format wasn't adopted. Several colleges began using Baker games in 1974, and the format was used in the 1975 Bowling Spectacular — competition for pro, amateur, collegiate and military bowlers — to help determine the college team champion. The Ohio High School Bowling Coaches Association implemented the Baker format in the 2001-02 school year. The organization began a state tournament in the 2000-01 school year and ran it until the OHSAA sanctioned the sport in the 2006-07 school year. It still assists the OHSAA with the state tournament and other high school bowling matters. "You definitely have to work together as a team during Baker (games)," said Greg Coulles, Ohio High School Bowling Coaches Association executive director and OHSAA state tournament manager. "Regarding it being a 'team' thing, the Baker format was adopted from college bowling and it seemed to be very popular," he said. "Each bowler bowls two frames, so if you've got a couple of superstars on your team, their value to you in Baker is no more than two frames, which gives everybody a chance to participate equally on a team." Columbian coach Kory Walton said he views the format as a positive for the sport. "In my personal opinion, I love the Baker style of game. It combines both individual and team. You have your individual frame but you only have two individual frames in that entire game; the rest is up to your teammates," he said. Because of that, Walton said he encourages his players to talk about what they see and experience when they bowl — how the ball moves, where the oil pattern seems to be, etc. "You only have two frames, there's eight other frames in the entire game so you're trying to get as much information as possible and pass it to your teammates."