An animation of a science beaker with a bubbling green liquid appears on screen with a title that reads "Sports Lab."

Now Nykeem appears on screen walking in the front entrance of a bowling alley. Nykeem is in his thirties, has shaved black hair, is clean-shaven, and wears an orange collared shirt and black pants.

Nykeem says HEY, EVERYONE!
WELCOME TO SPORTS LAB
WHERE SPORTS
AND SCIENCE STRIKE,
AND THE FUN
IS NEVER SPARED.

(Theme music plays)

The opening sequence begins.

Two light blue doors with a title that reads "Sports Lab" open where thousands of sports equipment encircles a classroom skeleton. The animated balls fly throughout the white room stopping at scenes of people playing different sports.

First Nykeem kicking a soccer ball, then a boy on a skateboard, then a tennis ball, then a hockey goalie, and lastly of a group of kids and Nykeem who break on a tennis court and say SPORTS LAB!

All the sports equipment turns into different colours and funnel into a science beaker with green liquid with a label that reads "Sports Lab."

(music plays)

Nykeem appears on screen sitting in chairs waiting for his turn to bowl.

Nykeem says MY NAME'S NYKEEM,
AND TODAY WE'RE
ROLLING INTO A SPORT
WHERE THE GUTTERS
ARE ALWAYS CLEAN
AND A STRIKE IS CAUSE
FOR CELEBRATION.
IT'S NOT HARD
TO PIN DOWN.
WE'RE GOING BOWLING.

Nykeem picks up a bowling ball and rolls it down the alley.

(music plays)
(Fanfare)
(Cheering)

In the white room, the science beaker with green liquid bursts with colours and balls and a title emerges that reads "Bowling."

Back in the bowling alley, a caption reads "Sherwood Lanes, Hamilton, Ontario," and Nykeem says BOWLING BALLS ARE HEAVY.
BUT LUCKILY WE WON'T
BE NEEDING THIS...
ONLY THIS.
FIVE-PIN BOWLING
IS A CANADIAN-MADE GAME.
IT FEATURES A SMALLER
BALL, LESS PINS,
AND MORE SPEED!
IT'S EXCITING,
BUT CHALLENGING.
RIGHT, DOC?

Now Dr. Heather appears on screen with a caption that reads "Dr. Heather, Sports Scientist." She has straight, dark brown hair and wears a gray shirt. She stands at a white desk with books and science supplies around her.

Dr. Heather says RIGHT, NYKEEM.
THE PINS ARE FURTHER
APART IN FIVE-PIN BOWLING.
SO, TO STRIKE THEM DOWN,
THE PATH OF THE BALL
NEEDS TO BE PRECISE
TO MAKE ITS FORCE FELT.

Back in the bowling alley, Nykeem rolls a bowling ball and says SO PREPARED TO BE BOWLED OVER.
SPORTS LAB IS ABOUT TO STRIKE.

(music plays)

Now Jennifer appears on screen with a caption that reads "Jennifer." Jennifer has long wavy brown hair pulled back in a ponytail, and wears thick black glasses, and a black bowling shirt.

Jennifer says HI, I'M JENNIFER.
I'M 11 YEARS OLD,
AND I'VE BEEN BOWLING
FOR FOUR YEARS.

Clips of Jennifer bowling appear on screen.

Jennifer says I WAS BORN IN CUBA
WHERE THERE ARE NO
REAL BOWLING ALLEYS.
BUT, WHEN WE MOVED TO CANADA,
MY DAD INTRODUCED
ME TO THE SPORT,
AND I'VE LOVED IT EVER SINCE.
IT'S A FUN THING
TO DO WITH YOUR FRIENDS,
BUT THERE'S STILL
THE CHALLENGE OF COMPETITION.

Nykeem walks up to Jennifer in the bowling alley.

Nykeem says HEY JENNIFER,
NICE SHOT!
WELCOME TO SPORTS LAB.

Jennifer says THANKS!

Nykeem says I LOVE THE SIGHTS AND SOUNDS
OF A BOWLING ALLEY.
TELL ME, WHAT DO
YOU LIKE ABOUT THEM?

Jennifer says WELL, I REALLY LIKE THE ART
THAT'S IN A BOWLING ALLEY,
AND THE PAINTINGS.

Nykeem says SO HOW DOES SCORING
IN FIVE-PIN BOWLING WORK?

Jennifer says WELL, THERE ARE
FIVE PINS.
THE MIDDLE ONE
IS WORTH FIVE POINTS.
THE TWO BESIDE IT
ARE WORTH THREE,
AND THEN THE ONES THAT ARE
LEFT BEHIND ARE WORTH TWO.
WHEN YOU GET ALL
THE PINS IN ONE SHOT,
IT'S CALLED A STRIKE!

Nykeem says AND WHAT DO YOU CALL IT WHEN
YOU GET THREE STRIKES IN A ROW?

Jennifer says WHEN YOU ROLL THREE STRIKES
IN A ROW, IT'S CALLED A TURKEY.
I'D DO THIS.

Jennifer puts her hands in her armpits and flaps her arms.

Nykeem copies her and says GOBBLE GOBBLE
GOBBLE GOBBLE GOBBLE!
THANKS JEN, FOR HELPING
ME UNDERSTAND BOWLING.
NOW WHAT DO YOU SAY TO
LEARNING ABOUT ITS HISTORY?

Jennifer says SURE!

Nykeem says THEN LET'S ROLL
INTO THE STORY......OF BOWLING.
(Fanfare)
(Cheering)

Back in the lab, a book opens and a title flies out that reads "History of Bowling."

Nykeem says THE EARLIEST
FORMS OF BOWLING
CAN BE TRACED BACK
TO ANCIENT EGYPT...
WHERE BALLS MADE
OF CORN HUSK AND STRING
WERE OFTEN USED.
FIVE-PIN BLOWING WAS INVENTED
IN TORONTO, ONTARIO
BY A MAN NAMED TOMMY RYAN
WHEN HE FOUNDED
THE TORONTO BOWLING CLUB.
REGULARS OF THE CLUB
FOUND TEN PIN
BALLS TOO HEAVY......AND THE MATCHES TOO LONG.
REGULARS TRYING
TO FIT IN A GAME
ON THEIR LUNCH BREAK
DIDN'T HAVE TIME.
TOMMY RYAN DECIDED TO
LOWER THE PIN COUNT
AND MAKE THE BALLS SMALLER.
FIVE-PIN BOWLING
HAD ARRIVED......MUCH TO THE DELIGHT
OF HIS CUSTOMERS.

Back in the bowling alley, Nykeem says ALL RIGHT,
JENNIFER.
WE'VE GOT OUR
BOWLING SHOES ON.
WHAT SHOULD WE DO?

Jennifer says LET'S BOWL!

Jennifer and Nykeem bowl.

After they finish bowling, Nykeem and Jennifer sit down in the bowling alley and Nykeem says JENNIFER,
THAT WAS AWESOME!
WHAT TYPE OF TRAINING
DO YOU DO AWAY FROM THE ALLEY?

Jennifer says WELL, I USUALLY
GET A CHAIR
AND I PUT A STUFFED
ANIMAL IN THE MIDDLE,
AND THEN I TRY AND KNOCK IT
DOWN TO IMPROVE MY AIMING.

Nykeem says AH, THANKS FOR THE TIP.
WHAT ELSE WOULD YOU LIKE
TO LEARN ABOUT BOWLING?

Jennifer says WELL, I'D LIKE TO KNOW
WHAT'S HAPPENING BETWEEN
THE BALL AND THE PIN
WHEN YOU GET A STRIKE.

Nykeem says GOOD QUESTION!
LET'S CONTACT THE LAB
FOR SOME ANSWERS.
HEY, DOC!

Nykeem looks at his watch and Dr. Heather appears on screen.

In the sports lab, Dr. Heather says HI GUYS.
THERE'S NOTHING LIKE
THE FEEL OF A GOOD STRIKE.
WHY DON'T YOU TAKE A FEW
ROLLS WITH AN EXPERT,
AND I'LL CHECK OUT THE DATA.

Back in the bowling alley, Nykeem says AWESOME!
LET'S GO.

Jennifer says OKAY.

(Fanfare)

Back in the lab, the science beaker with green liquid appears on screen with a label that reads "Pop Quiz." The bottle swirls and flies over to the blackboard with a question.

Nykeem says LOOK OUT! POP QUIZ...
WHY ARE THE BOTTOM
OF BOWLING SHOES SMOOTH?
A) TO TAP DANCE.
B) TO REDUCE FRICTION.
OR C) TO DO THE MOONWALK?

A skeleton with a red cap says THE ANSWER IS B!

Nykeem says REDUCE FRICTION.
IF BOWLING SHOES HAD TREADS,
BOWLERS WOULDN'T
BE ABLE TO SLIDE FORWARD
9AS THEY RELEASE THE BALL.

Back in the lab, out of the science beaker launches white foam that turns into a slate that reads "Meet the Pro."

Melissa appears on screen with a caption that reads "Melissa." Melissa has long, straight, side-parted, light brown hair, and wears a black T-shirt.

Melissa says HI, MY NAME'S MELISSA,
AND I'VE BEEN BOWLING SINCE
I WAS SEVEN YEARS OLD.

Clips of Melissa bowling appear on screen.

Melissa says I STARTED BOWLING
'CAUSE I THOUGHT
IT'D BE A FUN THING TO DO
AND AN EASY WAY TO
MAKE A LOT OF FRIENDS.
BOWLING IS GREAT
BECAUSE YOU CAN BE IN THE ZONE
BUT STILL HAVE A LOT
OF LAUGHS WITH YOUR FRIENDS.

Now Nykeem and Jennifer walk over to Melissa in the bowling alley.

Nykeem says HEY, MELISSA!

Melissa says HI, NYKEEM!

Nykeem says THIS IS JENNIFER.

Melissa says HI, JENNIFER!

Jennifer says HI, MELISSA.

Nykeem says FIRST QUESTION -
WHAT'S THE BEST WAY
A YOUNG BOWLER CAN IMPROVE?

Melissa says THE BEST WAY FOR
THEM TO IMPROVE
IS TO MAKE SURE THEY
PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE

Nykeem says TO GET THAT BIG BOOM?
JENNIFER TOLD ME HOW SHE FEELS
WHEN SHE ROLLS A STRIKE.
HOW DOES IT FEEL FOR YOU?

Melissa says IT FEELS AMAZING.
IT FEELS LIKE I JUST GOT AN
A-PLUS ON THE TEST I GOT BACK.

Nykeem says JENNIFER ALSO TOLD ME
WHAT A TURKEY IS.
THIS IS HER CELEBRATION.

Jennifer says GOBBLE GOBBLE
GOBBLE GOBBLE!

Nykeem says WHAT'S YOURS?

Melissa says I DO A NICE
TEAM HIGH-FIVE.

Nykeem gives Jennifer a high five and says LIKE THIS?

Melissa says YES.

They all give each other a high five.

Nykeem says JENNIFER, HOW CAN
MELISSA HELP US?

Jennifer says CAN YOU GET
SOME STRIKES FOR US?

Melissa says ABSOLUTELY.
I JUST HAVE A FEW TIPS THAT
I CAN HELP YOU TO GET A STRIKE.
YOU WANT TO TAKE A NICE,
DEEP BREATH,
TAKE THREE STEPS,
AND THEN REACH
YOUR BALL OUT
RIGHT INTO
THE CENTRE ARROW.
YOU WANT TO MAKE SURE IT GOES
FAST, BUT DON'T FORGET YOUR AIM.
HERE, LET ME SHOW YOU!

Melissa picks up the ball and tosses it down the alley and gets a strike.

Nykeem says STRIKE!

They all say GOBBLE GOBBLE
GOBBLE GOBBLE!

Melissa says HERE WE GO, GUYS.

Melissa rolls another ball and gets a strike.

Nykeem says OH, WOW!
WHAT A STRIKE!

Nykeem looks at his watch and says SPORTS LAB,
YOU READING THIS?

Back in the sports lab, Dr. Heather says HEY, EVERYONE!
THE INTERACTION BETWEEN
THE BALL AND THE PINS
COMES DOWN
TO ONE WORD - MOMENTUM.
MOMENTUM IS HOW STRONG
A MOVING THING IS.
IT'S BASED ON THE SIZE
OF THE OBJECT,
ITS MASS, AND THE VELOCITY
OF AN OBJECT -
ITS SPEED IN
A GIVEN DIRECTION.
SO A SMALL OBJECT,
LIKE A BASEBALL,
CAN HAVE LOTS OF MOMENTUM
IF IT MOVES VERY FAST.
AND A BIG OBJECT,
LIKE AN ELEPHANT...
(ELEPHANT TRUMPETS)...CAN HAVE LOTS OF MOMENTUM
EVEN IF IT MOVES SLOWLY.
MELISSA GETS
THE BALL MOVING FAST.
THAT SPEED, COMBINED
WITH THE BALL'S WEIGHT,
MEANS GOOD MOMENTUM.
A TENNIS BALL
WOULDN'T WORK AS WELL
BECAUSE, EVEN
IF IT MOVES VERY FAST,
THE BALL'S TOO LIGHT
TO KNOCK THE PINS OVER.
WHEN THE BALL REACHES
THE END OF THE LANE,
IT TRANSFERS ITS
MOMENTUM TO THE PINS.
THEY CRASH INTO EACH OTHER,
HELPING THE BALL DO ITS JOB.
THAT'S WHY IT'S
IMPORTANT THAT THE BALL
HITS THE FIRST
PIN AT AN ANGLE.
MAKE SURE YOU GIVE
THE BALL LOTS OF MOMENTUM,
AND YOU'LL HAVE MOMENTUM
ON THE SCORE SHEET.

Back in the bowling alley, Nykeem says ALL RIGHT, GUYS -
TO GET A STRIKE,
YOUR BALL HAS TO SHARE
ITS MOMENTUM WITH THE PINS.
JENNIFER,
ARE YOU READY TO ROLL?

Jennifer says YEAH!

Nykeem says ALL RIGHT, MELISSA,
C'MON OVER HERE.

Melissa says GOOD LUCK, JENNIFER.

Jennifer says THANKS!

Jennifer rolls the ball and doesn?t get a strike.

Nykeem says YOU GOT THE NEXT ONE.
C'MON...

Jennifer rolls the ball again and gets a strike.

Melissa says NICE ONE!

Nykeem says THAT'S A STRIKE!
THERE WE GO.
(Fanfare)
(Cheering)

Back in the lab, the green liquid in the science beaker spills and then dries up to reveal a title that reads "Fun Fact."

Nykeem appears on screen and says EVER WONDER WHY BOWLING PINS
HAVE THIS FUNNY SHAPE?
IT'S BECAUSE OF SOMETHING
CALLED A CENTRE OF GRAVITY.
A CENTRE OF GRAVITY
IS THE AVERAGE LOCATION
OF WEIGHT OF AN OBJECT.
SINCE THE PINS
ARE WIDER AT THEIR BASES
THAN THEIR TOPS,
THEY HAVE A LOW
CENTRE OF GRAVITY.
OBJECTS THAT HAVE
A LOW CENTRE OF GRAVITY
ARE HARDER TO KNOCK DOWN.
IF THE PIN WAS
TURNED UPSIDE DOWN,
YOU COULD TAP IT LIGHTLY,
AND IT WOULD TOPPLE OVER.
IT'S WHY MOST BUILDINGS
ARE BIGGER AT THEIR BASES
THAN THEY ARE UP TOP.
NOW IT'S TIME TO
PUT A PIN IN THIS,
AND KEEP ON BOWLING.

Back in the bowling alley, Nykeem says ALL RIGHT, LET'S SEE IT, JEN!
WOO! LET'S GO,
LET'S GO, LET'S GO!

Jennifer bowls and gets a strike.

Nykeem says GOBBLE GOBBLE GOBBLE
GOBBLE GOBBLE!
WOO!
(Cheering)

Nykeem bowls and gets a strike.

Nykeem says I GOT A STRIKE!

(music plays)

Back in the lab, colours and balls fly out of the science beaker and a slate reads "Pro Tip."

Now Melissa appears on screen and says WHEN IT COMES TO BOWLING,
SOMETHING THAT REALLY HELPED ME
WAS KNOWING WHERE
TO PUT MY FRONT FOOT.
WHEREVER YOUR FOOT IS FACING,
THAT'S WHERE THE BALL GOES.
SO, IF IT'S FACING TO THE LEFT,
IT'S GOING TO GO TO THE LEFT;
AND IF IT'S FACING TO THE RIGHT,
IT'LL GO TO THE RIGHT.
SO YOU WANT TO MAKE SURE
YOUR FRONT FOOT
IS FACING RIGHT
DOWN THE CENTRE
'CAUSE THAT'LL HELP YOU
BOWL STRAIGHT EVERY TIME.
I'M MELISSA,
AND THAT'S MY PRO TIP!

Now Jennifer appears on screen and says IT WAS SO COOL LEARNING
ABOUT THE SCIENCE OF BOWLING,
AND I THINK IT'S GOING TO
GIVE ME A LOT OF MOMENTUM
FOR MY NEXT TOURNAMENT.

Now Nykeem appears on screen walking through the bowling alley and says TODAY WE FRAMED OUR
LEARNING AROUND MOMENTUM.
AND, WITHOUT CHANGING LANES,
WE HAD A BALL TRYING
TO STAY OUT OF THE GUTTER.
LUCKILY, I WAS EVEN
SPARED A FULL DAY
WITHOUT A STRIKE!
NOW I'M MOVING ON,
BUT I'LL CATCH YOU GUYS SOON -
BECAUSE, IN THE SPORTS LAB,
WE ALWAYS AIM FOR WINS,
NO MATTER HOW MANY PINS.

The credits roll scenes of kids playing sports appear on screen.

Written and directed by, Johnny Mitchell.
Host, Nykeem Provo.
Editor, David Mitchell.

Produced in association with TVO Kids for riverbank pictures, copyright 1919216 Ontario Inc.