Pretty much everyone says it is either the ball technology or lane conditions, either too much, too little, too easy, to hard as I have come to find out by reading posts on here.
But I think an even bigger problem than that exists. It seems that a lot of bowlers are always complaining that one condition or another is unfair to their style regardless if they are a cranker or a stroker. Most houses I have bowled at have a medium christmas tree pattern that makes the playing field about as even as it can be. What are they supposed to do to please everyone? Lay out multiple patterns every night and label the lane from stroker to cranker. I don't think so.
I think that a lot of what is hurting this great sport is this increasingly bad attitude that is getting put out there by all the finger pointing and complaining, don't complain and just adjust. When that opponent is getting cheap strikes don't say to yourself that lucky !@#$%^&*()_+, be happy for him and feed of off his energy, after all his bowling has no affect on your average and we all have nights that we spray the ball all over and still score well. Nobody likes being around when everyone is complaining. Haven't you ever had a job that when you first started you really liked, but after awhile you began to hate it because everyone else was always complaining and their attitude influenced your thoughts. It has happened to me and this is the same thing. Nobody likes being around when people are always complaining and I have never heard anyone say I quit because I was too good at it and more than likely they have a lot of time getting to that level so if they quit it is wasted time.
These are the things that are pushing me away from the sport anyway.
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STORMIN1
STOP COMPLAINING & START ADJUSTING!

Edited on 6/15/2003 2:11 AM

10 in the Pit.  Are you sure you aren't from around here?  lol   I had the exact problem all year this year.  Silly long oil with carrydown moving in right after practice was over.  My avg dropped 15 pins this year (though some of that is the fact that the down and in fluff shot does not favor my timing and some was because I developed minor tendonitis in my wrist).  I tried everything under the sun and when I finally got a stronger ball they cut back the oil volume and opened up the lane a bit like they always do for summer.  So we complained a bit and got them to put out a tough shot for the summer scratch league

But now the league I am bowling has some seblance of a 37 ft sport shot with crazy volumes of oil that entire 37 ft and it carries down like crazy.  Like last week I through 2 or 3 shots straight up 14 with a Carbide LRG and missed the headpin on the right side (I am RH).

What I really think the problem is is the fact that some houses try to lay down shots that really are not compatible with their lanes.  Or that is the problem I seem to have.  In the 3 weeks of this league no one has shot 800 (4 game league), and the high game is right around 220.  Half the league avg'd 215+ in the fall and 2 of the guys are in the top 150 in All Events at ABCs (one of whom through a 300).  I like the tougher shot because it gives me a chance to win some points against these guys and win some pot games with some low scores, and I like the challenge it presents, but it is almost silly because after the first game, even the heaviest particle equipment won't move up the boards and there is no such thing as a consistent reaction inside anywhere.

I am not a fan of the wall shot, but I am also not a fan of the shot that truly favors 1 type of game over another.  I have fought all year with area and only having 2 or 3 boards on a house shot (when others are complaining about only having 7 or 8!) and now have 0 area on this new shot.  But I won't quit because I always like a challenge and the opportunity to make my game better.  Scores are good, but I tend to agree with people that they just don't feel as good when you are spraying the lane everywhere knowing that game 250+ would have been 180- on a different shot.

I guess I am no where near on topic now but I didn't get much sleep and have to drive 10 hours to Knoxville today, so my mind is only semi-funtioning...lol