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Author Topic: iS THIS RIGHT,...  (Read 1897 times)

jimensminger

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iS THIS RIGHT,...
« on: March 02, 2005, 12:38:41 AM »
I bowl in a Tues night mixed league that started back in Sept. along with all the other leagues. This is a nice little 24 lane center, synthetics,..The conditions have been for years what we all call the "THS". Nice shot for league bowlers, I've seen easier, and for sure seen tougher. BUT...the shot has passed inspection month after month since the beginning of the league,..and there has been a few of honor scores but nothing outragous. The shot has been about the same week after week since we started, and all of our league bowlers have established their handicaps from this condition...About 2 weeks ago the lanes were almost so dry that we couldn't keep the ball on the lanes,..I mentioned something to the mgr and she said that the ABC Rep wrote them up for the shot being illegal,and they were trying to get it right...? Now this is the same shot he's passed for months. Last night we bowled and the lanes were flooded, really dripping with oil. People were throwing gutter balls left and right,..I asked her again what's up..? She said that the Rep was there again re-inspecting and that this was what he passed..?  Bowlers were threating to quit because this is not what they had been bowling on for over 6 months, nor what they had set their average on. Is this right or fair to the bowlers,..the manager is really upset. I have never seen such a drastic change in conditions in the middle of a league...seems a little overboard to me,...any one ever seen this before,..or have any thoughts. jime  

 

iommifan

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Re: iS THIS RIGHT,...
« Reply #1 on: March 02, 2005, 08:48:42 AM »
I believe he fed you a line of ^%*&. The ABC (now USBC) doesn't even inspect the lanes for honor scores anymore. If you shoot it, you own it. Nobody has been inspected in our area for about 3 years  now and we have had a lot of honor scores. We have about 5 houses in our association. 1 house has a horrible shot, haven't had a honor score in years or 300 for that matter. Another has the great wall of china and shoots honor scores on a biweekly basis. Another has a tougher shot that has had some scores shot in it. But none have had a inspection in several years and I can tell you first hand it won't be happening any time soon either.

charlest

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Re: iS THIS RIGHT,...
« Reply #2 on: March 02, 2005, 09:46:11 AM »
I agree with Bones. The ABC sanction could be a ruse to hide that fact that someone messed with the oil machine who didn't know what they were doing. (Unless you're really in tight with the manager, of course).

One of our past center managers had such a hard time fixing the ancient oil machine he inherited, that he had a standing order that any employee found trying to adjust the oil machine would be immediately fired. The manager was the only one who could adjust it.
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MichiganBowling

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Re: iS THIS RIGHT,...
« Reply #3 on: March 02, 2005, 10:30:45 AM »
I completely agree with Charles and Bones here.  The Association Rep. story was a cover up for something else that happened.  EVERY bowling center has at least once or twice had problems with their machine, put out the wrong oil program, or done something to that extent.  Even the best centers screw up occassionally.  While many bowlers will be extrememly angry like somebody killed one of their family members, most bowlers will understand if the manager just levels with them and tells the truth.

The flipside to that whole thing is what I mentioned about the angry bowlers.  Management was obviously too scared to tell the truth because they didn't want to feel the wrath of the ignorant premadonnas (sp?) that would come unglued if they all of a sudden had to adjust.

While I say shame on management for not telling the truth, I say shame on the bowlers for making management feel like they have to lie.  Was anybody murdered, maimed, tortured, or severely injured in all of this?  NO!  The only thing that was hurt was something that was both immaterial and unimportant--EGOS!
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mumzie

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Re: iS THIS RIGHT,...
« Reply #4 on: March 02, 2005, 12:32:24 PM »
The lane certification committee is required to inspect every certifiable lane bed every year. (makes it fun for the Reno group - they have the NBS to worry about, and a really, really small crew.)
They inspect them for evenness, levelness, foul lites pin spots, etc - general physical condition. If they're out of spec for some reason, the certification may be held up until the problem is remedied.
When I shot my 800 series in Sept. of 2003, the house had it's certification on hold because of some remodeling -the new foul lites on the OTHER END of the house hadn't been installed yet. They threatened to withhold my honor score certification because of this.

anyway - one of the members of our local lane certification committee bowls league in a certain house around here, and is constantly hounding the manager to increase the amount of oil - the committee member keeps insisting it's not legal - there's not enough oil. However, there's more oil in that house than 3 or 4 others combined - I just think it's someone at the association trying to get a favorable condition for themselves...
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jimensminger

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Re: iS THIS RIGHT,...
« Reply #5 on: March 02, 2005, 02:12:06 PM »
it's our association rep,..he does all the association houses all the time,..it's nothing to go to one of our local centers and see him out there pulling tape...it's all he has to do I guess,...the point I was getting at is for the longest time the lanes were just fine,..then all of a sudden they're so bad that he wants them changed,...now the weekly bowlers are up in arms that what was ok forever is now a no-no,..and what they established their averages on now has to be changed..honestly the house has nothing to do with this,....so now the "inflated averages" are really taking a hit in our handicap league. It's not the bowlers fault,..if there was something wrong it should have been changed long before,..not wait til the middle of a season and change the established conditions...we'll proably loose bowlers over this. I know it sounds like spoiled kids,..but that's what they were,..spoiled. It wasn't their fault,..but in the middle of the season is not the time to change the playing field...

NOTHUMB

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Re: iS THIS RIGHT,...
« Reply #6 on: March 02, 2005, 02:18:43 PM »
quote:
it's our association rep


Same thing happened in this entire area. The shot has entirely changed around. I dont know about the extremes or "bone dry" or "dripping with oil" but this area is not as trivial as it used to be. Some nights I actually feel I earn what I shoot :gasp:


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sdbowler

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Re: iS THIS RIGHT,...
« Reply #7 on: March 02, 2005, 04:49:17 PM »
Quote
The ABC (now USBC) doesn't even inspect the lanes for honor scores anymore. If you shoot it, you own it. quote]

Unless that has just recently changed. They have a window that I believe is 30 days (maybe more don't know) to have the oil pattern taped. As far as the lanes themselves usually only done about a month prior to leagues starting. If I am wrong on the taping of the lane on if it is still done or timeframe someone please correct me.
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pin-chaser

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Re: iS THIS RIGHT,...
« Reply #8 on: March 02, 2005, 06:57:33 PM »
I say, crown in both directions... accross the lane and down the lane (which produces a 4/5 to 1 ratio as defined by ABC/USBC). Stop the top hat then there is no worry about passing and you have a fair and decent shot for everyone with a little hold and a little send. What bowlers do to it after they bowl is another story and why I say we need reform on the ball technology.
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MSC2471

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Re: iS THIS RIGHT,...
« Reply #9 on: March 02, 2005, 10:46:27 PM »
In my Monday league house, I heard that the ABC/USBC reps came in and told the owner that the pin decks were too low and had to be raised- but I haven't heard of reps coming out and inspecting the machines and lanes to see if illegal shots are out there....at least in my neck of the woods.

Matt