After bowling in a tournament in Buffalo last weekend, I took a couple minutes to glance at the “Honor Score Spotlight” from the Buffalo and Rochester areas in the weekly Spares & Strikes bowling newspaper. Not to my surprise, there were a ton of them.
The Buffalo list included 21 300 games, including seven at Rapids Lanes in Niagara Falls; five 299 games, four 298 games, five 800 series and a bunch of 700 series by women bowlers. The Rochester list included a dozen 300 games, three 299s, six 800s and a slew of 290 games.
And these scores are just from one week! Simply put, this is ridiculous.
Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not against bowlers being rewarded for their accomplishments. But, really, how much of an accomplishment is it if so many others are doing the same thing night after night, week after week?
I know that I’ve written about easy lane conditions and artificial high scores before, but I figured that the emergence of Sport and PBA Experience leagues across the country would bring some sanity back into what used to be a legitimate sport.
It looks as though I was wrong. Bowling centers continue to put up “the Great Wall of China” oil patterns to stroke their bowlers’ egos.
Technology, in the form of sophisticated lane conditioning machines, powerful bowling balls, hyperactive pins and lively kickbacks (the boards on each side of the pin deck), has produced this unreal scoring environment.
The days of putting in the time and effort to succeed are long gone, replaced by an era of instant gratification. No wonder the Professional Bowlers Association is having trouble building an audience. Regular league bowlers are averaging 230, 240 and even 250 – higher numbers than the pros. But most of these league bowlers couldn’t hold a candle to the pros when put on challenging lane conditions.
Those who care about the future of our sport – conscientious proprietors and managers, youth league coaches, pro shop owners, association leaders, league officers and members – need to come together to demand that the United States Bowling Congress take steps to restore bowling’s credibility.
The USBC (formerly ABC) created this monster 20 years ago by turning its head when proprietors put down easy conditions. It is time for the USBC to put its foot down, by legislating (and enforcing) stricter guidelines for all certified competition – not just the Sport and PBA leagues – before it’s too late.
--o—
NO SANDBAGGERS ALLOWED
On occasion, I receive email from readers of this column. Usually, it’s from a tournament director asking me to promote his or her event, or from a bowler wishing to express his or her opinion.
This week, I got an email from Paul Pippenger, a Florida resident who – while doing a Google search on the Internet – came across a column I wrote awhile ago about sandbaggers (those who intentionally keep their averages down) and easy lane conditions.
“I have been bowling for 45 years and have achieved some amount of success,” Pippenger wrote. “Mr. Vescovi's (LeRoyan Kip Vescovi) comments really hit home with me as I am having the exact same experience here in Florida. I bowl in a Wednesday night doubles league with a former PBA member and we are one of the higher average teams.
“It seems that all a center needs to do is pile up a small amount of cash and there are those who will do anything short of putting a gun to your head to get it. I have had opponents do the classic, ‘Oh I hit my leg missed spare in the 10th frame’ after checking the score carefully to determine the win first.
“I was blessed with the coaches and leaders of a time long ago when bowling was taught with honor as a vital part (of it). I was raised by parents who taught that a win without honor is still a loss. Also giving up against an opponent because they were beating you is disrespectful to them, and cheapens their accomplishment.”
Pippenger wrote that he believes most bowlers today focus on the money or their own averages instead of the team and respect for bowling.
“Handicap systems only work when everybody tries their best all of the time. Games should always come down to a few pins in the last frame.”
He wrote that bowling needs a new handicap system, one that puts more focus on the scratch score.
“Golf has a system of handicap where the number is derived from only the top half of rounds played; the lower 50 percent do not affect the handicap. Why would this not work in bowling? Sure, secretaries would have to work harder, but I would pay for that system.
“We are the ones who care. The people manipulating the rules for their personal advantage are not going to change anything .Let’s outthink them, and save what we love to do – bowl.”
(Mike Pettinella’s Pin Points bowling column appears every Thursday during the bowling season. If you have an item of interest for his column, please contact him at mikepett2002@yahoo.com or at 343-3736 or by mail at 55 Edgewood Drive, Batavia).