I got this in an email from the USBC Rules Extra:

Rule Changes

The USBC Board of Directors and delegates approved several changes to the Playing Rules, Awards, and Bylaws. Changes that could affect regular league play deal with legal lineup (Rule 109a), vacancy scores (Rule 105) and playoffs (Rules 113a and 113b).  The Youth awards program has been expanded; the adult average requirements for averaged based awards are changed; and Special Achievements Awards (Dutch 200, All Spare Game, Triplicate, 7-10 and Big Four Conversions) are eliminated; see Chapter 3 of the 2009-2010 Playing Rules available August 1.

Personally, I think this stinks.  I'm very proud of my two career 7-10 conversions and last year I got a patch for a Dutch 200.  My Grandma (who got me started in bowling) has an All Spare Game patch from 1988, she still talks about how proud she is of it.  
This is one of my problems with the USBC, how come they don't ask members first before doing this stuff?
What are some other thoughts on this?
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titletowncards

kidlost2000, all I can tell you is to volunteer to help with lane certification.  Then you can get a very good idea of how difficult it is to get the information you are asking for.  You can get up before dawn, drive to a cold dark center, beg that someone lets you in.  Set up your instruments in the dark.  Climb in and out of every pit with instruments and flashlights and straddle every lane in at least three locations taking various measurements (the lanes may or maynot be stripped when you do this).  It takes hours to do a 32 lane center so make sure you set aside the time in the early mornings on the weekends.  


Erin

“…Special Achievements Awards (Dutch 200, All Spare Game, Triplicate, 7-10 and Big Four Conversions) are eliminated”

     On the outside some will look at those 4 awards and say “who cares…”, and looking at it in a certain way you may be correct. I mean how hard can it be to pick up a 7 – 10/Big 4, or how about a Dutch 200? Who can’t keep throwing a strike on one lane and a spare on another?  A Triplicate Game…please don’t waste my time

But then again…
     
     Over the last few years the USBC as a whole has gone thru some tremendous changes and in my opinion a few things have come to the forefront of Bowling in general:

1.   Fee Increase
2.   League Bowling on the Decline
3.   USBC

Let’s Look at each…

Fee Increase: Exactly where are my sanction fees going?  All I see for my sanction fees are a Sanction Card and some patches.  If the argument is that the price of patches has gone up…show me, for that matter what is the price of a patch?  If the sanction fee is (just a round figure) $15 bucks and you have 100 people in your league (20 lanes x 5 person teams) that means you have collected $1,500 in sanction fees.  Now out of that $1,500…how much of it is spent on patches in that league?  If half is spent in patches…where does the rest go?  So if the argument is that special achievement patches are getting too expensive…I find that hard to believe since every year the fees increase…hmmm

League Bowling on the Decline: I don’t have the numbers and I’m a retired military member bowling on leagues located at Ft. Huachuca in Az so I will be a bit biased in this area, but…my main league is a Men’s League on Thursday nights…20 teams with each team consisting of 5 men…the names may change but we always have 20 teams and while some military do bowl…the league is not dependant on them.  So simple math says that if fees increase and the leagues (at least in my area) have not really declined…someone is making a profit in fees…and yet the special achievement Awards have to go...hmmm

USBC: Here is where I really get confused…USBC moves from point A to point B…exactly where did all the money (I would love to see pay structure on where the money came from, where it is going/went, and the salaries of those involved ) come from to build the structures, and make the move in general?  If USBC can afford to do that…then keep the special achievement awards…

     While people may feel that the special achievement awards are nothing special, they are the awards that people brag about the most…and most times they are earned by those bowlers that may not bowl as often as league bowlers.  7 – 10/Big 4 is not easy to pick up…neither is an all spare game or a Dutch…so USBC if your reading this, getting rid of those special achievement awards is pretty stupid…but more importantly it shows us (you know those guys that pay the sanction fees) just how low you will go.  What bothers me are how decisions like this get passed and then the thought process behind it, you never explain why…just what you decided to do…and think about this, in the past you (USBC) have stated that league bowling is the decline, you make very silly decisions like this one and can’t figure out why league bowling may be on the decline…just keep making silly decisions like that and you won’t have our sanction fees to pay for anything.  But here is the scary part…what decisions are you going to make in the future?        

But here is something you should be worried about…what if we (league bowlers) decide we don’t need sanctioned leagues….  

No one says it not worth the money. It is a very affordable price. The management of money is the concern. Is it still a good deal if you no longer get a ring for 300 or 800?

If you have to pay $75 to get a ring you use to get for the price or joining? You no longer get 298 or 299 for that price.

You also get really cheap awards for what use to be something nice. Eleven in a row award was a plaque, and now is a sticker on cardboard.

Plus it appears three patches will no longer exist. So we shouldn't complain and just say thanks for taking our money and awards?

If you don't like something you should say something.
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" hand, don't step on the lanes without some "

Once again the Useless stale board of chit, makes there ruling. They ought to ask the common man what they would like to see. Have any of the local asked the bowlers anything? I personally never had an all spare, came close to a triplicate(Several times), Gotten a 7-10, and a big four! I remember when they gave out 700 patches not too long ago! The BPAA used to give out the "Star of the week"! Brunswick and Amf used to give out Big game and series chevrons. "Hell you use to be recognized in the local paper for rolling big games and series in your cities! Wow...were did it all go...
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Mr. Old School
If you can't swing it, Your probally throwing brunswick!

My Equipment:
v-2 particle
V-2 sanded
V-2 pearl
V-2 dry!

Edited on 7/15/2009 7:03 PM

CRD is right. Give them your money blindly and just bowl.
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" hand, don't step on the lanes without some "

You don't vote, its not a democracy. That we have established. Some how you seem to think we are mad that sanction fees cost what they do. It has already been stated numerous times that isn't the concern alone.

I, and most would gladly pay more if it was going to keep the quality of the product where it is. But we are slowly paying more for less. I'm involved locally with USBC. I attend meetings and I'm hoping to go out to help with inspections of lanes before the summer is over. I also send emails to the appropriate people on things I think are warranted as feedback. They like any governing body may disregard it and follow there own agenda but I still made more of an effort and made my comments known.

If I wanted to be President of USBC or Vice President it appears I would have to drop my average, not bowl anything and then I would be a perfect candidate.

I'm not sure what you bowl or how much, but eventually USBC is going to stop doing something that effects you and in return I hope your solution isn't to shut up and bowl but maybe do something about it.
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" hand, don't step on the lanes without some "