Personal Reflection

                The internet has a huge effect on my everyday life due to the fact that I already do some online marketing for some bowling companies across the United States. In addition to my marketing work I do these college courses that take me online every night it seems like with a few breaks here and there. In most cases the internet is the gateway to so many things. I am currently a Amazon Prime member which gets me free 2 day shipping one almost everything I buy however I am not in full swing yet even though my wife is an experience Amazon shopper. I will also go online to research products that I will eventually buy in person at a store like Home Depot or Wal-Mart just to make sure I chose the appropriate product for me.

                I would say that my wife and I together would buy more online then we do in the brick and mortar stores just because we like taking advantage of the free shipping and with the Prime access there are many products that are even cheaper. Amazon also has added on items which makes them dirt cheap when you are already buying a few products.

Growth

We all experience some type of growth as we get older and Bowling Not bombs is no different. In order to grow we need a influx of capital and new ideas . In the next few month BNB will be migrating to a permanent web page and have a new staff of writers as well. We won't disclose the names as we want this to be a surprise for you and keep some anonymity in tact. But rest assured this is a positive change and one that will keep us sustainable for the next few years. We want to not only compete with the big guys but be the place you come to for bowling news and views and as always a bit of irreverence included.

Signed
BOWLING NOT BOMBS

It’s not the Lane it’s the operator!

It’s not the Lane it’s the operator!

We have all heard bowlers complain that “ the lanes suck!” or “ the ball sucks “ . What are we really saying when we say that? What we’re really saying is that we didn’t prepare for that night of bowling. Whether we needed a better nights rest, less coffee, or to realize we needed to change equipment when things started to go wrong. Its always easy to shunt the blame.

Lets take the first and most important factor in having a good nights sleep, don’t bowl tired. Bowling tired does affect the outcome of your game . One by not being able to concentrate on making good shots. We tend to slow down and over compensate, this can and does make us do things we normally would not do, and reenforces bad habbits. Try to get a decent amount of sleep to be at your best and if you have to travel any length of time make sure you have some down time to get the ROAD BUZZ out of your head. Walk around and get something to eat, try not to consume too much caffeinated drinks as that can have a negative effect on your game as well.

“ THE BALL SUCKS” What we are really saying here is that the lanes have changed or “ transitioned “ and its probably time to try a different ball or make a move on the approach. Don’t be afraid to make a BIG move , 3-5 boards can be the difference in finding a new line or if that big of a move is not needed small moves can make the difference in finding the right angle to the pocket but it might take more time. If none of your moves have worked then its probably time to change balls. Depending on what is happening and what you feel comfortable with (yes sometimes comfort in a ball makes all the difference) move to a different ball.

Try to keep an open mind when it comes to your game and the little things that can go wrong. Many times it is not one large problem that is happening but several small things adding up to one aggravating night. Take a deep breath and remember your basics. Go back to your starting points and remember your fundamentals, this can help in finding the small stuff by making you aware of things that are going on with your form, steps on the approach or wrist position. Use your practice time to work out those little problems, having someone that knows your form, in practice can be a great help. If you must, set up a camera and record yourself bowling. Then you can watch where your mistakes might be and correct them the next time you go to practice.

Remember even the PROS have bad days. We all do, so all you can do at times is just GRIND it out. Remember , practice practice, but practice well. Work on what you need to work on and don’t worry about the score. Your score will come .before you know it your scores will be back to the level you want and higher.

Lastly is DON’T try to over think each and every shot. Remember the good shots and put the bad shot or frames behind you. Being aggravated just makes it worse. There will be days when whatever you try and whatever you do, NOTHING seems to go right, just learn from the experience, practice, practice, practice. There will be better days, the longer you dwell on the negative, the longer your slump or problems will hang around. Bowling is 90% mental, if that 90% is negative you can bet that your game will be 90 % negative as well!

Bowling Summer Boot Camp

In preparation for the next round of tournaments i have embarked on a " BOOT CAMP" mentality for my training for the next few summer months. Everything from eating better to workouts will be in a more "Boot Camp" mode. I will post updates as to progress and if you want to join in as well i will post the workouts and some of the recipies for mealplans that i like and think those out there would like as well. Here is week 1 work out this one is a killer to start. I will be finishing up winter leagues this Thursday and i have started this workout twice a week until my body catches up ( I am 51 ) and you have to be careful not to injure yourself with the added exercise. If you have any suggestions feel free to post them here.

For my mealplans i am cutting down on sugars and changing the bad carbs to more good carbs such as rice and pasta. Adding more fruit and better protien sources such as chicken and fish, It is amazing how much food has to be eaten in a day eating in this manner but with some organization it is manageabe.

Is my Bowling Ball ORGANIC?

Is my Bowling Ball ORGANIC?

Of course not. We here at PAP couldn’t help, but now ask the question in this day and age of GOING GREEN and jobs moving off shore, there are certain ball manufacturers moving their factories south of the border or overseas. Wouldn’t it be advantageous to move towards a green or greener way of manufacturing bowling balls?

A little background of our modern high performance balls are made of a Reactive Resin Urethane. The “ Plastic“ ball are actually a Polyester material . Lets start with the bowling balls its self. Is it possible to manufacture a High performance ball greener? With the very nature of the chemicals used in the process it does seem very doubtful. First marketed in the early 1990s, reactive resin shells—used to help improve ball friction—are a mixture of urethane and a proprietary ingredient that generates surface porosity while the polymer base cures. Ball makers mix isocyanates and polyols to form the base urethane resin, but companies are unwilling to reveal the exact identity of the various reactive plasticizers ingredients they use. Some research has brought up a few plasticizers i.e.

Diisooctyl phthalate (DIOP), all-purpose plasticizers for polyvinyl chloride, polyvinyl acetate, rubbers, cellulose plastics, and polyurethane.

What happens to a bowling ball when it dies? Is there a bowling ball graveyard or could this ball be brought to a Recycling center that could re purpose it? Let’s say crush it down to make park benches, garden hoses or rubber mats etc.. I would defiantly buy a ball from a company that says it recycles or re purpose its balls. This could be a public relation home run for those companies that are under the scrutiny of the public for recent events. I would pay an extra 5 bucks like a core deposit on a battery if I knew that this was going to the recycling of my ball. Also that I would get that 5 bucks back when I turned it in to be disposed of.

Well forget the ball for now. Lets look at the box it came in. I know that cardboard is recyclable , so why don’t the ball manufacturers at the very least SAY they are using recycled cardboard for their boxes? This alone would be great PR for the companies and most of us would love to see the companies CARE about the environment by recycling. All it would take would be to print on the box “ Made of recycled materials” .

What about the core, rules say it cannot be made of metallic materials so what does that leave, Plastic! Well if it is plastic or rubber couldn’t that be recycled or made of recycled materials? That could be a great selling point for a company, that it uses recycled materials. If the core can be recycled then why not turn in the ball somewhere and cut the cores out and recycle? I know what you are going to tell me then all the equipment would cost us more . What costs more, a 10 to 15 dollar increase in the cost of an already 160 dollar ball, or perhaps it might bring balls down a touch in price. It wouldn’t be a nice thing to learn that we have a landfill full of non biodegradable bowling balls that can’t be disposed of because we didn’t recycle them when we had the chance and the technology.

We now end this column with the same question we started with” Is my bowling ball organic?” If we have the technology to recycle bowling balls or use recycled materials in our equipment then why haven’t the bowling ball manufacturers done so? Do bowling ball companies have a plan to go GREEN? I think with your help and comments, we might be able to make them aware!!!

Building a better Bowler

Building a better Bowler

Building a better bowler isn’t a idea for a bad television series. Building a better bowler does take some determination and hard work. We will start with the body itself. You can;t compete on a level without proper nutrition. I am not saying that you have to be on a certain diet or take some expensive protein / super body powder drink. Proper nutrition can start simply by making sure you feed your body when it is hungry, don’t skip meals but again don’t overeat either. Good carbs (rice, oats , popcorn) should be eaten 16 to 24 hours ahead of time and for carb boost you should eat potatoes, pancakes, power bars with higher carb counts. Those should be eaten 4 to 6 hours before your sets. Be careful eating too much quick carbs can make you slow and sleepy. Fresh fruit eaten an hour before your set will give you an energy boost without the sugar crash like candy will.4 ozs .of protein a day will keep your muscles healthy, but vary the protein (fish one day , meat, chicken) so that your body gets the right combination.

Honestly, eating a bite of carb, one of protein, one bite of vegetable in that order will help your body process nutrients at peak nutritional value.

Practice practice practice. We all have heard that, but is important to do so. Make sure you vary your practice sessions . Bowl a complete game, next practice your spares especially your corner pins as those have a tenancy to get away from us. While in practice it is also important to get a chance to use your equipment by changing balls and lining up with the different set ups you may have in you bag. Vary your practice times to get different oil conditions and if you get the chance different houses. Finally if you get the chance to practice on a sport or Kegel navigational patterns by all means do so! It will make a HUGE difference in your game on the house patterns by making you much more accurate. A great way to get practice without the price is try to sub as much as possible. A great way to get real practice at no cost to you.

Workouts are an important part of building a better bowler. Lets start with the legs, a majority of power comes from the legs . Make sure you do exercises like squats, inner leg extensions and your quad lifts. This will help our balance and power by keeping your knee bend solid and balanced at the line. Bowling is a about strength but balanced strength . Long and lean muscles work better and have a smaller chance of injury. A great tool I use is resistance bands. They may not look like much but after a few repetitions you can feel the difference. Light weight work can help too but remember your not trying to bulk up but just gain strength and endurance. You will want to work all your upper body especially arms, chest , shoulders and back.

2 to 3 workouts a week will be a help. Always give your body time to recover and if it hurts you are doing too much. Some soreness is normal and you have to judge what is sore and what hurts.

So to wrap it up Eat well , sleep well and do your homework. The better you take care of yourself the better chance you give yourself.

Bowling GREEN or How to recycle a Bowling Ball

While channel surfing the other day i ran across a documentary regarding the evils of plastic and where it ends up in the world. It got me wondering what or where a Resin or urathane ball goes to when it dies and if it is a landfill what i as a concerned citizen can do to lessen my carbon footprint in regards to bowling balls and how to recycle or to coin a phrase Upcycle . My crack team of reserchers have come up with a few options for those bowling balls and how to better be a green bowler and help save the planet one bowling ball at a time.

• Add 10 more holes to it and use it on your desk as a pen an pencil holder

• Paper Weight
• Put a high gloss on it and use it as a garden gazing ball
• Dril out the core and use it as a planter
• Add a chain and use it as a Practice olympic hammer throw
• Shave the top and bottom and ad mortar / cement and use it as a decorative feature in your garden
• Drill a hole all the way through and stack on rebar post to use as a mailbox post
• Small boat anchor

Bowling: Poor Man's Country Club

Bowling: Poor Man's Country Club

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Three-time PBA Tour champion Andres Gomez has signed a deal with Turbo Bowling Accessories to join their Elite Franchise Player Staff.

The 42-year-old native of Colombia, will represent Turbo on both the PBA and World Bowling Tours. In addition to being a staff player, Gomez will also serve as Turbo's South and Central American Sales Manager. - See more at: http://www.bowlingdigital.com/bowl/node/15277…

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  Andres Gomez joins Turbo's Elite Franchise Player Staff | bowlingdigital.com
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  Andres Gomez joins Turbo's Elite Franchise Player Staff | bowlingdigital.com
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  Andres Gomez joins Turbo's Elite Franchise Player Staff | bowlingdigital.com
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  Andres Gomez joins Turbo's Elite Franchise Player Staff | bowlingdigital.com
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  See more at BOWLINGDIGITAL.COM

Bowling NOT WAR!

I was scanning the news recently and after my third cup of coffee began to daydream about bowling and what we as a group could accomplish. I thought to myself bowling is more than just a recreation but has so much more to offer. After finishing my i believe fourth cup of java I put them in an article and now you can read my ramblings and tell me what you think.

Bowling can be used instead of war to solve global conflicts. Instead of spending billions upon billions to weaponize countries and inevitably destroy the countries and cost lives, why not hold a eliminator style tournament with the countries in the dispute , winner takes the prize. Everyone’s leader would be at the tournament with audiences from all the countries cheering them on or booing the others . It would make for great television and save countries from the ravages of warfare. They could sell television rights or perhaps a Pay per view like boxing and split the profits with all the countries involved, we had war on TV via the cable news channels, why not this way instead?

Bowling could help choose the next president of the USA. Imagine this a series of team tournaments for both parties, last team standing rolls off to determine the candidates. Those four will roll off at a neutral site , winners will be the next President and Vice- President of these United States. Perhaps we can televise it and have call in votes for the teams and do a compilation of both popular votes and winning teams .

Ok, maybe these are the ranting of a man who has had way too much caffeine. I am bothered by headlines that say Britney Spears is crowned champion of celebrity bowling hall of fame.  Really? Headlines like that or Jeff Bridges as “ The Dude “ defeats Bill Murray’s Ernie McCracken in the legacy portion of the tournament , bother me. Is this where we want our sport to go? Is this the best way to popularize our sport by crowning “ Popular “ celebrities that didn’t have to throw a single frame to gain that title? Two movies” The Big Lebowski” and “Kingpin” being what movies goers see us as bowlers. Is that what we really want.

Perhaps bowling can’t save the world , but what sport is better than being able to bowl just about anytime you want, in Vegas  you can bowl all night , with a beer or whatever adult beverage you please in your hand. Bowling in a team atmosphere builds friendship, a team work ethic and can be fun while competing . It is a night out with friends and a way to build new friendships. Support your local bowling center and Pro shop , it will help build the solid small business foundation of our economy. Support the charity tournaments locally and show everyone that we are not the “Dudes” or “Ernie’s” shown . We have passion and dedication and if we all choose to care we can grow our sport and look better as a sport and not a joke .

Get involved weather locally or nationally. Support bowling as a sport and a fun recreation as well

Build a bowling FENCE  

It's all in the mind!

In speaking with Chuck Mogavero of PBS pro shop in Kingman, AZ to get his take on bowling and the importance of being prepared. Chuck is no stranger to the PBA tour, as a former member, he has a very specific and enlightening view point on pro bowling. This is a very real conversation we had with him.

Chuck begins with: I have been bowling for 43 years, 5 of them on tour , 3 full time and several other leagues and tournaments. My father started me out when I was 7 years old . Sunday morning practice sessions and junior leagues followed .The only thing I knew was that I loved the game from the first year I started. I never averaged over 175 until I was 18 years of age . That’s when I met the best coach I have ever been associated with Wayne Zahn . He had the greatest natural ability and he took your game and improved it by taking what you did well and tweaking it and not changing so much you had to rebuild and all your natural ability was gone. Shortly thereafter honor scores came and tournament victories as well, just local stuff.

That’s when everything changed and the opportunity to go on the PBA tour arose. Biggest mistake my father and I ever made. However in 1985 it seemed like the right thing to do. At that time there weren’t any big money amateur tournaments . I don’t even know if collages had bowling programs back then. There wasn’t JBT or Team USA back then so if you had anything going you turned Pro. At age 22 I went out there and made the smooth transition from league bowler and sweeper winner to – touring pro. Yeah right, I thought my head was going to explode, that’s the one thing that saves your ass when you’re out there , I can attest to that, it was the weakest part of my game. If there’s one piece of advice I can give it’s this “ Don’t go anywhere near competing with the best in the world straight from your Thursday night beer fest”. Now a days there are so many things to do in junior competition and college bowling, you should take full advantage of them. They build your mind and self confidence. All in all, it wasn’t too bad. It could have been worse, a lot worse. I bowled in 112 national tournaments, I cashed in 48 of them and make 24 man match play in 30 of those. Highest finish I had was 7^th and the most I made in a single year was just over $25,000. Just to make myself feel better, I took a look at the PGA golfer who finished at the same place on the money list that year – he made $465,000. Too bad my dad didn’t like golf. After I had decided to quit the tour, I took all of my equipment that I had and had won in the nearest dumpster. I didn’t bowl for over 7 years. When I picked it back up, that’s when I actually started having fun.

To make a long story a lot shorter, there’s two things that I would NOT change about the role bowling has played in my life. First, as a pro shop operator I really have the ability now to promote the sport. The proper fit helps every bowler enjoy the game without pain. The proper layout helps the competitive bowler get everything out of every piece of equipment they have Seeing both are very enjoyable for me. Secondly, I now have a son that is light years ahead of me in this game. Thankfully, he listens to me. I hope he gets all the junior and collegiate experience he can before he even tries to bowl professionally. You have to be extremely talented and mentally tough to compete with them, I wasn’t. I had no one around me who could understand or or help me with the situation at that time. I hope to be able to prepare my son to do whatever he has set his mind to do. The proper steps need to be taken. That’s the proper word – steps, stairs, don’t take the elevator like I did.

I know Chuck personally and he is a great guy. Chuck operates a pro shop along with Art Garcia. They both have first hand knowledge of the bowling circuit. Chuck is knowledgeable and will happily take the time to explain things, you only need to ask. You can contact Chuck Mogavero by e-mailing him atmogavero@npgcable.com The pro shop Professional Bowling Services or P.B.S is located in Cerbat Lanes in Kingman, AZ, stop by and say hi anytime.

Use old or worn out bowling balls for a garden divider

What happened to showmanship?

What happened to showmanship? According to the PBA it is ok for a 50 plus year old man to crotch chop, say Blow me on Television and other "SHOWY" actions but lets take a look at it. Other professionals have been fined for similar instances of SHOWMANSHIP . There needs to be a standard and it needs to be equal for all professionals. If ratings ( and you know thats the whole point ) is what you seek then let them be themselfs and just bowl, the " professional standards " that are on the book are old and antiquated. Do you think professional wrestling has those same standards? We tune in to watch bowling and in the course of a match if one uses a obsenity then so be it. If one bowler tells another one blow me then so what , it;'s no worse than we have all heard at the kocal bowling center. I know " but theres kids watching". If this is the worst that they have seen then they live a very sheltered lifa nad in a dark closed in box. We all want to get bowling especially on TV out of the dull , boring robot bowler and into a fresh REAL LIFE sport event. Perhaps just don't mic them and have the bleep button ready.

More uses for USED bowling balls Sustainability is the name of the game

True Amateur Tournaments Revealed

Many amateurs strive to become a professional bowler to compete at the ultimate level , but did you know how many got their start? Welcome to if we can coin a phrase " The Amateur Bowlers Proving Grounds " , The True amateur Tournament in Las Vegas could be that very thing . Thousands of amateur bowlers come from all over the world to try for a top prize of $20,000 . It's a week of amateur bowlers feeling like their professional counterparts and being treated like pros as well. Did you know that some of the best in the world also got their start here as well  ?                                                                          

Here is an impressive list

Bill O’Neil 02-03

Josh Blanchard 08-10

Ryan Ciminelli –05-06

Scott Newell 06-07

Missy Belinder 02-03

Craig Nidffer 11-12

Scott Norton 2003-4

Anthony Pepe 09

Sean Rash 2004

j.r.Raymond 2007

Brian Valanta 2007

Stu Williams 2004

Rhino Page 04-07

Jason Belmonte 2003

This is a well run and fair tournament with a top notch staff to go along with it. 8 different tournaments and formats during a long week , with prize funds expected to be in the $350,000 range to be paid out. A quote.From Jamie McWiliams TAT Tournament director "the best part is a bowler with a 170 average has as good as chance to take home some of the money as a 230 average bowler.  I work hard to make sure that is the case by always tweaking our events to make sure each division gets their share." If you haven't been to a TAT you need to go and see/ bowl for yourself its  you really get the feeling of bowling like a pro . Well in the price  range to bowl, $295.00 will get you a great entry and there are other packages as well with or without the Ball . Check out www.trueamateurtournaments.com

Part 2 Year of the what.

The PBA seems to think they have a solution to the problem, it's now the year of the fan. Bowling mostly competitive bowling is suffering from anemia.  As a fan what do I get, watch a guy only bowl 8 games ? No autograph session , no meet and greet and no pro am . As a kid I waited for February and the Miller High Life at Wonderbowl Anaheim,  took all year to save for the pro am and then wait outside the bowl before the show just to get in and a chance to meet someone, now days it's like a chore for some of these "pros" to take just a minute to meet and talk. Where are the Pro Am's where is this year of the fan , make us want to be fans again.

More USES for old bowling balls . An ARTSY use

The REAL problem with bowling

Centers closing, linage going up, competitive tournaments and leagues folding. What is the INSIDE real reason for all this? To not put too much of a spin on it THE BOWLING MEDIA! How can we be taken seriously for anything when you have movies like THE BIG LEBOWSKI and KINGPIN as what the public sees as bowling? Do we as serious competitive bowlers want these movies representing us or do we all want to look like fools and clowns. Perhaps the public would better like us as a Surfer burnout or a mobster ? I for one don't want these cult movies representing me as a bowler and i belive ths is what we are suffering from Bad media. If we want to be taken seriously as a sport we need to show the sport as we want to be shown. I don't think hollywood will make a serious movie about bowling so here we are again stuck with the clown face . 

Part 2 How do we fix it all?

Coming next issue

Sustainability in bowling

News in the California world of bowling has brought the closure of yet another bowling center, Tustin Lanes is on the block for closure. Sad news for those who have been loyal customers of this center I for one remember back in the late 80's bowling late night 10 gamers, Monte Carlo nights and I even spent a summer ass a employee when i was fresh out of High School. Do we mourn the death of yet another or do we continue on and find another to patronize? IF we are as a sport and a recreation to survive we must move on and fill the void by patronizing those who stay or less these brave souls will fall as well. The call to arms is made we must find a way to keep bowling going, not by throwing support just to an Olympic bid in 5 years but by real sustainability. We need something in place now so that by 2020 we will be on the road to recovery and true sustainability.

It's all just stupid

The other night following league play i overheard a man complaining about the stupidity of teams , one for the fact they were too stupid to know how to make their lineup , that's the league format was Stupid ( match play ) . that the lane conditions were stupid since he was leaving corners all night. That it was stupid to have match play since the first place team had 75 points and no one could catch them ( not realizing that the nights points are 20 ) . Several other "Stupid " comments were made regarding certain people and their stupidity. 

Not wanting a confrontation with this individual i decided to answer and comment on this media instead. 
ARE YOU THAT STUPID YOURSELF? IF YOU REALLY THINK THAT BOWLING AND THE SPORT ITSELF IS THAT STUPID THEN BY ALL MEANS QUIT BOWLING. If bowling made me that unhappy and miserable i would sell all my stuff and retire FOREVER from the game. We need to realize that unless you bowl for a living and was your sole way of income then it's an activity. I am all for a certain amount of competitiveness but when it makes you an loud obnoxious angry man then it's time to either see a shrink or quit. 
The very sustainability and life of our sport and recreation stands in the balance and here we have exactly whats killing our sport one of it;s own trashing it in public. People hear that rant and say i don;t want to bowl if that guys is . 

Sustainability 

The name sustainability is derived from the Latin sustinere (tenere, to hold; sub, up). Sustain can mean “maintain", "support", or "endure”.^[5][6] Since the 1980s sustainability has been used more in the sense of human sustainability on planet Earth and this has resulted in the most widely quoted definition of sustainability as a part of the conceptsustainable development

The Real Truth of ' The TRUE AMATEUR TOURNAMENT '

Your head held high, you enter. You walk into the sign-up room with nervous determination. A lane assignment is places in your hand with a smile and any instructions you need. After lugging your equipment to that sight, you hastily open your bag, pick the perfect sphere and walk to the approach. You stare down the 60 ft expanse and crack a smile that shows everyone how confident, nervous, excited, anxious and unafraid you are. Then the announcer begins to speak...

WELCOME TO THE 'TRUE AMATEUR TOURNAMENT' SUMMER CLASSICS.

The thrill, the fun, the comradery is real. To know that other people want the same thing, a chance to be in a real tournament, with a real chance at real money. This is except for the Open Championships one of the biggest stages for an amateur bowler there is to bowl. Large crowds , early morning in Vegas and side action galore. When you sign up you get towels, bowling balls and a bag, just like some big fancy pro-am. Except this tournament is for regular guys and girls who are working their way up to that big fancy pro-am and want the experience, knowledge and adventure of one. Plan on joining The T.A.T. June 29 - July 4^th, 2015, for that experience and one hell of a blast. For as little as $295.00 you get an entry package (desribed above), a qualifying entry, a chance squads and hotel match play dollars as well. Other packages include more chances to qualify for the big money finals and a chance at $20,000 first place.

You don't have to worry about impossibly difficult lane conditions at the TAT, their friendly staff has a special lane pattern that ensures a fair chance for all, whether you have two left feet, your a bundle of nerves or just a spaz, everyone has a chance. Each day the scores are looked at and if there is a version of the pattern that gives an advantage to one specific bowling type, it is tweaked a bit to make sure it is fair for all styles of bowlers but not so much that it changes the overall pattern. Like we said FAIR.

So, come on out to Vegas and introduce yourself, make connections and have a great time... you deserve it. For more information contact www.trueamateurtournaments.com

Recycle tip #3                                   String together 5 balls as a Kinetic ball yard art

Mc Bowling?

With the economic times we have faced and the decline in USBC membership league play, is it just the money? or is there another culprit? Many people have complained that during the league meetings more and more frivolous fees are being voted in to the weekly fees. Some say it is to improve the prize fund. Now if you really want to make money while bowling, the prize funds in most all house leagues are not the way. You will not make money and are better off putting that extra fee in the bank every week and saving up. The only leagues that make money are the ones that have big sponsors and have big fees to go with them. Bowling is a fun out let for family and friends or even if you’re a serious bowler but it’s just to bowl. Bowling in tournaments to make money, several houses have tournaments for that, for 20 bucks you can make $200-$500 depending on entries, granted there is a chance that you will bowl better than the rest but is that a smaller or bigger chance than plunking money down week after week to be put into a prize fund that pays you 100 bucks over 36 weeks? That’s not a great return if you’re trying to make money. This has many bowlers headed for the doors, never to return. Bowling in leagues is supposed to be fun, but those few small groups seem to take control and dominate the meetings. No one wants to be an outsider so they go along with the flow. Don’t let them vote in fees you don’t agree with, stand up and make your point, your voice is as important as the next person. You have a right to be heard and chances are if you feel that way so do a lot of others. There are other ways to make money and still have fun bowling in a league. Start a side pot or brackets in your league. This can be a way to give those what they want and not hurt the pocketbook of those who cannot afford the extra on a weekly basis. Side pots can be done without any software but brackets do need the software which most alley already have and that can be fairly inexpensive when you factor in the amount you might make over the course of a league by winning a few brackets and pots.

Ask your center for a break on linage. With the declining membership we have to take matters into our own hand. Think about it, a stranger can walk in and pay $2-$4 a game, why is league headed towards$10 for the linage fees, per person, per week? Check with the bowling manager to see if there can be a break in how much they charge linage to the league, the answer may be ‘no’ but a pleasant surprise might be a ‘yes’, especially if they see it will increase the amount of teams on the league and therefore increase open play and more food and bar sales. This season alone my own regular league has lost 6 teams, that 24 people not paying in and not going to the bar or snack bar and the main complaint is “we just don’t have the money this year”. Getting people to commit to a long season is difficult and the center is now going to the Cosmic/open play to get their money. We have to make them see that leagues can still be viable and affordable and fun. I know many of you league bowlers are tired of the USBC fees and not seeing what your money is going to, you can check out where the money goes at www.bowl.com. I know fees seem to be climbing and you seem to get less for your money but without a governing body for bowling we would have no rules, no awards and no protection from some unscrupulous people. Think of the USA without a governing body, it would be even greater chaos than it is now with everyone out for themselves (me, me, me).

So please get involved in the process. Associations have meetings and you can find out when and where and talk to your association representative to get them to make your point, some are open meetings which I recommend you try to attend.

If bowling nights are to continue we need to make it a fun night for all, not an expensive waste of time of your hard earned money. If these nights are less expensive we could recruit more league bowlers and bring back those who have declined because of the money issues than more would be willing to spend $10 a night rather than $17-$20 for one night of bowling. You managers out there think of all the increase of revenue, the Mc Donald factor; sell 10,000 burgers at a dollar or 10 burgers at $9.99, who actually makes more money? Think about it!

Bowling in the Olympics 2020 and Beyond

While I am in complete agreement with bowling being recognized as a truly competitive sport on the world stage, there are problems. The main problem in Seoul was that there were no Pro’s allowed at the time. In the last few Olympics there has been a change as to the levels of a game that truly need the profession level to show the true athletics of the game (i.e. basketball, etc.). It also raise a few questions about how the sport will be run, in general and quite a few questions must be answered and problems solved before bowling could be considered for a spot as a demo sport and hopefully a medal sport. Bowling is such a diverse sport and has many variables including but not limited to the lanes and the equipment. The very first question is all about how do you contest this to make it a fair competition and a real test of the greatness of the bowlers?

To begin with a first question what about lane surface and how to make the oil pattern a real test of the skill of the bowlers. Do you make it long, short or do you enlist the help of a company to design a pattern to really test the bowlers. What steps need to be taken to insure that the right and left handers have an equal advantage and equal disadvantage. As I see it, it will be in qualifying rounds where the best of the finalists will be determined by pin fall on a variety of disciplines (patterns) a contest over a real grind session 16 games on each discipline and there will be 4 disciplines or patterns for the bowlers to “Qualify” on.

Short Pattern: This pattern should be no more than 33 ft. in length and test the ability to negotiate a radical change in direction, this pattern should be mostly flat on top, forward buff and reverse buff pattern to be determined.

Long Pattern: This pattern should be no shorter than 45 ft. in length to make the bowlers adjust to ever changing hold and hook patterns as well as playing a lane from multiple angles and harder carry conditions.

Flat Pattern: What usually is the ultimate test of skill, US Open style lane conditions that are 1 to 1, no shorter than 39ft in length and have a sport ratio similar to the US open pattern possibly with a higher volume of oil.

Variegated or ‘Tetris’ pattern. This pattern has multiple layers and oil densities as well as brushings. You’ll have to look up this pattern, it’s hard to describe but when you see it, you’ll understand.

This will be a total of 64 games in the truest form of a fair contest for qualifying for the semifinal rounds all to be seeded by total pin fall, with the top 16 left. The next round will be match play and the pin count will start over. A two game matches (similar to the open), round robin style, to determine who gets to bowl for the medals. While I don’t really like the eliminator style on TV this is a great venue to utilize in an Olympic arena. The top 4 in wins after match play will bowl a one game eliminator or call it placement match where top score gets the gold, second silver and third bronze, any ties would be determined by pin count. Very similar to the track and field where they run for the gold, first is first and first always gets the gold.

Equipment : Due to the differences in bowling balls the Olympics should have a standard set of bowling balls, all made by one manufacturer and all athletes will have this same arsenal of equipment. Drilling will be done on site by a certified professional ball driller and be checked for legal static weight as well. One and only one, one hour practice session will be allowed so that the bowlers can dial in their equipment and see the pattern for the first time. Drilling angles and layouts will be the responsibility of the athlete and their coach. The equipment that will be available will be as follows: 1 Reactive ball, 1 Plastic spare ball, 1 Hybrid reactive ball, 1 asymmetrical ball and 1 urethane ball. This will ensure that all have the same basic equipment and no one has an unfair advantage regarding equipment. The rest is up to the athlete.

Everyone will have an opinion on how an Olympic tournament should be run. However there has to be a beginning ideal or basic starting point. This seems like as good a beginning as any. Let me know how you would do it differently or if you agree with what has been laid out in this article.

The Apocolypse may be on us

Is it really about taking without giving back, is it all about scores without the consequences? The simple fact that everything changes and if we do not act soon it will all be gone, not having to worry about which bowling ball company makes the best equipment, what company i want to sign with or even what time does league start. All gone in the blink of an eye because we were too involved in the pettiness of it all , not seeing what really matters , not acting in the best interest of the sport but instead acting on the moment.