This is something of an addition to the post I just made in the Brian Voss video thread, so forgive me if it feels like I'm covering the same ground here. Simply put, I am the problem. I am the reason why bowling is what it is. I am the reason; I am the problem.
I can sit around waiting for USBC, BPAA, bowling ball manufacturers, and bowling center proprietors to step in and force my hand, but, in the end, they are still MY hands. Nobody is forcing me to buy every average-inflating, oil-stripping, hook-in-a-box bowling ball that my favorite company puts out. If I wanted to bowl with plastic and urethane, that's all I would buy and use. If I didn't want laughably easy conditions that give me 8 boards of area per night, I would demand something tougher, use plastic or urethane, or go someplace that does put down the tough conditions I was asking for. If I truly thought that my 217 average was a joke, which it probably is, again, I'd ball down to plastic or urethane, or I'd look for tougher conditions elsewhere. Why don't I do it? It's because deep down, I don't really want to, or at least I don't want to badly enough...and I'm not alone!
If we wanted tougher conditions, we'd demand them of our bowling centers, and if they didn't give us what we wanted, we'd threaten to take our business elsewhere. But that's not what happens, is it? No. On the contrary, bowlers flock to the centers that have the easiest conditions and the most honor scores. As such, proprietors keep looking to make their conditions as scoreable as possible because that's what keeps butts in the seats, bowlers on the lanes, and money in the cash register.
Let's talk about bowling balls. Like many other competitive bowlers, I have a tournament arsenal of 8 balls, and I have another 3-4 sitting on the rack in my basement. I have a bowling ball rack in my basement. Does that tell you something right there? In the urethane days, I never averaged higher than 170. In today's environment, I routinely average 210-230. Now, I was very young during the urethane days, so it's not a completely transparent picture, but the point still holds. If you took all of my resin balls away, I'd probably be a 190-200 player at best. Knowing this, if I really wanted to challenge myself, I'd dump all of the resin, bag a plastic ball and maybe a urethane, and I'd take my chances. Hell, doing so would save me a lot of time, money, and wear and tear on my body from lugging 75lb bags of bowling balls into and out of tournaments! Why don't I do it? I don't do it because it's usually more fun to bowl 240 than it is to bowl 175. I do it because in the end I don't care as much about being challenged as I do about keeping up with those around me. I know that if I bagged nothing but plastic and urethane, I'd be way behind other bowlers in terms of average and scores, and my ego doesn't want that. That's right, in the end, I'm a hypocrite. I'd rather go with the flow and score big than challenge myself and be left behind the other bowlers.
That's right, I am part of the problem. I am contributing to the sad state of bowling as it is today. I can gripe that USBC, BPAA, and my local proprietors should do more to make the game challenging, but, in the end, it's not them; it's me. I could lower my average a ton and make the game a true challenge, but I won't do it because I just don't want to badly enough. I'd love to pass the buck and point the finger, but if I'm being honest, I have to point the thumb. Yes, ladies and gentelmen, I am what's wrong with bowling. Bowlers like me are the problem!
