Bowling? A sport? An NCAA sport? And just for women?

Yes, yes, oh yes, and for the most part…yes.

Bowling is by all means a sport. Just try playing more than a couple games with your friends and tell us how your arms and back feels the next day. Now imagine playing all day long for high stakes, whether that's a league championship or a big-money tournament. Sounds sporty to us. So it's no surprise that bowling, while not as well-known a collegiate sport as football, is now recognized by the NCAA.

Collegiate bowling has actually been around since the 1970s, but the sport only became sanctioned by the NCAA in 2003 (source). Since then, the bowling balls have only picked up steam. More than 65 schools now offer Division-I through Division-III NCAA varsity bowling programs. Of those schools, only two have teams for men. The rest are for the ladies only (source). The good men of bowling are at a bit of a disadvantage in this sport, sad to say.

Unlike some of the other fringe sports in the NCAA (we're looking at you, fencing and rifle), bowling is enjoyed by millions of people around the world. While you might not have covered bowling in P.E. class, it's one of the most popular recreational pastimes—played by the young and old, rich and poor, big and small…you get the picture. Bowling is a very accessible sport. It's like that guy that everybody likes.

Seriously, what's not to like about that guy? (Source)

Chances are, you got your first taste of bowling at a birthday party or Saturday-night family gathering fairly early in life. But you needn't worry if you didn't decide to go pro while chomping down on pizza and cake. Many successful collegiate athletes don't become serious about bowling until they've ripened up a bit; pre-teen and teenage newbies can still build a great reputation in league play after only a few years.

The good thing about this easier-than-most barrier for entry is that you can ease your way gradually into a pre-professional bowling career. You may start off playing for fun with some friends, renting some stinky ol' bowling shoes, and using the balls available at your local lanes. Then, as you get older and better, you might think about joining a league to up the stakes.

And when you do, you'll need to purchase some shoes, balls, and uniforms, but at least you won't have to pay by the game. Given how much you'll be playing, that'll save you a bundle. Not that bowling equipment is cheap. It's really a ''six of one, half-dozen of the other'' scenario.

Recreational or league play is just about the only chance you'll get to show your bowling stuff as a youngster. There are no Pee-Wee, Pop Warner, or Little League groups to join as a wee one. And you wouldn't believe how few junior high and high schools have bowling teams. Okay, maybe you would. Since a recreational team is just for fun, all the serious bowlers join league teams. That's where you'll train until you're ready to consider a move to the collegiate level.

But you can't just be in any regional league and walk your way onto an NCAA bowling team. By the time you're ready to start looking at college programs, you should have been involved in some competitive leagues and won a few tournaments. And you should be putting up big numbers. More than 60% of collegiate bowlers averaged 160 or above in the 2012–2013 season (source).

And numbers are just the start. Coaches are really keen on picking up team members with a true passion for bowling. Why? Because you'll bowl every day for almost the entire school year, throwing out hundreds of shots per practice. You'll likely room with your bowling teammates, work out with them, and study with them. You'll dream about bowling and about making strikes and spares, and then you'll start jokingly saying you're married to the sport when in reality it's all you've ever wanted. (We won't tell.)

Think borderline psychotic obsession is enough, though? Nope. You'll have to go beyond passion. You'll need the athleticism necessary to not only knock down a lot of pins, but also do so strategically. In order to bowl patterns, knock down pins in a split, or zero in on a lone pin standing, you'll need to have excellent balance, concentration, hand-eye coordination, and arm strength.

You won't necessarily get all of that by just going to bowling practice. Aerobic exercise helps with stamina, weight lifting helps with strength, and stretches and drills can help with balance and concentration. Oh, and about that hand-eye coordination? It doesn't hurt to pick up a few video games (seriously) to fine-tune those skills.

Once you make it onto an NCAA team, the going isn't exactly easy. You've got one of the longest seasons for any sport. While your tournaments usually happen on weekends, they're all-weekend events that can take you clear across the country. There's a reason the coach has you throw so many balls during the week: if you're a starter on your team, you'll hardly put down your bowling ball between Friday morning and Sunday evening.

May as well start sleeping next to that puppy. Hey, why not give it a name?

We like "Shmooperbelle."

The good news is, if you're chosen to be on a Division-I team, you've got a decent shot at some scholarship money. The average team size for Division I is 8, and schools can give out up to 5 scholarships per team. And since bowling is an equivalency sport in the NCAA, those scholarships can be divided among all the team members (source). Not a bad way to avoid towering student loans upon graduation, if we do say so ourselves.

As for bowling prospects after graduation: those are looking up as well. Although the Professional Women's Bowling Association (PWBA) folded in 2003 after more than forty years of operations, it returned in 2015 with funding from the United States Bowling Congress (USBC) and the Bowling Proprietors' Association of America (BPAA).

Bowlers can also join matches in the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA), which is open to both men and women (source).

Sound good? Well then, put on your bowler hat and get to strikin'. (That's not actually a thing, but it should be.)