It's not like they are going to just come out and tell you.

Another milestone in the future collapse of USBC. He was smart and got off that sinking ship.

Pro Shop
If your so hell bent on the collapse of the USBC, maybe you should quit bowling their events and start a new organization that will bring back the good old days.
Guys like you, and I'm not picking you out, but there a lot like you, complain about the perceived problems of an organization with no input on how to fix it.
Just a general statement, but the membership should be paying much more then $16.00 to be a member, unless you think the USBC should be run out of a garage.
The USBC will be here a whole lot longer then most of us, in one form or another.

If I had a solution and USBC listened, I would help. Just stating that USBC is in trouble. They keep taking away from the average bowler and giving them no incentive to keep bowling or to attract new members. Taking awards from kids definitely hurts. I am not against paying more if bowlers are taken care of.

As far as USBC nationally, I have stopped supporting it. Not keen on going to Reno once a year. Understand that it is more cost effective to hold there, but putting Vegas in there does not help IMO. Would like to see something in Texas or Florida.

We are one of the states that have been selected for the new lane inspection program. The money that was going to our local organization will now be going to Texas. How does that help locally? I think this is another cry for "we need money" do I want to see USBC go? No. I just feel they are treading water right now. I have seen the letters and responses to the lane inspection program and centers in the 3 states that are to be tested are not happy.

Houses are trying to come up with creative solutions to allow the few that care about tournaments to sanction while not bothering to sanction any of their actual leagues. 

As far as USBC nationally, I have stopped supporting it. Not keen on going to Reno once a year. Understand that it is more cost effective to hold there, but putting Vegas in there does not help IMO. Would like to see something in Texas or Florida.

I would like to see it actually float around the country.  East, west, south, north.  Seattle, Miami, Kansas City, Detroit, NY, Arizona....Lots of areas that could benefit from nationals coming to their towns...and may draw more interest in the Nationals

Quote from: Perfect Approach Pro Shop on February 05, 2014, 02:41:40 PM

As far as USBC nationally, I have stopped supporting it. Not keen on going to Reno once a year. Understand that it is more cost effective to hold there, but putting Vegas in there does not help IMO. Would like to see something in Texas or Florida.

I would like to see it actually float around the country.  East, west, south, north.  Seattle, Miami, Kansas City, Detroit, NY, Arizona....Lots of areas that could benefit from nationals coming to their towns...and may draw more interest in the Nationals

Elimeno,
    What you fail to realize in this uber-simplification is that there has to be someone in these areas willing to bid on the tournament. That means putting together an attractive package that has reasonable rents for a center, and contains a bid that is high enough to convince the USBC to accept it. Usually, places with casinos can offer more attractive bids as the casinos are willing to outlay the funds with the hopes of getting all those bowlers to spend money there. The second part is that there has to be somewhere big enough to house the tournament. Last I remember the tournament needed like 100,000-150,000 sq ft of space. This includes room for the lanes, the machines, the setee areas, seating and the shops that are part of the tournament. Even in these towns, is there a space that large just sitting unused? Most convention centers, where the tournament is usually housed, have yearly commitments from gun shows, flower shows, bridal shows, car & boat shows, etc. that have the facility booked. The tournament will need at least 7-8 months of time in order to build, test, run, and tear down. How many things would be displaced by this? And how many would come back after getting sent packing the year before?

If you, and others, really want the tournament to be somewhere, instead of typing on a message board like this, do something about it. Work with your local chamber of commerce, your local convention center board, your local businesses and see if you can convince them to put together a bid. Put together a convinving one and I assure you the tournament will be in that town in the future. If you and others do this, you will soon find out why the tournament isn't in these towns as they either have no desire or no resources in order to make this happen.

I fully understand why USBC is taking inspections back from local associations.

Because they are some associations that took the inspection money and never inspected anything.

Also, I have worked at centers where, the "unannounced" inspections worked like this.

Manager comes to me.  Associations inspectors are coming Thursday morning.  Run pattern 8 Thursday morning when you do the lanes. 

Why, we never run pattern 8.

Manager:  Pattern 8 passes tape inspection of oiling rules.  All of our league shots are illegal.


USBC wants to stop this.  If they all did what they were supposed to, then they wouldn't have to do this.

80-90% of local associations may be compliant.  No idea.  But I know of a couple that are not myself.

And I know of several houses that I have bowled at, where there is no way certain pairs in that house could have passed an inspection.