BallReviews
General Category => Miscellaneous => Topic started by: Gene J Kanak on November 20, 2014, 08:31:01 AM
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This is something of an addition to the post I just made in the Brian Voss video thread, so forgive me if it feels like I'm covering the same ground here. Simply put, I am the problem. I am the reason why bowling is what it is. I am the reason; I am the problem.
I can sit around waiting for USBC, BPAA, bowling ball manufacturers, and bowling center proprietors to step in and force my hand, but, in the end, they are still MY hands. Nobody is forcing me to buy every average-inflating, oil-stripping, hook-in-a-box bowling ball that my favorite company puts out. If I wanted to bowl with plastic and urethane, that's all I would buy and use. If I didn't want laughably easy conditions that give me 8 boards of area per night, I would demand something tougher, use plastic or urethane, or go someplace that does put down the tough conditions I was asking for. If I truly thought that my 217 average was a joke, which it probably is, again, I'd ball down to plastic or urethane, or I'd look for tougher conditions elsewhere. Why don't I do it? It's because deep down, I don't really want to, or at least I don't want to badly enough...and I'm not alone!
If we wanted tougher conditions, we'd demand them of our bowling centers, and if they didn't give us what we wanted, we'd threaten to take our business elsewhere. But that's not what happens, is it? No. On the contrary, bowlers flock to the centers that have the easiest conditions and the most honor scores. As such, proprietors keep looking to make their conditions as scoreable as possible because that's what keeps butts in the seats, bowlers on the lanes, and money in the cash register.
Let's talk about bowling balls. Like many other competitive bowlers, I have a tournament arsenal of 8 balls, and I have another 3-4 sitting on the rack in my basement. I have a bowling ball rack in my basement. Does that tell you something right there? In the urethane days, I never averaged higher than 170. In today's environment, I routinely average 210-230. Now, I was very young during the urethane days, so it's not a completely transparent picture, but the point still holds. If you took all of my resin balls away, I'd probably be a 190-200 player at best. Knowing this, if I really wanted to challenge myself, I'd dump all of the resin, bag a plastic ball and maybe a urethane, and I'd take my chances. Hell, doing so would save me a lot of time, money, and wear and tear on my body from lugging 75lb bags of bowling balls into and out of tournaments! Why don't I do it? I don't do it because it's usually more fun to bowl 240 than it is to bowl 175. I do it because in the end I don't care as much about being challenged as I do about keeping up with those around me. I know that if I bagged nothing but plastic and urethane, I'd be way behind other bowlers in terms of average and scores, and my ego doesn't want that. That's right, in the end, I'm a hypocrite. I'd rather go with the flow and score big than challenge myself and be left behind the other bowlers.
That's right, I am part of the problem. I am contributing to the sad state of bowling as it is today. I can gripe that USBC, BPAA, and my local proprietors should do more to make the game challenging, but, in the end, it's not them; it's me. I could lower my average a ton and make the game a true challenge, but I won't do it because I just don't want to badly enough. I'd love to pass the buck and point the finger, but if I'm being honest, I have to point the thumb. Yes, ladies and gentelmen, I am what's wrong with bowling. Bowlers like me are the problem!
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Uh, bowling is also a TEAM game in league.
There's a lot of "I" "I" "I" in there..........
While relishing the challenge of more difficult patterns (PBAX over the summer), I do bowl league for reasons above and beyond scoring pace.
:-X
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Uh, bowling is also a TEAM game in league.
There's a lot of "I" "I" "I" in there..........
While relishing the challenge of more difficult patterns (PBAX over the summer), I do bowl league for reasons above and beyond scoring pace.
:-X
Wow, that's what YOU took from that? Maybe you should read it again. ::)
Excellent post Gene, and in my opinion you are exactly right.
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PREACH, BROTHER! PREACH!
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Gene,
A great post. And while I agree for the most part, I did want to make a point. I want tougher conditions, mainly because I know it will force me to improve my game if I want to remain competitive. And that is my point, I want to be competitive. I bowl for a number of reason...1) because I love the sport/game of bowling, 2)To spend time with friends, 3) to feed my competitive desires, and 4) to hopefully improve my skills (and these are in no particular order). While you are correct, I could get 3 out of the 4 things I am looking for by showing to league, throwing urethane and plastic, and taking my realistic average and go home. But it leaves out 1. I want to compete. I want to compare my skills against the best bowlers I can find. I know I won't always win, but I always want to try. With that, why would I go to a competition with a handicap. Unless everyone is throwing urethane or plastic, my opponents would start off with an advantage before I even throw the first shot. So you are correct, we as bowler's are the problem. We could make changes to make the game tougher. But there is a cost...and that cost is very high for some, including me. Now you may say I don't get to improve my skills on a THS shot throwing today's best equipment. I say that isn't true. Now I may not improve them as much, or as quickly, as I would bowling in a PBAX or sport shot league, but I can improve them. I can work on my swing to free it up and make it more repeatable. I can work on hitting my mark consistently. It's just on THS, if I don't do these things correctly, I can still strike. It takes more dilligence to improve on a THS. Let me relate a story....a few years ago I was bowling league in TX. That night I shot a 290 game. I had a bowler on the opposing team come up to me and tell me great bowling. I said "Thank You, but not really". He was dumbfounded. He said you just shot 290. My response was, yes, but it wasn't because I bowled good. I missed my mark on a number of shots, some out, some in. I only scored well because it was a THS and the pattern helped correct my mistakes. It's takes discipline to see where you made your mistakes and work to correct them on THS, but it can be done. So maybe I am just making excuses as to why I am not the problem, lol. So why it is 100% true, I am the problem....it isn't always an easy answer to solve that problem. It isn't as easy as just saying throw urethane or plastic.
And I want to also point out something from GTGT post. While I don't think he got the point of this post, he does make a good point....most of the time, bowling is a team game. Can you help your teammates, by throwing urethane and plastic to average to your skill level? Or will you hurt them? Will you cost your team games/points, which translates into dollars in most leagues? How will you handle the effects of your decisions? And by this I mean....I am very competitive, it bothers me if a game comes down to me, and I can't deliver. If you leave a 10 pin to lose a game/point throwing urethane/plastic that probably would have carried throwing resin, will you be ok with that? I am not sure I would be. I don't see the easy spares my teammates missed, I don't see the zero count on split conversion attempt on a string of strikes by another teammate, all I see if the fact that I didn't perform when my team needed me. Again this is about me, so Gene you are correct, I am the problem. But the solution is harder then most think. And it's not about ego, at least I don't think it is. I know I am not as good as my THS average says. When I was averaging 230+ for 4-5 years straight and people would say "You should be on the PBA", my answer was always that I wasn't good enough. I knew what it takes to be there, and this was even before I had the opportunity to bowl in some PBA regionals on a regular basis, and I knew I wasn't in that class. Now I know, I am in the minority. And maybe for some, a lot of people, it is ego, but to me I just want to compete against the best bowlers....and I need to be throwing today's equipment if I want to do that.
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Gene,
I've sent you a personal message about something else.
Interesting. Bowlers do share in the blame. But here is my take.
I think Brian Voss said it right in the video that there was no disparity of equipment at one time, say, back from the 1950s to the early 1970s. Everyone either had Manhattan Rubber, an AMF three dot, a Brunswick Black Beauty, or the Ebonite ball that Don Carter promoted. The difference was that the higher average bowlers may have had a finger tip grip as opposed to a conventional grip, although many of the higher average bowlers back then still used the latter.
What also made a bowler better back then was the time-honored tradition of practice, practice, and more practice. I still believe you can't get around that. You have to invest time (and dare I say money) into your game.
Personally, I don't think it's always about a bowler clamoring for the latest hook-in-a-box. When you're in a competitive environment you have to keep pace with the competition or you're going to be left behind.
I've mentioned on several occasions here on this site that I resumed bowling this past January after being away from it in its entirety for 18 years. I'd stopped bowling circa winter 1995-spring 1996 for reasons I still can't explain even to myself. Nonetheless, from the mid-1980s to early 1990s, I was averaging between 200 and 210 both on competitive and league shots. I remember giving into the times and recognizing the need for having urethane balls in my bag; a Yellow Dot or LT-48 wasn't going to get the job done. Simply put, I was in search of another strike, which would put me in the 210s. A bowler like myself figured I could make some decent money back in that era averaging well into the 210s. So I bought an AMF Angle Plus . . . then a Columbia Wine U-Dot . . . then a Columbia Pearl Dot . . . and eventually copping a Brunswick Wine Rhino off a top national touring pro.
I was closing the gap, but guess what?
Then reactive resin balls came out. I found that extra strike for my game because I had an extra board to work with, but I was still in search of that additional strike: you're now needing to be in the upper 220s to mid-230s. The edge was in knowledge of ball layouts with this newer equipment. They could create ball motions that most bowlers could not even fathom. Only those in certain 'elite' circles like Touring II pros (those who were on the national tour) and top Touring I pros (regional guys) had knowledge of axis layouts and leverage layouts. Among the uninformed like myself, I (we) had knowledge of the usual positive-negative side weight, finger-thumb weight, and maybe adding a positive-negative weight hole layout. Hand position and ball speed just wasn't enough.
In a sense, what I've seen in my return to bowling and I'm sure that it has been mentioned, the advancement of reactive resin equipment and the availability of information on the Internet has leveled the playing field so much that it's created an imbalance in perception. Like Brian Voss said, it used to be when you saw guys on television bowling you knew they were exceptionally skilled people. There was definitely a separation between a league bowler and one who bowled at the professional level. It was visible in their physical game and averages when they bowled in leagues.
Yes, bowlers may share in the blame. But I think it's human nature to find ways of creating an advantage over the rest of your competition.
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It's important to support the centers that do put out tough stuff. By me, I am blessed to have a scratch league that puts out Kegel patterns, and are now running sweepers every Tuesday on Kegel patterns. 1st week 14 people came out. Next week, I'm betting there will be more. I will support this center due to its commitment to supporting the sport of bowling.
In case anyone is wondering, it's Mardi Gras Lanes in Dekalb IL. If you want details, PM me.
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It's important to support the centers that do put out tough stuff. By me, I am blessed to have a scratch league that puts out Kegel patterns, and are now running sweepers every Tuesday on Kegel patterns. 1st week 14 people came out. Next week, I'm betting there will be more. I will support this center due to its commitment to supporting the sport of bowling.
In case anyone is wondering, it's Mardi Gras Lanes in Dekalb IL. If you want details, PM me.
for a split second i got excited....there's a mardi gras lanes here too haha
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Impending Doom,
You are 100% correct. The only way centers that take a chance to put out tougher patterns will continue to do so, is if it makes financial sense. Bowlers need to support those centers with your money, by showing up and bowling these leagues/sweepers whenever possible.
I'd love to join you Doom, but IL is little far away from CA....and my private jet is in the shop, lol.
It's important to support the centers that do put out tough stuff. By me, I am blessed to have a scratch league that puts out Kegel patterns, and are now running sweepers every Tuesday on Kegel patterns. 1st week 14 people came out. Next week, I'm betting there will be more. I will support this center due to its commitment to supporting the sport of bowling.
In case anyone is wondering, it's Mardi Gras Lanes in Dekalb IL. If you want details, PM me.
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First week was fun. It was on a 35 foot pattern, I shot 550, made the cut, shot 160 by going 9- 9-, lost. Next week is a 40 foot pattern. Better believe I'm shoeing up.
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I agree about wanting to win...that's why they keep score and count wins and losses.
I played raquetball in my brief college stint 1987-1988. I didn't play much at all after that. In the Early 2000's I started playing a bit again with a female friend of mine, and what I didn't realize how much the rackets had changed in that time span...she showed up with this gigantic thing that was a modern raquetball racket and I had my 1987 racket that was dwarfed by her more modern piece of equipment---needless to say it wasn't long after that that I bought a modern racket to better compete.
Brad
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Impending Doom,
You are 100% correct. The only way centers that take a chance to put out tougher patterns will continue to do so, is if it makes financial sense. Bowlers need to support those centers with your money, by showing up and bowling these leagues/sweepers whenever possible.
I'd love to join you Doom, but IL is little far away from CA....and my private jet is in the shop, lol.
It's important to support the centers that do put out tough stuff. By me, I am blessed to have a scratch league that puts out Kegel patterns, and are now running sweepers every Tuesday on Kegel patterns. 1st week 14 people came out. Next week, I'm betting there will be more. I will support this center due to its commitment to supporting the sport of bowling.
In case anyone is wondering, it's Mardi Gras Lanes in Dekalb IL. If you want details, PM me.
PBA experience league, Friday nights, 7 PM at Earl Anthony's Dublin bowl. You live close enough, come on down. ;D
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You get 8 boards of area? Man, I need to talk to my bowling center.....
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PBA experience league, Friday nights, 7 PM at Earl Anthony's Dublin bowl. You live close enough, come on down. ;D
Milo, I saw that, but thought it was summer only?!?
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PBA experience league, Friday nights, 7 PM at Earl Anthony's Dublin bowl. You live close enough, come on down. ;D
Milo, I saw that, but thought it was summer only?!?
No, we bowl year round. When one league season ends, the very next week we have a league meeting and bowl to start the next season that night.
We aren't bowling Thanksgiving Friday for the first time in the four years I have bowled the league. Usually we only take the night off if the PBA is having a tournament.
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Gene, sorry -- I don't believe that you, or I, or anyone who loves to bowl competitively has the clout to make significant changes.
The problem is that in the overall scheme of things, we're too few relative to the armies of cosmic "have fun" bowlers who are the bread and butter high margin customers. Unlike the new breed who buy lots of alcohol, food and willingly pays $5 bucks (or more) a game to be on the lanes, the more serious bowlers are cheap. We just want to bowl at the lowest rate possible, on conditions that require the staff significantly more work.
It doesn't mean we can't band together and form real PBA experience leagues during times when the houses can't fill the lanes. I bowl in an incredible PBA/Sport league, but I'm under no illusions that we only have the lanes because with our time slot, they would otherwise not be used.
This is our reality. I'm not complaining that we're second class citizens, because the main mission of the house owners is to make a buck. We can continue to cut out a niche for ourselves, but there are limits. Enjoy what you can.
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No Gene, you are not the problem.
As it is with life, human nature cannot be trusted, nor can it be left to its own devices.
If we let our children set their menu, they will eat far too many goodies, and not near enough veggies. Human nature at work, and the reason a RESPONSIBLE entity needs to be in charge, making the right choices.
If we let the lunatics run the asylum, there would be all manner of chaos, disorder, and lunacy on a rampant scale. The exact reason we NEED responsible people to be in charge, making the right choices, the tough ones at times, but the ones that are right for our well being in the long run.
A.B.C./U.S.B.C. Did not, and does not, do this.
Bowlers only did what they were ALLOWED to do. Bowling manufacturers only did what they were ALLOWED to do. If rules had been made, and enforced, by those charged to look after the sport, we wouldn't be here.
How we got here is pretty simple and plain. Complacency, stupidity, greed, and human nature.
How we fix it is not plain, nor simple, if it even CAN be fixed. Nobody wants to be the one who "killed" bowling, so nobody takes the big risk it will take to get things done. Instead, they continue to paddle the canoe of complacency, up the river of no return, in the hopes of finding the fountain of youth. And were all being taken up the river with them.
Do we buy into it too much? Yes, because human nature won't let us do otherwise, that is why our responsible leaders were supposed to lead and make good decisions for the health and longevity of the sport. Instead, they decided to turn it into nothing more than a recreational game that could be used to line their pockets.
I said it before, and I'll say it again. When it started being more about the money than it was about the sport, the writing was on the wall. Welcome to the world of chaos, disorder, and lunacy. They are in charge.
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Some of you guys are completely missing the point.
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Some of you guys are completely missing the point.
OK Swami.... :)
From your perspective, what's the point?
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Gene has said it exactly as I see it.
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Juggernaut does make a few good points in there. As the leaders, ABC/USBC should've been the ones responsible for being the "bad guys" and taking control of things. I can't really argue that. I will, however, argue the idea that their lack of action has been fueled by money lust and/or complacency. It is out of fear, fear that drastic action is going to bring the axe down with the death blow that kills the organization and the sport of organized/competitive bowling as we know it. Was ABC/USBC too slow to react as equipment revolutionized the game? Sure it was. After a while, they began looking for ways to restore some order - drilling limitations, Sport Bowling/PBA Experience, etc. - but by then it was too late. Bowlers had gotten a taste of what it was like to book huge averages and card multiple honor scores every season, and most had no desire to go back to the way it was before the magic bowling balls brought us there. As Juggernaut alluded to, once we had that taste, we were like kids in a candy store; we just wanted more, more, more, and the ball companies were more than willing to give it to us. Proprietors soon followed suit, giving us easier and easier conditions so that our scores (and egos) became even more inflated. Since then, the snowball has just continued to grow as it has rolled downhill.
So, as I said, Juggernaut, you're right about some of those things. It was ABC/USBC's job to step in and take the reins, and they failed. I will disagree with you as to how and why they failed, but they failed nevertheless. However, I still believe in what I said to begin this thread. As a bowler, I am still a part of the problem. I am not powerless. If I want the game to be challenging, I can make it so. As others have said, that may mean losing money, that may mean losing games, and it will almost certainly mean losing the ability to keep up with the guys and gals who continue using the high-tech equipment. Is it fair to be forced into giving all of those things up? Probably not. Nevertheless, it's what I must be willing to sacrifice in order to make the sport what I want it to be. If I am not willing to make those sacrifices, that is on me, not USBC. I can hold that organization responsible for forcing me into a less-than-ideal position, but I can't say that they have left me with no choice. I have a choice; it's just a matter of whether or not I'm willing to sacrifice some things in order to make it.
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so Milo...you bowl in stockton and in Dublin? if you do, that's a lot of driving Sir!!! lol I would bowl at EA bowl if it was less than an hour away from me......I guess I can go to Steve Cook's Fireside in the summer lol...or Strikes....
PBA experience league, Friday nights, 7 PM at Earl Anthony's Dublin bowl. You live close enough, come on down. ;D
Milo, I saw that, but thought it was summer only?!?
No, we bowl year round. When one league season ends, the very next week we have a league meeting and bowl to start the next season that night.
We aren't bowling Thanksgiving Friday for the first time in the four years I have bowled the league. Usually we only take the night off if the PBA is having a tournament.
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I would like to buy Juggernaut a drink, please.
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so Milo...you bowl in stockton and in Dublin? if you do, that's a lot of driving Sir!!! lol I would bowl at EA bowl if it was less than an hour away from me......I guess I can go to Steve Cook's Fireside in the summer lol...or Strikes....
PBA experience league, Friday nights, 7 PM at Earl Anthony's Dublin bowl. You live close enough, come on down. ;D
Milo, I saw that, but thought it was summer only?!?
No, we bowl year round. When one league season ends, the very next week we have a league meeting and bowl to start the next season that night.
We aren't bowling Thanksgiving Friday for the first time in the four years I have bowled the league. Usually we only take the night off if the PBA is having a tournament.
Yep, actually I bowl in Dublin twice a week. Tuesday for the Black Oak Classic Scratch and Friday for the PBA league. It's about 45 minutes for me and it's against the commute traffic so it's not bad.
But I don't bowl in Stockton at all. One scratch league in Manteca and a handicap low skill level league in Modesto.
I would love to bowl the Steve Cook league at Fireside, but that's way to far, probably an hour and a half for me.
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Gene you are pretty much spot on in you insights. I used to take six to eight balls to tournaments, and a four ball roller to leagues. But now, at 59 years of age, and a disability, I carry just a 2 ball bag (and 3 more balls at home). I always take my Shout, and depending which house, my Deranged or Totally Defiant.
I always challenge myself to beat the young guns coming in with 4-6 balls. I realize it will not beating them by scratch usually (but that is an extra joy), but to defeat them by total with handicap! Most nights I end up in the 2nd brackets, and commonly in the finals. I also have won more $ than I lost this year.
Maybe we could even statrt by limiting how many balls a bowler can arrive at league with? This would eleiminate "buying" games by some, that others may not even be able to afford. I know many young guys starting families that can't go out and buy 2 or more balls a year. Just an idea.
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Gene,
Taken in the context of your most recent post, I think you and I agree to a far greater degree than you may think.
Our leaders failed to make the decisions they needed to, and they let things get far too out of control. They have been playing a game of catch up ever since, but it has been a game that bowling manufacturers have thwarted at every level and attempt.
When bowling's focus changed from what is best for the sport, to how much money can we milk this thing for, bowling as we knew it was dead.
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ive got abut 25 balls sitting behind my couch in a little cubby hole...what does that tell you? ;D