Bowling Etiquette

[seamistlark]

I was a Candlepin Bowler for 20 years and have now switched to 10 pin. I bowled on a mixed league over the summer and we always gave a 1 lane courtesy. I am now bowling two leagues a week, a mixed on Saturday and a Men's only on Wednesday.
 My biggest question is on the approach. We are on a rotation that has us bowling with the same teams on our right and left pair of lanes. This is where the problem comes in. We have a team on our left with 3 new bowlers and 2 seasoned bowlers. They have a guy that bowls opposite me which puts him to my left for most of the 1st game. He is always walking up on me when I am on the approach. I have talked to him and his team captain about this and thought it was handled. Until this week and he walked up on me 5 times during the first game. I am not trying to be a complainer but I am working on my approach for consistancy and he is really starting to get on my nerves.
 Am I making a big deal out of nothing or should I now get the someone from the league to talk to this team? If I do get the league involved who do I talk to?
 I should also mention that my team captain is only there to drink and socialize.
 

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Ted Domey
 Hammer Black Widow
 Hammer Hawg (for those days I feel oily)
 Ebonite Big Time Pearl
** A Sinner Can Reform, But Stupid is Forever.**

[Urethane Game]

You should first try to work with league officials to educate this person about proper courtesy.  If that doesn't work, slam your ball back on the ball return.  If he still doesn't get the idea, slam it down on his ball return.  

Sometimes negative reinforcement works better than positive reinforcement!
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[leftehh- LG]

confront him on the spot and tell to him that in bowling people give a lane courtesy to allow the bowler next to him to concentrate w/o distraction. If that doesn't work, contact the person who is running the league and notify him of this problem.
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Bowl to Win!
Reynoso

[shelley]

Possibly he's doing it on purpose now that you've complained about it.  5-year-olds do that sometimes.

If the captains aren't willing to do something about it and he's deliberately being a jackhole, then going to the league officers (this would probably be the Sargent-at-arms' job) probably won't do you any good either.

You could ask to be moved in the lineup so that you're bowling opposite someone else.

If the team captain is unwilling to move you, you'll just have to get used to it.  You can't always have plenty of courtesy, and as long as you aren't actually running into each other, the center probably won't say anything either.  Focus, get it out of your head.

SH

[myrddin97]

It's been my experience that every league, save for more serious leagues, are going to have a couple of those guys.  So far I've never felt I had to complain to anybody, though I have given some stares.  Fortuntally, I know who they are and if I suspect there may be a problem, I do what I can to let them go first usually by take a little extra time getting up.
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[coltfoet5]

Just yell real loud, "I guess it was your turn!"  If he doesn't get the hint then either ask him if he knows the courtesy rules and why the rule is there.
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[dizzyfugu]

Good call. Anyway, I'd try this, too - and if an obvious hint at bowling etiquette does not help, I'd call in officials as a next and hopefully final step. There are ignorant people out there, and sometimes they have to learn the rules (or etiquette) the hard way. Sad, but be consequential if it bothers you so much (which I can understand, I'd be unnerved, too).
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[Grayson]

quote:confront him on the spot and tell to him that in bowling people give a lane courtesy to allow the bowler next to him to concentrate w/o distraction. If that doesn't work, contact the person who is running the league and notify him of this problem.
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Bowl to Win!
Reynoso

2nd that.

The same moment you are up there and he gets up tell him straight at this moment
the next time get a bit louder and harsh if this does not work try a last time explaining the whole idea of waiting for your neightbor.

But from what you tell us it seems the guy is either big dummy or doing it on purpose and then he is an ar$ehole and should get ... what ever...
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"Have fun and bowl well!" - Grayson
"Some things are made so even idiots won't fail using them.... But I ask what about the genius?" - Grayson

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[Grayson]

quote:Obviously most of the things you have tried aren't working with this guy. Personally, if it were me at this point I would just go ahead and let him bowl his frame completely before I get up to bowl. Stall for a litte extra time, brush the sole of your shoe, take a little extra time to wipe the oil off of your ball before you take your shot. I realize that it may be your turn to bowl but just go ahead and let him go and basically stay out of his way.
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Too bad they don't give mulligans in bowling!

... well this is the better way I have to admit.

as long as you don't get into trouble for "slow bowling"
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"Have fun and bowl well!" - Grayson
"Some things are made so even idiots won't fail using them.... But I ask what about the genius?" - Grayson

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[O]

We have a couple of older gentlemen in our Sunday morning league that are notorious for walking up on people.  They've been pulled aside and talked to, but it hasn't had much of an effect.  It's not that they don't understand lane courtesy,  they've been bowling for more than 40 years. I think it's more a question of awareness of their surroundings.

Although I'm probably comparing apples and oranges here, I think both situations can be dealt with in the same manner.  The easiest and least confrontational way is to simply always let them go first.  Even if you already have your ball in hand, if they get anywhere near the approach, let them proceed.  I understand that this might throw off some bowlers' pre-shot routine, but IMO it's better than getting walked-up on.  In all my years of bowling I've never heard or seen anyone complain about someone's pace simply for letting someone always bowl ahead of you.  Just my .02

quote:

quote:Obviously most of the things you have tried aren't working with this guy. Personally, if it were me at this point I would just go ahead and let him bowl his frame completely before I get up to bowl. Stall for a litte extra time, brush the sole of your shoe, take a little extra time to wipe the oil off of your ball before you take your shot. I realize that it may be your turn to bowl but just go ahead and let him go and basically stay out of his way.
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Too bad they don't give mulligans in bowling!

... well this is the better way I have to admit.

as long as you don't get into trouble for "slow bowling"
--------------------
"Have fun and bowl well!" - Grayson
"Some things are made so even idiots won't fail using them.... But I ask what about the genius?" - Grayson

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c(')(')

Unoffical Ballreviews.com FAQ

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O

[tah161]

What do you mean by walking up on you?

Is he grabbing his ball and stepping up to the approach or is he just walking from his seat to the scoring screens or the ball return?

[RotoGripGal]

I have a bowler on my league that does this.  He is an older gentleman and is completely unaware.  He will get on the approach as soon as his name appears on screen, no matter what is going on around him.  He has been made aware by several people to no avail.  I just find a way to let him go first.  It's just easier this way, not to mention less frustrating.
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RotoGrip Convert

[AngloBowler]

I used to slam my ball back on the rack when this happened to me. Unfortunately this course of action only had two consequences:

It made me look like a petulant child.

The object of my frustration wasn't even aware there was a problem.

Now, if someone does it, and I think it's going to bother me, I just take my hand out of the ball place it on the rack and step off the approach. Then I start again. I refuse to let someone else make me make a bad shot because of their ignorance, or my overreaction to that ignorance...
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Reporting from England

[seamistlark]

TAH161,
 He was walking up and grabbing his ball off the return, after rolling the balls around to find his, and standing in his start position on his lane.
 All,
 The problem has gotten better because I talked to his Captain again and mentioned the League Officials approach. He let this guy know if he didn't start showing some effort to not do this he would not get to bowl the next week. When he did it again the next time his captain held his word and asked that he stay home the following week.
 Since that happened he has not stepped up on anybody, in fact he now waits at the end of the return and asks to step on the approach. I have gotten many compliments on how I handled this and am grateful for all the advice I got on this board.
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Ted Domey
 Hammer Black Widow
 Hammer Hawg (for those days I feel oily)
 Ebonite Big Time Pearl
** A Sinner Can Reform, But Stupid is Forever.**