Just as an FYI.  Effective 8/1/22 the USBC has rescinded the pandemic emergency rules as follows:

Isopropyl alcohol no longer permitted during sanctioned competition.  The dry towel only rule is back in full effect.

Leagues and tournaments can no longer be competed on a single lane.  Must use an adjoining pair of lanes for sanctioned competition.

USBC also announced that they will be certifying lanes again at bowling centers starting in January 2023.  Certification will be for 3 years at a time, and the cost to bowling centers will be $30/lane.  The certification process takes 5 minutes per lane.

I was on our local board, and I can tell you it takes way more than 5 minutes to certify a lane.

Quote from: Bowler19525 on July 18, 2022, 09:37:16 PM

Quote from: DrBob806 on July 18, 2022, 08:15:52 PM

I was on our local board, and I can tell you it takes way more than 5 minutes to certify a lane.

The USBC is claiming 5 min per lane.  They ask the lane to be fully stripped of oil, and are telling centers that a lane can immediately be oiled and put back in service as soon as they finish inspecting it.

They can claim whatever they like, I certified lanes for years and it's grueling work if you intend to actually do it properly.

Someone has to crawl under the pindeck on their stomach and measure lane width at two different points, flat gutter depth, level the lane, inspect the kick panels, etc., as well as check the integrity of everything you can check from the bottom. Then there are depression/topography checks, oil tapes and weighing the pins. You're looking at 15-20 minutes per lane if you do everything you're supposed to (assuming one person is doing the entire cert) -- most importantly, giving the person doing the test time to recover physically every few lanes. It is tough work, and the position you have to be in to do the under-deck stuff puts a lot of pressure on your neck and will make you lightheaded as hell every time you stand up if you stand too quickly. And I was in my 20s then.

Quote from: Bowler19525 on July 18, 2022, 09:37:16 PM

Quote from: DrBob806 on July 18, 2022, 08:15:52 PM

I was on our local board, and I can tell you it takes way more than 5 minutes to certify a lane.

The USBC is claiming 5 min per lane.  They ask the lane to be fully stripped of oil, and are telling centers that a lane can immediately be oiled and put back in service as soon as they finish inspecting it.

They can claim whatever they like, I certified lanes for years and it's grueling work if you intend to actually do it properly.

Someone has to crawl under the pindeck on their stomach and measure lane width at two different points, flat gutter depth, level the lane, inspect the kick panels, etc., as well as check the integrity of everything you can check from the bottom. Then there are depression/topography checks, oil tapes and weighing the pins. You're looking at 15-20 minutes per lane if you do everything you're supposed to (assuming one person is doing the entire cert) -- most importantly, giving the person doing the test time to recover physically every few lanes. It is tough work, and the position you have to be in to do the under-deck stuff puts a lot of pressure on your neck and will make you lightheaded as hell every time you stand up if you stand too quickly. And I was in my 20s then.

I had to change my pants after the pinsetter came down on me around 10 years ago. I was real lucky- no injuries just scared the crap out of me.

Utilizing the Automatic Certification Evaluation Tool, or ACE for short, inspections will be finished. ACE is a cutting-edge topography recording device that gathers lane data and produces certification reports instantly using digital sensors and a precisely machined frame. gorilla tag
Compared to a 10- to 12-minute window with instruments previously utilized in the process, ACE will record all of the data points necessary for certification on a lane in about five minutes.