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Author Topic: (by the way most of us will have new equipment by then anyway  (Read 1144 times)

Ragnar

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I've seen this, or similar, statements made any number of times since the proposed new guidlines have been published.  I'd like to point out the inherent flaw of this statement.  Yes, it may well be true (though I'm not so sure, if you consider the 1100+ members of this site, rather than the very small number of active posters) for those of us here, but it most certainly will NOT be true of the average bowler.  As I've stated before, if I look across the house on any league night, I find that the majority of equipment, by a lot, not a little, is older than two years old.  Some of it much older.  Do you really think that the average bowler is shelling out a hundred or two every couple of years for new balls?  I don't.  I firmly believe that these new rules will have a huge impact on Joe Bowler, and may be the final straw driving him away from the game.  

I may be wrong, but I know I'm right.
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"To plunder, to slaughter, to steal, these things they misname empire; and where they make a wilderness, they call it peace."  (Tacitus)
"If one tells the truth, one is sure sooner or later to be found out. " (Wilde)
Wyrd bið ful aræd!
(Thought to be a member of something called the PMS club by some.)

 

Overhand

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Re: (by the way most of us will have new equipment by then anyway
« Reply #1 on: May 13, 2005, 01:53:24 PM »
...don't know if this hijacks the thread or if it's only a offramp exit to the Flying J for a joe and weewee; but if we're going to include the unwashed masses in this conversation, what about the house balls.  At a minimum they'll need to be replaced with a logo'd ball.

...and I would LOVE to be able to tell CINCPACHOUSE "gee, darling, I HAVE to replace my arsenal...it's in the rules."


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"I call this the quart of oil line...hit it and a quart of oil falls out of the ball..."

Edited on 5/13/2005 1:48 PM

greggo

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Re: (by the way most of us will have new equipment by then anyway
« Reply #2 on: May 13, 2005, 01:55:25 PM »
Question for you Rags,
Do the bowlers that you see with older equipment bowl in sanctioned leagues?  If not, then a new and compliant ball is not an issue.

Ragnar

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Re: (by the way most of us will have new equipment by then anyway
« Reply #3 on: May 13, 2005, 02:06:05 PM »
quote:
Question for you Rags,
Do the bowlers that you see with older equipment bowl in sanctioned leagues?  If not, then a new and compliant ball is not an issue.


Yes, the leagues are sanctioned.  As are most of the leagues that the old ABC members (now members in the new org) bowl in.  

Look, people, there are thousands of bowlers out there who are bowling with the same ball they got for Christmas 8 years ago.  They're not going to change out their equipment.  They may drop membership and then were down to a few thousand members - nice national governing body, if it comes to that.  The world is NOT all about the members of this site; it IS all about the members of the new organization.  I'm sorry guys, but I think that were looking at the end of sanctioned leagues if these rules are passed.  That will do a lot to rein in the scoring pace we now see.  

Here's a random example.  Tom changes the oil in my car when I take it into the dealer.  He bowls once a week and uses an original Ninja.  He's a member because to bowl in league with his friends he has to join.  He doesn't make a ton of money.  He is not going to buy a new ball just to keep on bowling in a sanctioned league.  Neither are his friends.  If you want to drive guys like this out of bowling, well, the new regs are a big step in that direction.  

What's the answer?  I don't know, but it cannot lie in the direction of doing things to cause members to quit.  Maybe what we need to see is a two tiered or three tiered organization: level one for the once a week bowler who gives a rats behind about ball specs, scores, and integrity; level two for the slightly more serious guy who bowls the city tournament once a year and maybe a 9 pin no-tap along the way; and level three for the people who inhabit boards like this one and who profess a concern for the integrity of the game and who DO buy lots of new equipment.
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"To plunder, to slaughter, to steal, these things they misname empire; and where they make a wilderness, they call it peace."  (Tacitus)
"If one tells the truth, one is sure sooner or later to be found out. " (Wilde)
Wyrd bið ful aræd!
(Thought to be a member of something called the PMS club by some.)

Rantings

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Re: (by the way most of us will have new equipment by then anyway
« Reply #4 on: May 13, 2005, 02:06:43 PM »
Rags,

   1) The proposal is just that, a proposal.

   2) The ABC marking will probably be negotiated.

   3) The weight hole drilling thing will not affect most average
      bowlers out having fun on league night since most don't have
      weight holes. Some maybe but few do.

Average bowler = Guy who cares less how is ball is drilled and doesn't come to
                 this site.

  Just Ranting.
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Bowling is for sissies..ask Bones...

Edited on 5/13/2005 2:00 PM

clintdaley

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Re: (by the way most of us will have new equipment by then anyway
« Reply #5 on: May 13, 2005, 02:19:58 PM »
A guy on my team in my Scratch league can turn an old polyster Pinnacle Ebonite on mediums, so with all of the new hook stuff, he hasn't bought anything since he bought his original RED ZONE! Yes, the original red Zone when the Black Amber came out. He also carries a Green AMF RPM and an original orange Piranha, not the remake, the original. He has holes in the RPM and the Zone, so if this passes, half of his 10 year old equipment is obsolete in 2 1/2 years. He is married, with 3 kids (same as me) so he does not have a ton of money to go out and buy 2 balls from me, let alone 1.

Paying for a house, retirement, wife stays at home so his income is the only income (geez, sounds like me again) saving for 3 college educations and a new car does not leave much extra. I feel sorry for him if this passes and I will probably drill a few new ball(s) at cost just to help him out, but I cant do that for all of my customers, or then I will go out of business from not making anything. USBC is going to squeeze out some bowlers and some pro shops in my opinion, maybe not right away, but in the long run.

Clint
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Rantings

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Re: (by the way most of us will have new equipment by then anyway
« Reply #6 on: May 13, 2005, 02:27:49 PM »
So lets just leave bowling alone and bury our heads.
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Bowling is for sissies..ask Bones...

TwoFourEightNineNine

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Re: (by the way most of us will have new equipment by then anyway
« Reply #7 on: May 13, 2005, 03:13:32 PM »
This USBC talk needs its own discussion board.

I'm getting tired of sorting through all of the USBC talk.

I've said this earlier and will say it again, and I am quoting the PBA people.

"If you don't like it, bowl the other tour."

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-Jeremy Vitug


Save Our Sport - http://www.foundation300.com
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Ragnar

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Re: (by the way most of us will have new equipment by then anyway
« Reply #8 on: May 13, 2005, 03:16:31 PM »
quote:
This USBC talk needs its own discussion board.

I'm getting tired of sorting through all of the USBC talk.

I've said this earlier and will say it again, and I am quoting the PBA people.

"If you don't like it, bowl the other tour."

--------------------
-Jeremy Vitug


Save Our Sport - http://www.foundation300.com


You mean the non-sanctioned one?
--------------------
"To plunder, to slaughter, to steal, these things they misname empire; and where they make a wilderness, they call it peace."  (Tacitus)
"If one tells the truth, one is sure sooner or later to be found out. " (Wilde)
Wyrd bið ful aræd!
(Thought to be a member of something called the PMS club by some.)

Ragnar

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Re: (by the way most of us will have new equipment by then anyway
« Reply #9 on: May 13, 2005, 03:22:20 PM »
BTW, Jeremy, the whole point of this thread (when I started it) was to address the fallacious assumption that every bowler buys new balls every year or so.
--------------------
"To plunder, to slaughter, to steal, these things they misname empire; and where they make a wilderness, they call it peace."  (Tacitus)
"If one tells the truth, one is sure sooner or later to be found out. " (Wilde)
Wyrd bið ful aræd!
(Thought to be a member of something called the PMS club by some.)

No Fear

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Re: (by the way most of us will have new equipment by then anyway
« Reply #10 on: May 13, 2005, 03:50:04 PM »
I bowl in three houses...All three owners say they will not sanction & make their own awards because they know they will loose bowlers if they don't....One guy on My team is 76 years old.....Been ABC sanctioned over 50 years uses a Black urethane hammer with a weight hole...."His Quote..."Guess my retirement party will be JAN. 1 2008"

Klugh

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Re: (by the way most of us will have new equipment by then anyway
« Reply #11 on: May 13, 2005, 03:56:30 PM »
quote:

   2) The ABC marking will probably be negotiated.



I thought it was a USBC marking? Maybe I'm just confused . . .
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Edited on 5/13/2005 3:49 PM