I'm sorry, I couldn't find the post I was reading about when I had to sign up. It was about the decline in bowling and your letter to the USBC about lane conditions. I have been bowling my whole life. I was brought up in the bowling alleys with rolls of quarters while my parents bowled 2-3x a week. I was signed up for Jr. Bowling on Saturdays.
I am one of the bowlers that does not throw the fancy ball with the bent wrist. I have a nice, clean, easy throw from 2 arrow to pocket at 16mph.
My lane conditions are oily, normal and dry. Lane patterns don't mean anything to me.
I agree with your letter to a certain degree, your letter only applies to serious bowlers who practice and bowl a lot. And honestly, with the decline of league/USBC sanctions over the years, that puts you in the 10% of bowlers.
Remember in the 80's when a 300 happened once maybe twice a year? Today, it's every week in a league. They have to do something to make the shot harder or everyone would just pack up their shoes and balls and throw in the garage corner, and never bowl in Opens or Nationals again.
I don't think Sanction costs are the issue at hand. $19?? That's a cheap sanction for any sport. The problem is, everything goes to the State level. Since I've been in Florida 3 years, I have not received a patch, key chain, letter, nothing! I'm not bowling for key chains, however, it makes you wonder about prizes. My husband bowled 100 pins over his average, nothing.
In my opinion, the balls, lane conditions are too much. I think it needs to go back to what it was before, the basics. People like myself who practice, can never compete with people who bowl like you do. I have to stub my toes, walk an obstacle course to go to the alley to bowl because most are bringing 8-10 balls to the league with them, bowling kits that resemble tackle boxes. I have one ball, for strikes and spares.
USBC is doing their best to keep up with new and improved bowling balls, tricky lane patterns, more 300 games than ever. If they kept the lanes to the conditions that you would want, everyone would have 300 games and 800 series.
I think a combination of pricey league fees, economy, narcissistic people who love to run/control leagues and USBC state tournaments (yet, we keep voting them in because we don't want to deal with the crap) good people leave those leagues, the costs it takes to operate a bowling center, getting to the bowling alley for leagues and there is popcorn and pop all over, In Florida, outdated old as dirt men who are stuck in the 1920's who like to harass and control people in tournaments. Just numerous things I've heard over the years and you have to.
To answer the question to this link, my challenge? I dress professionally every time I bowl 2x a week and all tournaments, I wear a collared shirt with sport skorts. And in Florida, you have to wear skirts/skorts to the knees for tournaments. Please someone tell me in 2017, where I can find professional skorts to fit this criteria, I'm not able to locate any skorts that are little house on the prairie style.