Traditional sport in Castilla y León: Bolo Leonés

Bolo Leonés is an individual game or is played in pairs, but it can also be played in teams of four people. The game consists of nine cones of 55 cm in height with a diameter of 10 cm at the bottom and 4 cm at the top. There is one cone which is called "Miche” (Spanish name) that one is 30 cm high and has a diameter of 7 cm at the bottom and 3 cm at the top. The cones are not round, but rather half-round and made of oak wood.

Rules of the game Bolo Leonés: The rules are a little complicated and there are many variations of how to count points. Here is a simple set of rules that can be easily understood by both children and adults. We present nine cones, in three rows of three cones each. The cones should be put at a distance that when a cone is shot, the other closest cone cannot be knocked over. The "Miche" is located near the left cone in the front row with a distance of 50 cm.

We distinguished two areas in which the cones are located. The first area is known with the Spanish name "Castro", which is a square of about 1 ½ meters; the boundary of the field is a circle surrounding the square with a distance of 1 to 2 meters. Then there's the throwing area, another square of 1 ½ meters which is located about 18-22 meters from the target field.

Scoring:

1 point: The ball knocks down a cone.
If the ball rolled between the "Miche" and another cone, you get 10 points when that cone is knocked over.
When the ball rolls through the field without knocking down a cone, the player may throw again, but only if the ball stays inside the square of 1 1/2 meters. The player is allowed to throw the ball from the point where the ball has stopped.
You get 5 points when you knock down the "Miche".
If the "Miche" was directly hit by the ball, points are taken away.

The points per cone can be changed as desired. You can also form teams according to age or gender. If you play this game with your Spanish tutors, or people from your Spanish center you can include them in the rule-making and let them create their own small set of rules.