My thoughts:

- The young talent in bowling right now is phenomenal.  Simonsen, Pickford, and Chapman are so young and really really good.  Bowling as a sport's future is bright no matter how much money is involved.  I hope sponsors pick up on this going forward.

And the list of young stars keeps going. Svensson, Tackett, Kent, Lavoie, etc. etc. Its really a fun time to watch, especially as an Xtra Frame subscriber. Game after game, there's usually someone on the live stream pairs worth watching.

Quote from: Cornerpin on February 13, 2017, 12:04:08 PM

Quote from: LookingForALeftyWall on February 13, 2017, 10:56:54 AM

My thoughts:

- The young talent in bowling right now is phenomenal.  Simonsen, Pickford, and Chapman are so young and really really good.  Bowling as a sport's future is bright no matter how much money is involved.  I hope sponsors pick up on this going forward.

- The chanting/cheering is not awesome.  Just let people cheer the way they want.  It seemed so forced/not natural.

- I am not a Belmo hater at all but dude did himself no favors at the end of the show...Turning to the crowd and saying "Number 7" = FIGJAM/douche.  Not waiting till Simonsen was done to pick up the trophy - not awesome.  Dude didn't even shake Simonsen's hand after the match (at least not on camera)...just not a great showing of respect towards his opponent or the game in my opinion.

"FIGJAM/Douche"  hahahaha, classic

Finally saw the match today, and yea. Belmo definitely could have waited to celebrate and get in front of the camera after Anthony was finished bowling. Not a good look at all.

It happens all the time.  Anytime the show is running long they will do whatever they can to shorten it up.  Many times they start the awards celebration once the winner is done, even if the other bowler is just bowling out.

Found myself rooting for Belmo and a couple of years ago that would never happen. The young kids have been kinda showing him up. I do think however the bunch of young players are great for the game. I even liked the chants.  From a post above I agree for someone my age I like the PWBA telecasts better.  Oh, I did not need Randy P telling me what seemed like 2 or 3 times a frame that Belmo needed to square it up. 

Just my .02 worth. I don't think it's that the "kids" are showing up Belmo, it's the fact that it's VERY hard to bowl two handed the older you get. Just as it is very hard to throw with a lot of revs, the older you get., Ask Robert Smith.
What made bowling so great is that it once "WAS" a life time participation sport. It took years to become good enough to compete at high levels week in and week out, until you put the time honing your skills and learning different releases and good speed control. Unfortunately, with this high rev game, you are going to see the champions be younger, and last for fewer years, because it will be very hard to continue this type of play older in life.
As long as they keep using oil patterns that makes the backend of the lane play tight, and the fronts hook if you don't have a lot of speed, you are going to see this style of play, and continually from "younger" guys.

What makes it not a lifetime participation sport? The fact that people in their athletic prime are better than people in their 50s and 60s? Of course it's a young guys sport - it's a SPORT.

Still, you'd be hard pressed to find any other lifetime participation sport where people the ages of PDW, PB3, and WRW can still consistently compete. Have you checked out the winners list for the PGA Tour last season? Tennis is a lifetime participation sport for many, and Federer is a freak for making it as long as he has. Skiing? Racquetball? Running? Swimming? Cycling?

Lifetime participation does not mean a lifetime of being competitive in ANY sport. Bowlers are lucky to be able to truly compete as long as we are able to, especially at a local/regional level.

The target market for bowling has always been those less "athletically" gifted and aren't necessarily going to make the football or basketball teams in high school. I'm not saying "athletes" don't bowl, but lets be realistic as to what it takes to bowl, compared to what it takes to play football. Two completely different skill sets. You are decreasing the potential pool of participants even further by turning it into a "young kids" game. For bowling to be sustainable, you need to be able to have many years to make your income as a professional. It won't take long to have the next potential "super stars" deciding to go in a different direction than bowling, because they won't be able to compete long enough or make enough money to sustain a comfortable living.

Just to be clear, I'm speaking as someone who has coached Saturday youth bowling for the past 20 years, so I see what the demographic is.

Lofting the ball 15 feet down the lane IS NOT bowling!

Loft a ball 15 feet in the bowling alleys I bowl in you will be told to stop or don't come back.Some people seem to think Synthetics are indestructible.

#getoffmylawn. You old, bitter schmucks amaze me. Go plug in your VCR, dig up your VHS tapes and watch that if you don't like what's on today.

Just because the ball doesn't "dent" the lane, the way it used to on wood surfaces, doesn't mean that lofting a 15-16 lb object 10-15 feet down lane isn't doing damage to the structural integrity of the lane. The topography will be affected, which affects ball motion.

it has nothing to do with modern, it has to do with reality.

Same people complaining about lofting the heads are probably using charcoal to blow up the heads.

#truth