Hold your own mini Winter Olympics at the bowling alley

With the Winter Olympics in Sochi well underway, the excitement and thrill of watching elite athletes compete in the Games can be infectious. If you've suddenly been overcome with a desire to compete for gold yourself, it could be fun to gather your friends and family and organise your own Olympic-themed family activities - how about a mini 'Winter Olympics' at the bowling alley?

There's so many ways to get into the Winter Olympic spirit. Here are just some of the ways you can transform a classic game of bowling into a wintery competition.

Make your own medals

You may not be able to replicate the gold, silver and bronze material of the Sochi 2014 Olympic medals, but there are other aspects you can use as a basis for your own medal creation. The medals are 100mm in diameter and 10mm thick if you'd like to create some realistic medals, and always depict the five Olympic rings. Apart from that, get crafty and use your imagination to design your own works of art for the triumphant winners of your mini Olympics.

Create your own events

Instead of simply competing to see who wins the game, create a series of mini-events to give everyone a go at winning gold. Think categories such as 'most strikes in the game', 'most strikes in a row', 'best at bowling with their left hand', 'best backwards bowler', and 'least times in the gutter'. You could even award medals for 'most unique bowling style' and 'funniest bowling moment'!

Get into character

Seeing as it's currently blisteringly hot in Australia and we're missing a telltale blanket of snow, a little creativity will be necessary to create that 'wintery' feel. Get each team member to pick a country to represent, and dress up in national costume. Once the games are over, head out to a cafe for a hot chocolate - a staple drink for the winter!

If holding your own Winter Olympic Games sounds like fun, any ZONE BOWLING alley would be the perfect location. What are you waiting for - it's time to get competitive!