If you haven't heard, the USBC has elected new leadership moving into the next season. I am optimistic that this person is a younger individual taking the reigns and has roots with USBC Youth/YABA; making him appear to make an effort to grow the game at the grassroots and youth level, fostering life long participants. Despite this, I feel apprehensive with how the new president is also a bowling center proprietor.

It's been made clear to me that many proprietors are generally steering their bowling businesses toward pure entertainment venues and placing less emphasis on growing league and tournament bowling.

Therefore, as someone who would like to see the game retain and grow its competitive integrity, I do not feel this new type of leadership will be able to keep bowling as a viable sport that legitimately honors and respects skill acquisition and practice. It breaks my heart because many (not all) of these individuals in bowling's leadership appear to be primary contributors to bowling's steady descent toward insignificance in our culture.

I, however, hope my apprehensions about this new leadership group are wrong and they, the new leadership members, be receptive and proactive toward the needs of its loyal league and tournament participants, as this population has been largely marginalized by those individuals in the past 25 years or so.

Again, I hope I am wrong about my apprehensions, and hope to see more people, like many of the users in this forum, to continue participating and improving their skills in bowling.