I think the sooner people accept that it isn't meant to be fair, the sooner things can change for the better. 

The reality is that we really have (at least) 2 different tourneys going on.  One for the guys realistically competing for an Eagle (maybe 200 teams) and the rest of us.  The smart thing to do would be just to separate the Eagle division out or let people opt into that division.  But that's not going to happen because they don't want to lose out on taking all the 180 - 200 bowlers' money in addition to the title.  If I had a dollar for every time I heard "but we deserve it for putting in all the work" as though putting in work is all it takes to be elite.

The tournament is not about being fair.  It never has been - well, not fair to everybody.  The recent oil changes were really made to be fair to the good teams.  They wanted to compete on "equal" ground to other good teams in S&D.  That doesn't put the rest of the teams on even ground, but they aren't concerned with that.  The problem with the word "fair" is that fair is only a point of view. 

This years Eagle winners and their companion team happen to be spread out across most of the eastern time zone. I am personal friends and teammares with one of them and I can tell you he never practiced on the pattern or with his teammates.

Oh....and they set the all time record. Kinda shoots that idea all to hell. But some of them did practice together and refined the layouts to use and I am sure it helped. But you have to make shots....which is what they did....to win an Eagle.

The lone bowler scenario is what it is. He can also come on here or other bowling sites and advertise an attempt to build an elite team. I would sign up with someone if that was their attempt.

Joe Cool,
    What tournament is ever fair to your thinking? Is your local association tournament fair....would it be "fair" if Chris Barnes lived there and bowled your association tournament? What about your State Tournament is that fair? Is it fair for those who live in Texas to have all the new bowlers from the USBC that moved to Arlington bowling in it the last few years? Show me please a tournament that is "fair" to you?
 
You want fair, play tindlelywinks....bowling is a sport and sports are never fair. There are always people more talented, more dedicated, have more resources available or a combination of all three.  Do you only bowl against people you can bear Joe Cool? Do you not have a desire to compete against the best out there or do you only want to win so you only bowl against people less skilled than you? Why would you want to seperate the divisions further? I, for one, would never vote for that, even though I am not on the same level as a Riggs, or the team that won this year. Why would I do that, because that is where I aspire to be....I always want to bowl against the best. I want to test myself against the best bowlers around and see where I stand. I have made some money at the USBC Open in the past, and I have donated some years, it happens. Why would you want to deprive yourself and others of this by segregating it further...so you can win the best of the also-rans? The best of the better than classified but not quite good division?
 
To borrow a line from ESPN....C'Mon Man!

Sounds like sour grapes to me. You should learn to carve the lanes better. 

Milo,
    I don't know where it is, but I sure know where you can put it!!     

To give everyone else a chance? 

It doesn't make sense.  They pay dues just like everyone else.

To go with the OP's topic.

I don't know if modern lane machines could apply that much conditioner or not. I'm pretty sure the old wick machines would not have been able to without multiple applications.

Also I believe there could be issues with that much lane conditioner with the ball returns.

Almost every house I have been to has a sign posted about not going past the foul line. So unless you have really long arms... 

Another question?

I do not know of a rule that prohibits a bowler from taking a towel can removing lane conditioner from portions of the lane.

While this would probably be considered unethical, would it be illegal?

Why do we have to stop? Why don't you start trying it?

Every bowler has to play somewhere on the lane. You want a rule that states that only 2 guys can play on each arrow?

Why is lane carving such a big deal all of a sudden? Bowl your game, don't worry about what others are doing