Man, you guys really know how to keep one reading on. Riggs, I really appreciate your honesty regarding the championships you've won and the condition's associated with them at the time. To me this speaks volumes and I doubt many others will publicly say what you have.
In regards to the issue at hand, I think all of the comments in this blog are valid to a degree. Your point about fairness and equal (as humanly possible) should be the first thing that would catch any competive bowlers eye. Why would we, as competitors, want anything else. I think some on here like to disagree for the sake of disagreeing. In our present day world, it just seems as though we are trying to take the "human" out of a lot of our every day lives but I understand what point you were trying to get make.
I've been going to the Nationals for 23 years and have tried to move and fit my teams to provide them with the best chance of fulfilling the goal of an eagle. Most of that effort is centered around the minor events which for the most part is really a crap shoot. Trying to follow team event for minors is all well and good unless you catch a classified team or like what we are seeing more and more in Reno with fewer teams, bowling on fresh for your minors @ 5:30 or @ 11:30. In fact, I do believe this year that there were some days with no 11:30pm minors and the bowlers at 9:20am got fresh because the 7:00am was not full.
Like what was said earlier, having all the squads with fresh (with perhaps slight differences due to stripping) has got to be closer to fairer than coming in and find that you might follow those with a clue, those that have no clue or follow no bowlers at all. Unfortunately most have more than likely experienced the last two or experienced what I stated above.
Hopefully USBC will take all suggestions. Perhaps if they can't double strip every squad, than alternate or at least before each team event or something. Being from the east coast, coming to Reno is wearing thinner and thinner. I love this sport and will continue to attend as long as I am physically able but perhaps this could be the shot in the arm that sparks renewed interest in our National tournament.
