Jan. 19--Though none of the competitors at an annual Orland Park bowling competition on Sunday managed to bowl three consecutive strikes -- a feat known as a "turkey" -- it was at least in part because they were bowling with actual turkey.
At Orland Park's 11th annual turkey bowling contest at Centennial Park, competitors lined up at the ice rink instead of a bowling alley and took aim with frozen poultry -- a turkey breast for older bowlers and a Cornish hen for younger entrants -- instead of bowling balls.
Even competitors who said they considered themselves decent bowlers found turkeys an extra challenge.
Skate-clad bowlers with particularly energetic throws occasionally knocked themselves down along with the pins. Then there's the question of grip. Without the handy trio of finger holes on a bowling ball, some competitors swung their turkey breast by the plastic handle, while others opted for a gentle, underhand toss.
"On the ice, it sort of swings you around," said Brinna Donnelly, 11, of Frankfort, a first-time turkey bowler.
"It's really hard to keep your grip," added her friend Brenna Stevens, 10. "But it's fun."
Ray Piattoni, facility and event administrator with the Village of Orland Park, said he wasn't sure how turkey bowling made its way to Orland Park more than a decade ago.
Derrick Johnson, a former Los Angeles Rams cheerleader and Chippendales nightclub dancer, claimed to have invented the game while stocking frozen turkeys at a supermarket. His attempts to promote the sport on national television led to a 1989 run-in with the company selling Butterball brand turkeys, who said his use of their turkeys damaged their brand and threatened a lawsuit.
But in Orland Park, at least for one day a year, the sport is alive and well. The competition consists of participants each getting three rolls at 15 pins.
Top scorer Toni Donnelly, bowling with her family, knocked down 36 pins out of a possible 45 and took home a frozen turkey -- unbowled -- as her prize.
"We're just trying to bring some fun, quirky events to the ice rink," Piattoni said.
lzumbach@tribpub.com
Twitter @laurenzumbach
