I current bowl in what I call a "challenge" league.  The patterns do not meet the actual "sport" criteria but are way harder that a standard house pattern. 
Some of the bowlers in the league are past national PBA exempt players, current PBA Regional players, an ABC Masters champion, and the best bowlers in my local area.  Several people have amateur ball contracts with Storm, Columbia, and Ebonite.

My rant is this ...... While I work my rear end off to average 180 the 1st half this year, these elite players are averaging 20X, with one at 21X.  They can now go to the same local tournament as me, GET HDCP pins, and I am supposed to compete against them.  .... that is like donating my money.  These are the same people that complain about the "state of the game" and how its dying and I am the first one to pipe up and tell them they are the ones that are killing it.

You want turnout?  You want average guy to feel like he can compete?  How can you compete against people with a dozen free balls layed out for
them by the companies that make them, and give them pins at the same time?

As far as I am concerned they can all take each others money, I'm done. When the same 20 people are the only ones to show up at all the tourneys maybe then the USBC and local congress will wake up.

 

And if you bowled league on the china you would average 200 and they would average 230 and you would go to tournaments and they would still beat you.

You are stuck in no man's land.  Either get better or bowl ABT.

Perhaps I didn't make my point in my original post.....
Wall shots I average 210. The elite field is in the high 230s and a few as high as 240.

With all the goofy challenge shots, and bowling being like a physics experiment now with cores, covers, layouts for this and that ...how can the guy with "only" $1k in his 3 ball roller compete?? He can't. Bowling has always been a working mans game. At one time not so long ago, you had 2/3 balls max, and you used hand position and speed to get the corners out.   Now the cores keep you from doing that and covers are so crazy that you can't get a ball to layoff if you tried.  Now if you don't have the right "arsenal" for what you are bowling on, you are pretty much done before you start. The elite guys will tell you "no matter how good you are you can't outbowl bad ball reaction".

Yes, modern equipment has inflated my scores.  On wall shots you can use pretty much whatever resin ball you want.  Find the friction and throw to it.

If you really want to get bowling back to the way it was is the 1970s/1980s, get rid of the crazy balls and house walls.  Back in the day a wall shot was illegal....it was called a block.   If there ever was a game that was ruined by technology, it's bowling.

My avg I have to use is 234 and I can say one thing for sure, I'm definitely not getting any sticks anywhere.....

Beer, they're averaging higher than you because of technique and skill. Not because of magic equipment.
 
I bowl a sanctioned PBA league, and sport/PBA tournaments throughout the year. I own lots of equipment, and I've yet to find that special ball that moves me up into the elite class. If someone knows what it is, please share. 

I have to agree with everything that was said so far.  But I do have a couple of questions.  What kind of release do you have as far as a roller or cranker?  In other words do stay behind the ball or go up the side?  Do watch the break points of the higher averaging bowlers?  What kind of equipment as far as bowling balls do they use?  The reason why I ask is to find out with what you use and what they use, are you lined up correctly.  Do you watch the entry angle of there balls versus yours?

I current bowl in what I call a "challenge" league.  The patterns do not meet the actual "sport" criteria but are way harder that a standard house pattern. 
Some of the bowlers in the league are past national PBA exempt players, current PBA Regional players, an ABC Masters champion, and the best bowlers in my local area.  Several people have amateur ball contracts with Storm, Columbia, and Ebonite.

My rant is this ...... While I work my rear end off to average 180 the 1st half this year, these elite players are averaging 20X, with one at 21X.  They can now go to the same local tournament as me, GET HDCP pins, and I am supposed to compete against them.  .... that is like donating my money.  These are the same people that complain about the "state of the game" and how its dying and I am the first one to pipe up and tell them they are the ones that are killing it.

You want turnout?  You want average guy to feel like he can compete?  How can you compete against people with a dozen free balls layed out for
them by the companies that make them, and give them pins at the same time?

As far as I am concerned they can all take each others money, I'm done. When the same 20 people are the only ones to show up at all the tourneys maybe then the USBC and local congress will wake up.

First, staffers work on their games too, ya know? Staff deals don't just magically happen. You've gotta be bringing something to the table in order to get one.

As for your tournament example, if these bowlers are getting in with challenge pattern averages, blame the tournament! There should be rules regarding these leagues.. I know there are in my area.

Quote from: milorafferty on December 05, 2014, 10:17:54 AM

Sorry Beerleague, these guys aren't beating you because of equipment. They are just better than you. You mentioned "...past national PBA exempt players, current PBA Regional players, an ABC Masters champion, and the best bowlers in my local area...", but equipment didn't make them into what they are, it was probably a bit of natural talent combined with bucket loads of practice and/or good coaching.

You should look for no-tap tournaments, that will take away their advantage and make the pins your average gives you more competitive. Not that you are going to make much money in no-tap.

Or you could become a better bowler.

I know they are beating me because they are better.....I'm not an idiot.
I don't expect to beat them.  I started this thread really not thinking about myself but rather all the local league bowlers in my area.  If the best of the best bring a lo average from a challenge league and get pins, how is it fair to another bowler with a house league average?  That was my original point ...sorry I wandered a bit.

That's why I bowl scratch tournaments. I win tournament money now and then, but I almost always win money in brackets. There are always going to be the lowlife sand-baggers out there when you have handicap tournaments.