Well, girls, that manliest of all men-fests is approaching: The Superbowl is kicking off soon! We know, we know, some of you actually enjoy football (or the commercials), but for the rest of us, who really don’t give a darn, whaddaya say we girls have our own Super-Bowl Party, or should we say “Super-Bowling” Party, because yes, this party takes place in the bowling alley!

By the way, we know that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. But please remember that all posts on GirlfriendCelebrations.com are copyright protected. If you’d like to quote our content on your blog or website, by all means, spread the love, but be sure to give proper credit. Plagiarizers will be prosecuted. Thanks!

Now we know there are some serious bowlers among you, but for the rest of us, bowling is kitschy, retro and cute, it gets us moving, and most important, it get us out with our pals on Superbowl Sunday. Let the boys make their own snacks and let’s hit the lanes!

Invitations

Pre-printed bowling party invitations are easy to find at any online party supplier. If you’re looking for something unique, these bowling shoe invites are pricey, but if you’re crafty, you might be able to make something similar yourself (with girlier colors!). Or, these retro postcards are less expensive and still help set the mood. Evite also has a couple of bowling party invites. This one even features a pink ball.

Setting and setup

First things first: Call some local bowling alleys and find out when they have open bowling on Superbowl Sunday. Reserve your lanes if necessary. If your schedule your get-together around the same time as the big game, you *should* find the alley to be slow (unless it has a big sports bar attached). Be sure to ask about league times on that day as well. You want to have plenty of time to bond with your girlfriends, without feeling rushed by someone hovering over your lane!

Food and drink

This depends a bit on your bowling alley, since many of them have pretty horrendous food. The way we see it, you have a couple of options:

• Pizza and beer a la bowling alley. Not that there’s anything wrong with that; if you and your friends like the bowling alley fare, go for it.
• Smuggle in a snack buffet. We’ve seen birthday cakes brought in; why not a few munchies? Feel out your bowling manager and see if it’s a possibility. Bring something salty and sweet…trail mix or chocolate covered pretzels, for a nice crunchy start to your bowl-a-rama. Don’t forget the wet wipes to wash your bowling ball hands before you eat!
• Go out for dinner. Restaurants are traditionally slow on this day, and you’ll have worked up an appetite bowling, so why not just plan on a nice dinner afterward? You can eat and drink what you like and it’ll get you out of the house longer too.

Hit the lanes

Most bowling alleys now offer computerized scoring, so we won’t go into the details of keeping score. However, if you’re really not familiar with the game, visit the Professional Bowlers Association website to brush up on rules, equipment, and etiquette before you hit the lanes. Depending on the size of your party, two to three games should be plenty of bowling action for you.

Award the champions

And what is bowling without trophies? End your bowling party with a hilarious awards presentation. Awards can be sport-related (high score, low score, most strikes, most gutter balls), fashion-related (best bowling shoes, cutest bowling bag, best retro outfit) or you can award a trophy for the bowling approach (throw)–most professional, most pathetic, most original.

Be sure to advise your girlfriends about the awards ahead of time so they can prepare (perhaps by scouring second-hand shops for bowling bags to decorate?). Just include a few words on the invitation.

For prizes, find small plastic trophies at a party supply store (example here) and customize them with metallic or permanent markers. For a grand prize, you can get a real bowling trophy made for your event, here.  Or, give a mini bowling bag purse as a prize–the ultimate in retro cool. At cafepress.com, find lots of bowling themed t-shirts for women; an example is here. Finally, try Bowling Delights for more novelty bowling items.

Party favors

Give everyone a take-home treat by shooting Polaroids (retro, again) of each gal’s bowling approach or reaction, and pop them in a little homemade frame. (We don’t exactly know why, but Polaroids add fun to any party). HP has downloadable bowling frame art (PDF) here. We haven’t tried this yet, but the art can be printed on magnetic sheets and cut out for a fridge magnet featuring your friend, the bowling princess. You can attach the Polaroid to the frame right at the party for an instant, personalized favor. Let us know if you give it a try!

We predict bowling alleys across the land will be filled with cries of “Strike”–or at least shrieks and giggles–this Superbowl Sunday. Have fun, ladies, and let us know how it goes!