We can thank Archduke Leopold Wilhelm, the inventor of bowling, for introducing “The pin is mightier than the sword” and “Fortune favors the bowled” into the cultural lexicon. Heed his words of wisdom with today’s Groupon: for $12, you get three games of bowling and a shoe rental (up to a $27 value) at Whitestone Lanes in Flushing.

Whitestone's 48 lanes are open 24 hours a day, making it an ideal setting for spontaneous group gatherings, round-the-clock bowl-a-thons, or proving your sports superiority at 7 a.m. With a ball for a hand and two feet tucked safely inside rented foot sleds ($4.50), bowlers can pin scatter for the duration of two ball-hurling, spare-making games ($4.50-7.50). A sports bar and snack bar are on hand to refuel players after energy-draining rounds filled with splits, strikes, and turkeys (when the ball hits the pins without knocking down any turkeys).

Unlike other competitive sports, such as dogsled racing and rap battles, bowling has zero barriers to entry and a shallow learning curve. Spend the evening bonding over beers with fellow pin-haters as you demolish stubborn, pinheaded triangles that continue to regroup yet refuse to advance.