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Klootschieten (Dutch language) (German language: Klootschießen, Bosseln or Boßeln; English language: 'road bowling' or 'bowl playing') is a sport in the Netherlands, East Frisia, and Northern Germany, most popular in the eastern regions of Twente and Achterhoek. The game is of Frisians origin.VÄTH, J., & MATTES, R. ‘Kloot’shooting in Northern Germany. Sport–Integration–Europe, 180. To play, participants throw a bowl (the Kloot or Bossel) as far as they can, using a relatively difficult throwing style that requires speed, power, and concentration. The sport was banned at times, but achieved a measure of respectability when its first league was established by Hinrich Dunkhase in 1902. The sport is divided into field, street, and standing play. Field and street play typically has two teams playing against each other, while standing play is individual. Stefan Albarus is the current record holder, throwing the ball 106.20 meters.
Klootschieten likely arose from an ancient Frisians weapon, which the Frisians threw at ships and opponents. Klootschießen – Der ewige Feldkampf. . The Frisian fighters were supposedly feared for their ability to throw such damaging projectiles. When the sport arose, players used heavy flint and iron balls, weighing up to two pounds or more. Later, fist-sized balls made of Apple tree were drilled crosswise, and the holes filled with lead to achieve the desired weight.
Historically, klootschieten had a reputation as an asocial activity. In 1659, the Dutch reformer Jacobus van Oudenhoven recorded Kloot werpen on a Sunday after church services in his Register of Sins.Jacobus van Oudenhoven: Ingebroken Alblasser-waert, in Zuyd-Hollandt. J.B. Smient, Dordrecht 1659; Vgl. T. Brienen: Jacobus van Oudenhoven (1600–1690). In: T. Brienen u. a. (Hrsg.): Figuren en thema's van de Nadere Reformatie. De Groot Goudriaan, Kampen 1987, S. 43–51. Competitions often involved gambling, heavy alcohol consumption, and disorderly conduct. Some matches were physically violent to the point of drawing blood. The sport was primarily played in the winter months, and its traditional light sportswear was considered a risk factor for deaths from pneumonia. For these reasons, authorities occasionally banned the sport, though they were only occasionally successful in enforcing the bans.
Hinrich Dunkhase (1857–1905), Burhave, Butjadingen, brought together the feuding Oldenburg and East Frisian klootschieten players to form the Friesischer Klootschießer-Verband ("Friesian klootschieten Association", FKV) on May 25, 1902. Friesischer Klootschießer Verband e.V. – Satzung , . This was the first competitive league developed for the sport. He encouraged more friendly relations between opponents and a more standardized competition structure, to improve the image of the sport. Similar leagues soon sprouted in the surrounding areas. Dunkhase was its chairman until his death.
In the Nazi era, the FKV resisted integration into the National Socialist Imperial Federation for Physical Exercise by not registering as a sporting organization, with the reasoning that klootschieten was not an athletic event but a traditional Friesian game local to the area. The FKV joined the National Socialist Culture Community and therefore retained a certain degree of latitude not granted to sporting clubs. In particular, local dialects of Low German and Frisian could be spoken during competition, which would have been disallowed while playing a sport. After the Second World War, the FKV became a member of the National Sports Association of Lower Saxony registering itself as an official sports league.Arnd Krüger: Incorporating traditional games into modern sports. The German Experience. In: E. De Vroede, R. Renson (Hrsg.): Proceedings of the 2nd European Seminar on Traditional Games. Leuven 12 – 16 Sept. 1990. Vlaamse Volkssport Centrale, Löwen 1991, S. 45–54.Arnd Krüger: Sport und Politik, Vom Turnvater Jahn zum Staatsamateur. Fackelträger, Hannover 1975, . Today, the FKV is the umbrella organization of more than 40,000 players of Klootschieter and the related game of Boßeln. The sport is also represented in Northern Germany in sports confederations of North Rhine-Westphalia and Schleswig-Holstein.
In the Netherlands, the Nederlandse Klootschietbond (NKB, founded 1967) is the main organization for the sport.
The field kloot is a round bowl of wood or synthetic material, made heavier with lead. The diameter of the kloot is mostly between 7 and 8 centimetres, but these can deviate according to the preference of the participants. There is a minimum diameter of 5 centimetres.
In Ireland, the Irish Road Bowling Association (Irish: Ból Chumann na hÉireann, founded in 1954) represents players of the Irish analogue of road bowling. The International Bowlplaying Association (IBA, founded in 1969) is the sport's international umbrella organization. Competitions also take place among Irish immigrants in the US and Canada, as it is part of traditional Irish folk culture.
In May 2004, the European Championship was held in Westerstede, Germany.
At the adult level, the German FKB (Friesian Klootschieters Band) won all competitions.
The individual winners:
In May 2008, the European Championships were held near Cork, Ireland.[3]
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