BallReviews
General Category => USBC Tournament => Topic started by: earlyrolling on May 06, 2016, 02:37:07 PM
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Is it illegal to use a ball in USBC league or tournament if there are multiple signatures (in permanent ink) on the ball (including the track area)?
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Yes, it is illegal. Per the USBC Rules, Chapter 8, 4b:
"b. No foreign material may be placed on the outer surface or in the balance hole of the ball
including but not limited to powder, marker or paint. Bowling tape is acceptable in a balance hole."
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never knew this. Next time your team is losing, just bust out the sharpie on the other team's equipment!
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Bowling tape is acceptable in a balance hole."
Why would someone put tape in a non-gripping balance hole?
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Bowling tape is acceptable in a balance hole."
Why would someone put tape in a non-gripping balance hole?
Easier to track visually.
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Bowling tape is acceptable in a balance hole."
Why would someone put tape in a non-gripping balance hole?
Easier to track visually.
Why track the balance hole? I would think the overall motion would be what you want to track. I ask b/c my IQ30 has a P3 hole and I'm curious as to what I'm supposed to be missing.
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Yes, it is illegal. Per the USBC Rules, Chapter 8, 4b:
"b. No foreign material may be placed on the outer surface or in the balance hole of the ball
including but not limited to powder, marker or paint. Bowling tape is acceptable in a balance hole."
What if it was signed with a Sharpie approved for use during USBC competition? ???
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Why would someone put tape in a non-gripping balance hole?
It's in reference to the bowlers who don't use their thumbhole, which when not used is considered a balance hole.
The real question to ask is why use a ball you went to the trouble to collect autographs on in the first place?
If you don't care about the autographs anymore, just sand them off then you can use the ball.
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Really? Can a ball signed with magic marker give someone an advantage? If this is really a rule it's time for the USBC to say bye bye!!
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Really? Can a ball signed with magic marker give someone an advantage? If this is really a rule it's time for the USBC to say bye bye!!
It doesn't matter if it gives a advantage or not, The rule say's "No foreign material may be placed on the outer surface".
The Ink would be a foreign material, so is thus illegal to have on the surface.
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Magic markers sharpies etc have no impact on ball reaction. However some foreign substances do. It makes more sense to ban all foreign substances than get into constant arguments about which would and which wouldn't impact ball reaction.
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Maybe, depending on when the ball was marked, someone feared that the ink could transfer to the lanes when reacting to the oil? But I think the best answer was Avabob's that it would be better to ban all then make another list of what was or was not allowed.
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Ridiculous at the very least! There is no way in hell anyone involved with making this rule ever thought about magic marker when they were worrying about foreign substances added to the ball. Go ahead and use the ball with the writing on it, I guarantee nobody will complain.
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Well, the rule does say "including but not limited to powder, marker or paint." What other type of marker is there other than magic marker/sharpie? 99.9% of bowlers wouldn't care if the ball gets used in sanctioned competition, but there will always be that 0.1% who files a protest when they lose and want to take it out on someone.
I was bowling in a tournament recently and a guy on our pair used acetone to clean his stuff during practice. It smelled like a paint shop in the settee area even after moving lanes after each game because he continued to use the same towel during the tournament. No one cared despite the use of acetone being a HUGE no-no.
Chapter 8 also states that the ball MUST have the original brand name/logo, ball name, and serial number on the ball. How many balls are out there being used after multiple resurfacings where the engraving of the make and model is partially or totally gone? I used my Ebonite Adrenaline Shot for the the first time this morning, and after 2 games the orange engraving in the "A" in Adrenaline has already started wearing away. 100 games from now who knows what will be left on the ball?
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Why would someone have a ball they still planned on using, get autographed?
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Ridiculous at the very least! There is no way in hell anyone involved with making this rule ever thought about magic marker when they were worrying about foreign substances added to the ball. Go ahead and use the ball with the writing on it, I guarantee nobody will complain.
Who peed in your corn flakes this morning? Obviously , you just dislike the USBC.
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Because someone would create a marker with suspended particles in the ink, which could alter ball reaction... same as the bowler who hits the surface 5x with the rosin bag before bowling...
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I fully understand the no engraving left on a ball, because more than likely if the ball has no engraving left on it, it no longer meets the minimum circumference standards. Magic marker on a ball will never in any way affect the way the ball reacts on the lane and the marker will not affect the cover the way acetone does. The USBC including magic marker is just another ridiculous rule on the books. You can put three finger holes in a triangle, use no thumb and grip the ball in several ways and that's legal, but write on your ball with a sharpie and your a rule breaker. Yep, makes sense to me!!
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I'm still not understanding why anyone would be using a autographed ball?! Why in the world would you have it autographed then go ahead and use it afterwords?! Yes we all know how much since the USBC rules make, but why they still rolling it after the sig? Increased hitting power from the autograph? Haha!
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I was at a tour stop and wanted to get some autographs; but, on short notice, all I had with me for autographs was my plastic spare ball. I don't like paper goods for autographs - they tend to get thrown away/lost over time. Given the feedback here, I decided to forego the signing. Thanks.
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I fully understand the no engraving left on a ball, because more than likely if the ball has no engraving left on it, it no longer meets the minimum circumference standards. Magic marker on a ball will never in any way affect the way the ball reacts on the lane and the marker will not affect the cover the way acetone does. The USBC including magic marker is just another ridiculous rule on the books. You can put three finger holes in a triangle, use no thumb and grip the ball in several ways and that's legal, but write on your ball with a sharpie and your a rule breaker. Yep, makes sense to me!!
I am pretty sure there isn't a minimum circumference requirement for the bowler. For the manufacturer, yes. If a bowler has resurfaced his ball enough times to where the serial number is gone, they can engrave their own serial number. Just as long as it can be identifiable.
And USBC doesn't specifically say a marker is illegal. They say any foreign substance is illegal, which marker falls under. As it has been said before, it is significantly easier to enforce a rule that encompasses everything (any foreign substance) than it would be to list all things that are illegal/legal.
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I fully understand the no engraving left on a ball, because more than likely if the ball has no engraving left on it, it no longer meets the minimum circumference standards. Magic marker on a ball will never in any way affect the way the ball reacts on the lane and the marker will not affect the cover the way acetone does. The USBC including magic marker is just another ridiculous rule on the books. You can put three finger holes in a triangle, use no thumb and grip the ball in several ways and that's legal, but write on your ball with a sharpie and your a rule breaker. Yep, makes sense to me!!
I am pretty sure there isn't a minimum circumference requirement for the bowler. For the manufacturer, yes. If a bowler has resurfaced his ball enough times to where the serial number is gone, they can engrave their own serial number. Just as long as it can be identifiable.
And USBC doesn't specifically say a marker is illegal. They say any foreign substance is illegal, which marker falls under. As it has been said before, it is significantly easier to enforce a rule that encompasses everything (any foreign substance) than it would be to list all things that are illegal/legal.
The rule does specifically state marker as an example of a foreign substance that is not allowed.
The whole rule is definitely silly. Perhaps it should be rewritten to state no foreign substances that provide a performance advantage to the bowler or cause a disadvantage to other bowlers on the same lanes being used at the time.
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So, after reading through these posts, I decided to ask USBC itself. I wrote:
Hi,
There seems to be this big debate going on about using an autographed ball. It is known that a USBC rule bans the use of markers on a ball, but why?
And following is USBC's response:
The use of a marker on a bowling ball would be considered a foreign substance on the surface of a bowling ball which is against USBC specifications. The surface of the bowling ball must be clear from all foreign substances to protect the integrity of the game. There is no grey to the rule, it is black and white to make it easy to enforce.
Should you have any further questions, feel free to contact us.
Sincerely,
Michael A. Spridco
Senior Director
Rules/Bonding
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So instead of continuing to debate this, just contact USBC. :)
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Thank you.
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So, after reading through these posts, I decided to ask USBC itself. I wrote:
Hi,
There seems to be this big debate going on about using an autographed ball. It is known that a USBC rule bans the use of markers on a ball, but why?
And following is USBC's response:
The use of a marker on a bowling ball would be considered a foreign substance on the surface of a bowling ball which is against USBC specifications. The surface of the bowling ball must be clear from all foreign substances to protect the integrity of the game. There is no grey to the rule, it is black and white to make it easy to enforce.
Should you have any further questions, feel free to contact us.
Sincerely,
Michael A. Spridco
Senior Director
Rules/Bonding
So if I get a belt mark on a ball during play, and don't clean it off, then the ball is automatically illegal for use?
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So, after reading through these posts, I decided to ask USBC itself. I wrote:
Hi,
There seems to be this big debate going on about using an autographed ball. It is known that a USBC rule bans the use of markers on a ball, but why?
And following is USBC's response:
The use of a marker on a bowling ball would be considered a foreign substance on the surface of a bowling ball which is against USBC specifications. The surface of the bowling ball must be clear from all foreign substances to protect the integrity of the game. There is no grey to the rule, it is black and white to make it easy to enforce.
Should you have any further questions, feel free to contact us.
Sincerely,
Michael A. Spridco
Senior Director
Rules/Bonding
So if I get a belt mark on a ball during play, and don't clean it off, then the ball is automatically illegal for use?
Personally, but I am not an official of USBC, I would consider that as part of the normal wear and tear/hazard of the game, much like getting nicks and scratches in the ball track.
For the official answer, I am PMing you the contact info for USBC.
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Belt marks fall under the same category as nicks and scratches from normal use.
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Well, there you have it!! The integrity of the game would be challenged by using a ball with magic marker autographs. Damn, you can legally block a lane so people shoot 900 series and the integrity of the game is intact, but magic marker, nope. And yes, no bowler has ever shot a 900 on sport shot. spmcgivern there is a circumference rule, check it out! Again, put three finger holes in a triangle position on a ball along with no thumb hole so the bowler can grip the ball multiple ways that puts the weight block in different positions and that's ok? Maybe that's why my league is considering not sanctioning any more!!
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AMF300bowler, I love a little pee on my corn flakes and don't have some huge distrust of the USBC, but they do have many ridiculous and inane rules. Bowlers shoot 900 series on legally blocked shots or shoot 900 when an individual is prebowling for a team league and it's okay! No loss of integrity there! Bowl in a league and for some reason you decide to leave before the nite is done and they can and usually will suspend you. Magic marker on your ball and you've ruined the integrity of the game! I can go on with those type of things that have made the sanctioning body look like the clowns driving the mini-bike in the parade. The integrity of the game is long gone and not coming back. At least that's what the purists always give as the reason membership is barely a 1/4 of what it was at it's peak!!!
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spmcgivern there is a circumference rule, check it out!
In regard to the circumference rule, it doesn't apply to the bowlers drilled ball.
This was brought up and discussed long ago and the question posed to the USBC.
Question:
Does the rule for minimum ball size (8.500â€) in the "Ball Manufacturing Specifications" (page:6 of the equip./Spec manual) and states "At time of manufacture, all balls must meet the following technical specifications"
Does it apply to a bowlers drilled ball?
Example:
Bowler has a older ball that do to shrinkage or resurfacing is below the min. of 8.5", Is it still legal for use?
or is there a rule regarding minimum size for a bowlers drilled ball?
(If so where do I find it in the rulebook/manual?)
If not, was there ever a rule? (I remember at one time they used min/max rings at the Nationals tournament to check ball size at check in)
Answer:
Thank you for your question. Specifications for diameter (circumference) and roundness are manufacturing specifications only, they are not for the end user or the drilled ball. In the example you provided, the smaller ball would still be allowed for use during USBC certified competition as long as it still had the required markings (Brand Name/Logo, Ball Name, Serial Number) so the ball can be identified. For a long time there was size and roundness requirement on the drilled bowling balls at tournaments, but those specifications have since been removed.
Thank you,
Jason Milligan
Research Technician
Equipment Specifications & Certifications / Sport Bowling