Post by: SirAshley on January 20, 2007, 02:49:06 PM
Well, maybe it isn't the scoring pace alone, but mix it with a walled up shot, newer ball technology, increased prices, poor management, the USBC...LOL, lack of so-called integrity, chumps who think they are Brian Voss in Handicapped leagues, House hacks, 4.00$ sodas, lack of youth participation, and of course, Lesbian Nazi hookers who were abducted by UFO's and forced into weightloss programs... Just making sure you're paying attention. That said, this is more of a poll mixed with a rant. What bothers you most???
As for me, I think there are two areas which could be drastically improved to help league attendance. 1)I really think a the wall shot needs to be done away with, reason, It brings alot of egos into handicapped mixed leagues that should be more fun than competitive, this drives away new bowlers who feel they can't compete, or who are just intimidated by the scoring pace. I think we can all agree that lane conditions, not ball technology, dictate scoring pace... 2) Price and maintanence of the alleys, I feel like I'm paying alot more to bowl, but not getting anything more. The lanes break down more than ever, chewing up balls left and right, the service sucks, management couldn't run a lemonade stand let alone and alley. I'll be honest, I wouldn't mind 6 bucks a game, but for that, I want a working lane, and competant employees.
Well now that you've listened to my rant, what do you think???
--------------------
I got my second 900 last week while pre-bowling. NOW, prove that I didn't do it! It's not much but it's a start
http://www.bowlingaddiction.com
Post by: BOWL119 on January 21, 2007, 07:11:46 AM
quote:
I'd love to be on a classic type leauge, one where only urathane balls are allowed, no reactives or partical, stright urathane, and the oil was only 35ft. So I guess the balls are to blame for the delcline in talent need to bowl good.
--------------------
All you need to win is...
S.urface
T.iming
O.il
R.epeat
M.otivation
Scare someone....Bowl up a STORM
This is what SirAshley is talking about dynoman. If it was not for the oil patterns, would we need the newer reactive balls? So is it due to the balls that are coming out and that is why the oil patterns seem to change each week? Or is it because of the oil that we get flooded with new style balls? Or is it due to bowlers not wanting to learn the entire game. Bolwers that just want to stay in their comfort zone, stand the same place, throw the same speed and hit the same mark no matter what the lanes are giving them.
I was always told that you ahve to take what the lanes are giving you. So going on that statement, you need to move.
I will adjust, but if I still can not find it after adjusting, then I will change to a different ball. I will either go more aggressive or less. But I will try everything that I can before I do change.
--------------------
T.J.
BOWLING IS FUN NO MATTER WHAT YOU SCORE. BUT A 300 IS ALWAYS NICE.
STRIKE ZONE, ONSLAUGHT & PYRO. STAND 22 AND THROW 10 OUT TO 5 AND CRUSH THE POCKET. AT LEAST THAT IS THE PLAN OF THE NIGHT...
GOOD LUCK AND GOOD BOWLING!!!
Post by: MillWorker on January 21, 2007, 07:22:01 AM
If you don't like it.. don't buy it.
It isn't the ball companies fault for producing so many balls...
consumer demand drives it.
It isn't the bowling center fault the lane conditions are easy..
the consumer demands it.
You get the trend here...
Further, the best players are still the best players no matter what the equipment looks like. I don't care if it's plastic, urethane , resin, or whatever else is coming down the pipeline.
If you don't like the bowling center prices or service.. leave ..go somewhere else. They will either change, improve or go out of business.
Post by: mrteach3 on January 21, 2007, 07:43:44 AM
The one thing I disagree with from Sir is that by changing lane conditions to make them more difficult would in fact chase more people away from the game. Just listen after a night in which your when the lanes were "tougher" than they normally are. There are all too many people b**ching, whining, complaining about how they won't bowl next year if the conditions stayed like that. The egos that your are talking about are there. I agree. However, would you rather have them there, or not have them bowl at all??? The latter is what would happen if you made lanes tougher.
--------------------
Who needs a 300 or 800, when I have a 294 and a 295!?!?!
Edited on 1/21/2007 8:43 AM
Post by: shipper50 on January 21, 2007, 07:54:17 AM
The one thing I found after I got back into bowling was, the balls made the game. I have bowled on shots from the gutter to the 4th arrow over my years and now it seems I can walk into a house and stand close to 20 at the dots and shoot anywhere from 12 out to around 8 and score. I bowl in 2 different houses with wood in one and synthetics in the other and not have to change my line that much over a night of bowling.
The one thing I see in today's game is, there are a ton of guys who think they are studs on the lanes because they can carry 215 or more. I mean the guys who throw it right and let it come flying back and shoot big games and sets.
The balls help me shoot bigger games in general than they used too. I would shoot some 250's or higher back in the day, but now if I shoot 250 its not a big deal. If a guy doesn't shoot 26? or more then he doesn't win a pot.
Give you an example of my bowling, I bowled in a classic league way back in 1976 and got lucky to have the high game in the whole league. I mean there were guys who averaged 200 or more then. I finished the league in my 3rd year of bowling with 180.
My high game that was high in the whole 16 team classic league? 298....
Where do you find a house today that score would stand for a high end league.
Shipper
Post by: SirAshley on January 21, 2007, 08:35:07 AM
--------------------
I got my second 900 last week while pre-bowling. NOW, prove that I didn't do it! It's not much but it's a start
http://www.bowlingaddiction.com
Post by: EboKnight on January 21, 2007, 08:59:11 AM
SHUT UP JOE!!!!!!! No response needed.
--------------------
"I'm slowly getting sucked into the Brunswick Nation..... NOOOOOOO!!!!!!"
Good Luck & Good Bowling
Email me at: PreciseMatt@hotmail.com
website: www.PrecisionProShop.com
Post by: MillWorker on January 21, 2007, 09:07:04 AM
Lane conditions are a product of consumer demand.
People want scores. Who really cares? Let em have them.
Scores don't make them good players.
The best players are still the best players.
Post by: JoeBowler on January 21, 2007, 09:09:44 AM
What did i do tp deserve that?
Post by: EboKnight on January 21, 2007, 09:10:56 AM
quote:
???????
What did i do tp deserve that?
NOT YOU JOE ANOTHER JOE.
--------------------
"I'm slowly getting sucked into the Brunswick Nation..... NOOOOOOO!!!!!!"
Good Luck & Good Bowling
Email me at: PreciseMatt@hotmail.com
website: www.PrecisionProShop.com
Post by: EboKnight on January 21, 2007, 09:13:24 AM
quote:
Lane conditions are not "the" problem in bowling.
Lane conditions are a product of consumer demand.
People want scores. Who really cares? Let em have them.
Scores don't make them good players.
The best players are still the best players.
obviously... but people who actually care about the survival of the game need to do more than pay there league dues. It's the SPIRIT of the game that suffers. There is no PROFESSIONALISM anymore. It's looked at as a hobby now instead of a sport.
--------------------
"I'm slowly getting sucked into the Brunswick Nation..... NOOOOOOO!!!!!!"
Good Luck & Good Bowling
Email me at: PreciseMatt@hotmail.com
website: www.PrecisionProShop.com
Post by: EboKnight on January 21, 2007, 09:17:14 AM
When I see the Sport suffer I suffer with it. Its my blood and soul thats in the game not just my "interest."
--------------------
"I'm slowly getting sucked into the Brunswick Nation..... NOOOOOOO!!!!!!"
Good Luck & Good Bowling
Email me at: PreciseMatt@hotmail.com
website: www.PrecisionProShop.com
Post by: Re-Evolution on January 21, 2007, 09:46:31 AM
1. The economy is in pretty bad shape causing people to either not be able to afford it or they work to much and don't have the time to make the 30 week commitment.
2. Many of today's kids are lazy and would rather sit on the computer playing games or some other form of non physical entertainment. The level of athleticism on average today is below what it used to be and many just don't have the coordination to feel comfortable and getting better would require a commitment. Other sports are more organized and if you don't go to practice you don't play so the commitment it forced and not a choice.
3. There are just more things to do than there were back in the hey day of bowling.
A couple of things that I think are wrong with the game:
1. Perception of the game is #1.
a. Bowling is thought of as a game you play and not a sport you compete in. There are some contributing factors to this. Cosmic/Glow bowling does little to help out with the perception. What other sport do you play under disco lights with music so loud you can't hear yourself think. Doesn't exactly make you think that it is a sport that requires concentration or hand eye coordination. I also don't like the idea of bumpers they don't help a kid learn to bowl at all and cause more harm than good. You don't have anything like this in any other sport. When I was little and would go with my Dad I got a sense of satisfaction from knocking pins down cause it was my doing and not cause it was impossible to miss due to an outside influence. (sound familiar? THS?)
b. The general public thinks that the typical bowler is an out of shape, beer slamming, neanderthal with little to no athleticism. We can thank Denny's and the PBA in part for their wonderful portrayal of the sport in some of their commercials.
2. Lane conditions are too walled up which causes an emphasis on power instead of a balance between power and accuracy. This emphasis on power and the ease of getting to the pocket makes it a carry contest. It is hard for the less powerful bowler to compete with the power of the other guy when the penalty for an offline shot is so insignificant. How many guys have you seen that average through the roof but can't hit the same marks at the arrows and break point on 2 consecutive shots to save their life. Do I think that there should be an advantage to power? YES! Do I think a power player should have 5 more boards at the arrows than the low rev player? NO!
--------------------
Re-Evolution
Evolve to a smarter game.
www.Bowling-Info.com (http://"www.Bowling-Info.com/index.php")
BR.com's unofficial FAQ section (http://"http://www.ballreviews.com/Forum/Replies.asp?TopicID=74110&ForumID=16&CategoryID=5")
Edited on 1/21/2007 10:50 AM
Post by: Rev_O on January 21, 2007, 09:55:22 AM
1. The Proprietor= they are the ones that put out the THS for anyone to score on. I like to see people shoot scores, just not the people that have an ego so big they can't get out the door after shooting one. I know a proprietor that currently puts out the shot for himself. I think he has 3/300's and 3/800's this season in his own house, but he's averaging not even 200 at another house!! He has 9 award scores in his center, 6 of them are his. He's NOT that good!
2. The bowler= We all should know how good we really are. Am I a 249 bowler just becasue I averaged that 2 years ago? NO!!!! Ego trip bowlers are the 2nd worse thing in bowling.
3. The USBC= They are between a rock and a hard place. I'd love for them to outlaw the THS, but then the proprietor would suffer because people would quit when they are no longer shooting phone numbers ecvery week. The sport program(PBA EXPEIENCE) is a great thing. I currently bowl in this league, and I average 187. This is the only league I enjoy anymore!!
4.Balls= Outlaw these hooks in a box. Put some skill back into the game!!
These are just my opinion. Feel free to give me your opinion on my opinion!
--------------------
Rev-O
Edited on 1/21/2007 10:54 AM
Post by: SirAshley on January 21, 2007, 10:25:05 AM
quote:
Or the USBC should mandate that each house have one sport shot league.
Something along this line is not a bad idea. I think more so than that. There needs to be a clear distinction between so called "Honor Scores" shot on a wall shot, and True Honor Scores shot on a sport shot or PBA challenge. I mean, c'mon, I'd be one helluva golfer if I played from the red tees. Want to play with the big boys, step back to the blacks. Same thing with bowling, there needs to be that distinction.
Also, I live in a town that has three bowling alleys relatively close together. Perhaps proprieters could work together so as not to schedule the same leagues on the same nights. That would give bowlers more variety to choose from for those who have tight schedules.
One thing that could also help as well, beginner leagues. There are alot of people I know who are flat out intimidated to even bowl on mixed leagues because where I bowl, even those are competitive. By competitive I mean, egotistical house hacks that think they belong on the PBA.
The USBC needs to do something. Anything. Do something. Come out and say you're not going to do anything, at least that's something. I'm beginning to think the USBC is "the typical bowler who is an out of shape, beer slamming, neanderthal with little to no athleticism." I personally think they are too concerned with P.R. Don't get me wrong, it's important, but there needs to be some sort of effort made to improve the sport internally.
--------------------
I got my second 900 last week while pre-bowling. NOW, prove that I didn't do it! It's not much but it's a start
http://www.bowlingaddiction.com
Post by: keglerskave on January 21, 2007, 10:42:47 AM
"Blocked" lanes began in the early 80's, back when 20 units of oil was considered a flood and I could oil all 24 lanes with a grand total of 4 ounces of conditioner. Lanes were stripped by hand. The entire lane was stripped once a week and, if you were lucky enough to have a lanesman with a lot of pride and cared about his bowlers, the backends were done again on Wednesday or Thursday...also by hand. We actually lino-dusted multiple times per day to get the dirt off and protect the lane surface.
You want to know where all the high scores began? The technological advancement of the lane machine! Yes, much of it is in the ball, and the funnel shots, but let's be honest. If we all had to still bowl on the lane "conditions" of the bug sprayers and Century 100's, we wouldn't have the scores we do today.
Why? Fresh backends, fresh oil and lane pattern consistency! What makes a high scoring house what it is? THE SAME SHOT and CLEAN backends day after day after day. Who actually has to walk into their home house on a weekly basis and "find" the shot? Heaven forbid someone might actually have to move their feet. You stand left, bounce it right and the backends are fresh and (often) synthetic, which produces a higher, more consistent co-offecient of friction. You don't have to worry about the women's league who bowled Tuesday, or the mixed league on Wednesday, or the Junior league at 4
m. Why? Because the house will give you a pristine shot at 6m EVERY day because it CAN.You think that $7 an hour kid is gonna get the out the towels and mix the stripper and and put on his gorilla suit to strip the lanes every afternoon at 4
m just so Johnny Wannabee can play the same shot every day? Hell No!Our game has simply evolved to the point where the scoring environment, in general, has become a thing of beauty across the country. What if all golf courses were to suddenly install astro turf to cut down on maintenance costs? Isn't that why the synthetic lane came upon the scene? Yes, putting might still be a challenge, just as spare shooting is. But man, could you pick up some extra yardage if you could learn how to keep it in the fairway!!! Read that as, "man, could you learn to put up some big scores if you can learn to just hook the ball".
Now to the big question. What can be done about it TODAY? Yes, I have an opinion. Are you ready? Still with me? Cool....take a deep breath...
USBC simply cannot govern the lane conditions. They don't have time.
#1 ASSOCIATIONS! Hello? Remember when, after a 300 was shot, the lanes were roped off, the ball was taken out of play, and even the pins were all checked prior to the next league match was thrown? What happened to all that? Now, you get a notice that your lanes will be checked at the end of the month, "so get them ready". Someone shot 300? Better get out the lane machine quick and run pattern #1 over it.
Are your local reps, who actually bowl in the same center, ever going to turn down a 300 there? Hell NO! Simple solution. The NEIGHBORING association reps are responsible for verifying all scores! Oooohh! Wouldn't that be fun? Reps could actually come into a house and INSPECT it for legality! If you are the rep for Association #ABCD, you are there to HELP your centers with their problems and paperwork, but you do NOT verify scores there. You verify the scores for association NEXT DOOR, #QWERTY! Every 2 years, the neighboring associations rotate. Do you think that would produce a couple of rejections? Maybe put a little pressure on the houses to ensure everything is on the up-and-up? Make the penalties VERY stiff and expensive if a house fails an inspection. I can go on over this one...but let's move on.
#2 The equipment....wow! What can you say? This stuff is amazing! Every ball company makes great stuff with chemical advancements on the veneer and dynamic bowling bombs that impact the pins like never before. What to do here? Easy....Put a MAXIMUM weight allowance on the weight block! Yeesh...forget all the numbers and make it more simple. If the heaviest weight block you can put in a ball is, say, TWO pounds, how dynamic can these things get? Let's be honest. Where is the bulk of the scoring phenomenon coming from? The house player who thinks the "breakpoint" is the 5th frame beer frame. Why can the cranker, who has no idea where it's going, get get away with 15 boards of area at 40 feet? Because no matter where he throws the ball, it gets into a heavy roll (RG) and instead of rolling out when he misses right it flares 27 inches (differential) around the ball. How about the guy who throws the ball with 8 revs? How on earth can he get the ball to hit that hard? Bet it's got a big "B" somewhere over the fingers!
If everyone had to use a ball no stronger than, say, a Tropical Storm (great ball on the right shot), would we see the scores we do today? You bet we wouldn't! Oh, we'd still have plenty, don't get me wrong. But the cranker would roll that ball out because of too much hand from the dry (not enough flare) while skating by when he missed in the flood, and the weaker hands would never get it into enough roll to carry. My God, what would happen to the game if people actually had to practice to get better. Obviously, this would be a grand-fathered process, where each year, the ball companies would ony be allowed to manufacture balls with less and less core mass. Yes, this would take awhile. But it would also give the industry and the bowlers a chance to evolve. People would start to stockpile bowling balls and put them in storage, but check it out. In 5 years, and with all the NEW USBC members, eventually it will curtail the bogus scoring.
#3 (and lastly for now) The PINS! How about we RAISE the minimum pin weight to, say, 4 pounds? Yes, the seniors and the women and kids would lose some pin action, but they aren't the ones averaging 225 and throwing 300's and 800's like they were nothing! Let's cut down the duckpin messengers! Yes, they are fun to watch, heck I even had one the other night and my entire team was shocked! But let's see the no-thumber who averages 230 try and make 4 more of those puppies a night! Now THAT'S entertainment!
Who am I? Who cares! But just an FYI...
I learned to bowl with rubber and plstic on laquer lanes and shot my 1st 700 with an Ebonite Mag 7 at 14. Shot my first 800 with a Carmel White Dot in 1985. I've been drilling for 25 years and I can proudly say I was sanding White Dots and using exotic drillings while most drillers were still trying to understand why we even needed to drill anything but over the label. I'm a Vincennes University grad (thank you Jim Sullivan!) who has worked within the industry since 1980. I currently operate 2 pro shops and still bowl 5 matches a week, including two in travel leagues because I WANT to be challenged. I'll never get rich drilling equipment simply because I feel guilty charging the industry standards. I learn something new every week because I CAN. I've been a lanesman, mechanic, shop operator and center manager for a national chain. I currently have thrown a 700 in 79 different houses across the country and my only true bowling goal is to get to 100. No, I'm not good enough to turn pro. I'm not even close...
Have a great day, and thanks for reading.
Jim Stem
Keglers Kave Pro Shop
Coaches Corner Pro Shop
VU 1985
FairLanes, Inc
DonTerry, Inc.
IBPSIA trained (and no, I don't agree with it)
AMF 82/70-82/90 Mechanic
blah, blah, blah....BOWLER. period.
Post by: Re-Evolution on January 21, 2007, 10:55:30 AM
A ratio of 2:1 or less is too extreme for most. Something along the lines of 5:1 would be better especially when you consider the fact that most THSs are in the neighborhood of 10:1.
This should be the minimum for regular USBC sanctioning.
The USBC could create patterns and send them to the centers to be used, basing them on the age and type of surface the center has.
--------------------
Re-Evolution
Evolve to a smarter game.
www.Bowling-Info.com (http://"www.Bowling-Info.com/index.php")
BR.com's unofficial FAQ section (http://"http://www.ballreviews.com/Forum/Replies.asp?TopicID=74110&ForumID=16&CategoryID=5")
Post by: mainzer on January 21, 2007, 11:22:14 AM
I eat the house hacks for breakfest
--------------------
Mainzerpower
Post by: MillWorker on January 21, 2007, 08:48:46 PM
The money in bowling lies with the proprietors and the manufacturers.
Proprietors will do whatever the consumer dictates. If the consumers wanted tougher lane conditions and lower scores.. that's what would happen. The reality is they don't. Sure some do.. but the vast majority.. and I mean the vast majority of bowlers want soft conditions and high scores.
You want a tougher shot.. tell the owner or General Manager at the center(s) you bowl. Ask for a sport league.. or just a league with a challenging condition. Get involved in organizing it. Get involved with recruiting people to bowl it. I guarantee you that if you bring the people the center will put down the pattern.
If you aren't prepared to do the above stop whining about how easy it is.
Post by: Fluff E Bunnie on January 22, 2007, 09:33:55 AM
quote:
Batman, with Michael Keaton, when the Joker was poisoning the town with cosmetic products, lip stick alone won't kill you, but mix it with hair spray and perfume, you're dead.
New and improved Joker products!
Uh oh... He's been using brand X.
--------------------
Lane 1 baby. Lane 1 baby. Lane 1 is on the rise and here we come baby!
Post by: jd1319 on January 22, 2007, 10:37:54 AM
The real key to saving bowling the sport, is to go straight into the schools and heavily market youth bowling leagues with deep discounts, prizes, etc... You need to get the kids into the competitive bowling early, so they'll continue on and bowl in adult leagues as they grow up. Most youth programs focus on the children of bowlers, not touching the majority of kids whose parents don't bowl. They need to make deals with the school to get the kids more exposure, build up competitive teams in the middle school age groups, and promote the heck out of it. Plus, offer bonuses to bowlers who put there kids in leagues as well. If you offer something for free if they join league, people will spend a lot of money to get the free item. Casino's have mastered that technique.
Current bowling advertising simply sucks, lacks focus, and does noes nothing to encourage competitive bowling other than say join a league. Offering free lessons to kids, focusing on how every child can be competitive in bowling, unlike the other sports, and really offering deep discounts to build the long term customer base is the way to go. The USBC should create some cartoon comercials and run the on the cartoon channels so the kids will want to go, and drag their parents out there. The current ESPN commercials target bowlers, not the general population, and that needs to change.
Post by: trash heap on January 22, 2007, 03:27:24 PM
If you put oil out to tame these balls all you have done is forced people to buy a ball to combat the condition. Then USBC changes the condition and manufacturers find a new ball to combat that condition....its an endless cycle....and the game becomes who has the lastest technology for the current condition. Thats intmidation for new bowlers in a league.
Someone joins a league and they want to improve...yeah they need to practice...but now they have to buy all these high end bowling balls also.
Edited on 1/22/2007 9:21 PM
Post by: shelley on January 22, 2007, 03:47:25 PM
quote:
If you put oil out to tame these balls all you have done is forced people to buy a ball to combat the condition. Then USBC changes the condition and manufacturers find a new ball to combat that condition....its an endless cycle....and the game becomes who has the lastest technology for the current condition. Thats intmidation for new bowlers in a league.
Someone joins a league and they want to improve...yeah they need to practice...but now they have to buy all these high end bowling balls also.
Bullshti. How many posts have we seen about "Old ball X still works!" where the poster says he just shot a great set with a 5+ year old ball? That 5+ year old ball is probably still available in the mid-priced line. High-tech my foot. Learn to see through marketing and forget "most expensive==most bestest".
You don't have to buy the latest ball, but if you think you do then either you will buy it or your scores will suffer. Blame the ball all you like for your (or someone else's) inability to score, I blame the bowler. The bowler who thinks that just because he's a good bowler (or thinks he is) that somehow entitles him to score high or win the pot/tournament/bracket/...
There's a point where a ball is the wrong one, but that point comes much, much later than most people would think. "I've already moved five boards, better switch balls". Should be "I've already moved five boards, better try seven."
SH
Post by: TheIronMan on January 22, 2007, 06:05:26 PM
quote:
Ok, I'm gonna warn you...this will be lengthy. So get comfortable.
"Blocked" lanes began in the early 80's, back when 20 units of oil was considered a flood and I could oil all 24 lanes with a grand total of 4 ounces of conditioner. Lanes were stripped by hand. The entire lane was stripped once a week and, if you were lucky enough to have a lanesman with a lot of pride and cared about his bowlers, the backends were done again on Wednesday or Thursday...also by hand. We actually lino-dusted multiple times per day to get the dirt off and protect the lane surface.
You want to know where all the high scores began? The technological advancement of the lane machine! Yes, much of it is in the ball, and the funnel shots, but let's be honest. If we all had to still bowl on the lane "conditions" of the bug sprayers and Century 100's, we wouldn't have the scores we do today.
Why? Fresh backends, fresh oil and lane pattern consistency! What makes a high scoring house what it is? THE SAME SHOT and CLEAN backends day after day after day. Who actually has to walk into their home house on a weekly basis and "find" the shot? Heaven forbid someone might actually have to move their feet. You stand left, bounce it right and the backends are fresh and (often) synthetic, which produces a higher, more consistent co-offecient of friction. You don't have to worry about the women's league who bowled Tuesday, or the mixed league on Wednesday, or the Junior league at 4
You think that $7 an hour kid is gonna get the out the towels and mix the stripper and and put on his gorilla suit to strip the lanes every afternoon at 4
Our game has simply evolved to the point where the scoring environment, in general, has become a thing of beauty across the country. What if all golf courses were to suddenly install astro turf to cut down on maintenance costs? Isn't that why the synthetic lane came upon the scene? Yes, putting might still be a challenge, just as spare shooting is. But man, could you pick up some extra yardage if you could learn how to keep it in the fairway!!! Read that as, "man, could you learn to put up some big scores if you can learn to just hook the ball".
Now to the big question. What can be done about it TODAY? Yes, I have an opinion. Are you ready? Still with me? Cool....take a deep breath...
USBC simply cannot govern the lane conditions. They don't have time.
#1 ASSOCIATIONS! Hello? Remember when, after a 300 was shot, the lanes were roped off, the ball was taken out of play, and even the pins were all checked prior to the next league match was thrown? What happened to all that? Now, you get a notice that your lanes will be checked at the end of the month, "so get them ready". Someone shot 300? Better get out the lane machine quick and run pattern #1 over it.
Are your local reps, who actually bowl in the same center, ever going to turn down a 300 there? Hell NO! Simple solution. The NEIGHBORING association reps are responsible for verifying all scores! Oooohh! Wouldn't that be fun? Reps could actually come into a house and INSPECT it for legality! If you are the rep for Association #ABCD, you are there to HELP your centers with their problems and paperwork, but you do NOT verify scores there. You verify the scores for association NEXT DOOR, #QWERTY! Every 2 years, the neighboring associations rotate. Do you think that would produce a couple of rejections? Maybe put a little pressure on the houses to ensure everything is on the up-and-up? Make the penalties VERY stiff and expensive if a house fails an inspection. I can go on over this one...but let's move on.
#2 The equipment....wow! What can you say? This stuff is amazing! Every ball company makes great stuff with chemical advancements on the veneer and dynamic bowling bombs that impact the pins like never before. What to do here? Easy....Put a MAXIMUM weight allowance on the weight block! Yeesh...forget all the numbers and make it more simple. If the heaviest weight block you can put in a ball is, say, TWO pounds, how dynamic can these things get? Let's be honest. Where is the bulk of the scoring phenomenon coming from? The house player who thinks the "breakpoint" is the 5th frame beer frame. Why can the cranker, who has no idea where it's going, get get away with 15 boards of area at 40 feet? Because no matter where he throws the ball, it gets into a heavy roll (RG) and instead of rolling out when he misses right it flares 27 inches (differential) around the ball. How about the guy who throws the ball with 8 revs? How on earth can he get the ball to hit that hard? Bet it's got a big "B" somewhere over the fingers!
If everyone had to use a ball no stronger than, say, a Tropical Storm (great ball on the right shot), would we see the scores we do today? You bet we wouldn't! Oh, we'd still have plenty, don't get me wrong. But the cranker would roll that ball out because of too much hand from the dry (not enough flare) while skating by when he missed in the flood, and the weaker hands would never get it into enough roll to carry. My God, what would happen to the game if people actually had to practice to get better. Obviously, this would be a grand-fathered process, where each year, the ball companies would ony be allowed to manufacture balls with less and less core mass. Yes, this would take awhile. But it would also give the industry and the bowlers a chance to evolve. People would start to stockpile bowling balls and put them in storage, but check it out. In 5 years, and with all the NEW USBC members, eventually it will curtail the bogus scoring.
#3 (and lastly for now) The PINS! How about we RAISE the minimum pin weight to, say, 4 pounds? Yes, the seniors and the women and kids would lose some pin action, but they aren't the ones averaging 225 and throwing 300's and 800's like they were nothing! Let's cut down the duckpin messengers! Yes, they are fun to watch, heck I even had one the other night and my entire team was shocked! But let's see the no-thumber who averages 230 try and make 4 more of those puppies a night! Now THAT'S entertainment!
Who am I? Who cares! But just an FYI...
I learned to bowl with rubber and plstic on laquer lanes and shot my 1st 700 with an Ebonite Mag 7 at 14. Shot my first 800 with a Carmel White Dot in 1985. I've been drilling for 25 years and I can proudly say I was sanding White Dots and using exotic drillings while most drillers were still trying to understand why we even needed to drill anything but over the label. I'm a Vincennes University grad (thank you Jim Sullivan!) who has worked within the industry since 1980. I currently operate 2 pro shops and still bowl 5 matches a week, including two in travel leagues because I WANT to be challenged. I'll never get rich drilling equipment simply because I feel guilty charging the industry standards. I learn something new every week because I CAN. I've been a lanesman, mechanic, shop operator and center manager for a national chain. I currently have thrown a 700 in 79 different houses across the country and my only true bowling goal is to get to 100. No, I'm not good enough to turn pro. I'm not even close...
Have a great day, and thanks for reading.
Jim Stem
Keglers Kave Pro Shop
Coaches Corner Pro Shop
VU 1985
FairLanes, Inc
DonTerry, Inc.
IBPSIA trained (and no, I don't agree with it)
AMF 82/70-82/90 Mechanic
blah, blah, blah....BOWLER. period.
Some good points Jim, but I have to add that blocked shots came along way before the 80s. Late 60s is more like it and rampant by the early 70s.
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Post by: trash heap on January 22, 2007, 09:02:57 PM
Now, Lets Change the Oil Pattern. A ball designed and drilled for a Cheetah pattern is not going to be effective as ball designed for a Championship Pattern (50 feet of oil). I guarantee an EPX-T1, ANGULAR One, so other other super soaker is going to carry better on a 50 feet of oil than old rhino made from the 80s. Why is that? Its not because of the bowler...its because the High Tech ball is an oil absorbing high friction ball with a Core. This ball is going to have tons more punch at the pocket. Giving a bowler higher strike percentage.
My point is that changing oil patterns is only going to give advantage to those who can purchase equipment as the patterns change. The pros have 20 - 30 balls for a few patterns and these guys are supposed to be the best in the World.
Post by: pin-chaser on January 23, 2007, 08:26:37 PM
Good bowlers have skills that tend to eliminate some of this "matchup" issue by maximizing a balls potential longer. But by and large "matching up" has alot to do with scoring as does skill on todays THS. This was never the case in history.
For me, the bottom line is as far back as I can verify lanes have been altered to guide the ball to the pocket. But the BIG difference is todays balls that work "with" patterns to maximize both the ball energy at the pocket and the area on the lane. Couple that with synthetic surfaces that also maximizes the potential entry angle with lane machines that provide pristine patterns every shift and you have the score pace we have today.
I have not decided that bowlers are better today than ever as some suggest because of the availability of obtaining that knowledge. For sure the knowledge of "matching up" being a requirement for maximum scoring potential is understood by and large by the bowling community and so we trade off practice and skill against the next "perfect" ball.
I have learned from this site... that above all, there are exceptions to all rules. Understanding this, I have learned we have to talk about the majority and not the minority of cases to get to the root of the issues.
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