Following MichiganBowling's thread about the poll I offer the following as to what might be defined as integrity on bowling and offer everyone to implement your thoughts.
In sports in general intergrity is looked at as requiring the participant to have consistant repeatable skills. The more consistant and repeatable the more skill and higher up the sport ladder the participant is classified.
Rules and regulations by the respective sports organizations should protect and maintain those skills decade to decade... there by insuring that the skill of previous participants are on the same playing field as todays.
Where has bowling lost integrity? By not requiring the same level of physical consistant and repeatable skills. By allowing the stirring of altered bowling shots to be guided to the pocket, by allowing poorly throuwn bowling balls to strike at will, by allowing pins that topple and fly so much more easily then ever before.
The playing field today is so much different than yesterday. The scores of bowlers yesterday cant compete with them of today. Does that mean those bowlers had less consistant, repeatable skills? Are they less skilled than todays bowlers?
If we want bowling to be a sport (in the olympics for example) then it has to reach the level of consistant repeatable skill of the likes of gymnastics where the equipment used plays almost no positive effects on the out come. Or like basketball with very consistant hardfast equipement. These sports have integrity and the skill is in the hands of the better athlete.
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