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[Hard object rolling on the road]
- Bowl coming.
- It's a little cannonball.
- So, when you say,
"I'm going to go chuck a cannonball down the street,"
people get really confused.
You have to Google it,
and once you do, you realize, "I want to do that.
"Why not chuck a cannonball down the road?"
That's exactly what it comes down to.
That might live.
- Narrator: On the backroads of La Crosse County,
Luke Seielstad and Brady Hoeth have come to play.
- That'll do.
- Basically, it's a sport
that they do in Ireland on back roads.
- Irish road bowling is a sport
born during the Renaissance
and now enjoyed by these modern-day Renaissance men.
- It's a historic thing that happened in Ireland
all the way back to the 1600s.
- There is a theory that the Irish stole cannonballs from the English
and didn't want to carry them the whole way, so they just threw them down the road.
- The weapon of choice these days...
- Luke: We call it a bowl. That's why they call it Irish Road Bowling.
- B-O-W-L and it weighs 28 ounces.
- So, it's a 28-ounce steel and lead and iron ball.
- On this particular evening...
- I gotta figure that out.
- Luke and Brady scout the course
for the 5th annual Irish Fest Road Bowling Championship.
- I'm really kind of wondering if they are going to let us play that back section.
- The gravel? - That could be interesting.
- And these defending champions are ready for battle.
- When you talk a big game, you have to be able to put up a fight.
- So, let the championship begin.
[jovial fiddle music]
- Think we're going to win?
- Luke: Absolutely! - We better.
[Hard bowl rattles against the road]
- Bowl coming!
- Once a year, I live for this game,
just like Irish Fest.
- The rules are simple;
As simple as propelling a two-pound cannonball.
- It's heavier than you think.
- And you want to chuck this two-pound ball
as hard as you possibly can, as far as you possibly can.
And it's exhilarating; it really is.
It's liberating.
- There you go. - Nice throw!
- Can't toss it overhand; it's all got to be underhand hand.
- You can be gentle; you can be hard.
But the answer is:
you have to go across the set course in the fewest number of throws;
It's kind of like golf in that respect.
- The gamesmanship is intense.
- Stop talking and start bowling.
- You gotta put some mustard behind it.
- That's a nice line.
Get that bowl, get that bowl!
- This might look like chaos...
- Is it far enough or not? - Yeah.
- ...but there is a method to Luke and Brady's game plan.
- Brady: I think Luke kind of takes care of the long power shots.
- Luke: I thought it was going to wind up short and it just kept going.
It works out having a partner like Brady:
He has the finesse role,
he can make those curves, and things like that.
Look at that too, dead on, DEAD ON!
- Where it goes off the road, that's where you mark it.
Hey, you wrote 19, right?
So, this is 20. - Yeah.
- Between the two of us, we make it work.
- Perfect.
- Making it work isn't always easy.
One bad throw...
[Playful fiddle music] - We'll find it.
- Other times, that's just how the bowl bounces.
- Brady: You could have a perfect shot,
and one little rock in the middle of the road
might just send it flying the other way.
- Luke: Stay up.
[Exhales]
- MULLIGAN!
- Then again, redemption lies in the luck of the Irish.
- Brady: Good roll, Luke.
- Luke: Told you about that side.
Ayy, we'll take a kick.
That's what I'm talking about!
- The game also teaches patience and perseverance.
- Road bowling takes a lot of time,
only because you lose the bowl. [Mischievous music]
Right off the edge? - Brady: Yeah.
It didn't go that far either,
but I just didn't watch the exact spot it left.
Thankfully, there are a bunch of people there that are watching it
and that are willing to help you find it.
Otherwise, you spend a lot of your time tromping through the grass
and just trying to find your bowl so you can throw again.
- That'll do donkey. - That'll do.
- Angela: At the end of the day, with the battlefield behind them,
Luke and Brady win another championship
while sporting their Irish pride.
- Brady: We've got a lot of Germans, Norwegians around here,
and they have all their festivals and stuff.
It's kind of cool to bring the Irish bit in.
- I hope people get excited about it.
I hope they see how much fun we have,
and I hope we bring more people into it.
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