I think I saw where the national average for men was around 172 a couple of years ago.  Interesting that it was 167 in the 1960's.  Not really that much higher today. 

The skill level of the average competitor in nationals is not much higher, if any than the average league bowler. 

The biggest problem bowlers have today is not that they lack skill.  I think anyone who can average 220 on a house shot is pretty skilled.  What they lack is the versatility to be competitive on flatter patterns of varying lengths. 

I maintain that all of the information contained in my original post is valid and correct.

The teams at the top are typically great bowlers, no doubt about that. The one other factor they all have is they play as a team to breakdown the shot in a controllable manor. You don't have to be one of the elite teams to do this and have a good trip for you and your team. What that score is will be determined by your ability. We have began to work on a game plan the last couple years in each of the events. We put one of our teams in the top 100 and a doubles in the top 40 last year. The year before we had 3 bowlers in the top 80, including the guy in 5th. The key in my mind is we went to the ITRC and practiced on the pattern. NO it wasn't exactly what we saw at the Nationals, but it wasn't a house shot and at least close. My team cashed but not well due to me blowing out a shoulder in the 4th frame of the first game of team. Had surgery just a couple months later. We are not bowlers that are even that well known in our area, but are decent and bowl together in many events and leagues so have team chemistry. We do have the advantage of living in the DFW area, but houses all over the country do or can offer the pattern once it is announced. I think it is the only tournament (and should be) that to be successful you need to practice and have a game plan if you want to make money as a team. Otherwise it is everyone for themselves and someone is going to get hosed.

The problem (if you want to call it that) is that the top bowlers will always be the top bowlers (and should always be the top bowlers); the classified division offers lower level bowlers the opportunity to compete for some money against their peers (and a few sandbaggers); the 180 - 210 house hack has no chance of competing with the big boys but the tournament needs them to keep going to keep the tournament alive. 

I don't think the tournament provides a realistic chance for the 180 - 200 bowler to even cash and certainly not to get more than a small check.  The bigger problem is that I'm not sure that there is a solution and what it is if there is one.  You can't break it up into too many divisions, and as much as Riggs likes to remind people that they bowl to win and not for the money, there are many of the top teams that do bowl for the money, so taking money away from them isn't necessarily fair either.  I've said before, fair is a point of view.

I think the "ideal" solution is making 3 divisions: a championship division, a regular (or whatever you want to call it) and a classified.  These would be based on some sort of average (maybe 175 and below, 176 - 205, and 205+...honestly the exact numbers don't matter right now) with only the championship division being eligible for the Eagle.  Maybe there should be an option for teams in the other divisions to opt in (for a price) to be Eagle eligible, and the fees all go to the Eagle division prize fund.  I put ideal in quotes because no matter what, someone is getting screwed and I'm not sure there's a way around that.

Every time this discussion starts, people post get better as the solution.  That isn't a realistic option for everybody.  Some people have money issues, some have time issues, and lets face it, some just aren't that good.  Some have no opportunity to bowl on a sport shot due only to where they live.  Regardless, the USBC Open needs as many people coming as possible.  Things like making it impossible for a large portion of the field to cash and having the tourney in Reno every year don't help.  If you think my draft is stupid or unfair, propose a different one that meets your definition of fair and reasonable.

Reno never made sense to me.  Most of the population and bowlers live on the East coast.  Making everyone travel across the country doesnt make sense....  not like reno is vacation destination.

Wonder what the attendance looks like between knoxville versus Reno?? 

Secondly, USBC should advertise during leagues.  Many league bowlers dont know the national tournament exists.

Im not a fan of posting the pattern...  teams layout the shot (maybe not exact conditions, but close), and practice on it for 4 months...  the people that go Feb and Mar or dont have a house offering the pattern essentially go in blind. 

like anything, when the masses realize they dont not have a realistic chance to cash and their entries are supporting the top 5%, interest stops.  Like stated above, its a very expensive trip to go ti an undesirable location, bowl poorly, and have little expextation to even get a small check back.

S^2

Reno makes sense if you look at the bigger picture. Reno has the backing of the casinos, so it can put up a much stronger offer than most cities. Reno also has the NBS. So there are no constructions costs to build and tear down the lanes for the tournament. Reno also offers a better rental rate than most convention centers in other cities: 1) because of the casios backing 2) because it doesn't have outside competition like you would at a convention center with things like car shows, boat shows, etc and 3) It also doesn't have events scheduled year in and year like the aforementioned car shows, boats shows, gun shows, etc that a regular convention would have to get rid of to house the tournament. It is a cost savings to the USBC to have the tournament in Reno. And because of the declining membership and the decision to not raise membership dues, the tournament provides the USBC with a lot of the funding it needs to run.

As far as not posting the pattern, this is wrong. If you don't post it, then you are giving some people an incredible advantage. The pattern will get out, and without posting it publically, only a select few will know it. Then only those people will practice on it and only those people will be prepared. In order to make it fair, it has to be posted for all to see. That way everyone has the opportunity to know it and to practice on it. As to your point, people choose to go in Feb or March, they aren't forced to. That is there choice to go early knowing they won't have much time, if any, to practice on the pattern. If you have a center that won't put out the pattern, then maybe it is time to find a new center. I know for some that isn't possible, but with today's machines there isn't really any reason they can't put it out on an end pair on a Sunday morning for people to practice on. If your center won't do it currently, talk with your fellow bowlers and put together a proposal. Show the center that they can have 5, 10, 15, etc people come in every week that will practice on this pattern for a month or two. Show them how much money they can make for just doing a small amount of extra work. If they still won't do it than that center isn't into making money I guess. But even in that case you still know the pattern and know where you should be playing based on that. There is really no reason not to make it public unless you want to give the regular bowlers even less of a chance to score well and cash.

The major issue with the lane conditions is the fact that you have teams that have access to a bowling alley that can lay down the shot and practice on it for weeks in advance. Learning exactly how to break the lanes down properly. It's an unfair advantage against the 99% of the field that doesnt have this kind of access. The tournament shot shouldn't be posted publicly and lane assignments should be random so you dont have 10 guys working together to create an easier shot.

There are people making a living bowling this tournament. It's a joke.

+1 to Joe Cool.

I take several teams each year and I want our group to bowl together. I invite people who will get along well with each other and make the experience enjoyable for everyone.

Of course we have a couple of decent teams, but we aren't a threat to win the tournament. I would definitely want to keep the "elite" teams away from my classified teams. Those bowlers are there for the experience and I do not want to have them deal with a team of "serious" bowlers who might be a bunch of jerks because they got a raw deal in the lane draw. I want my bowlers(especially the ones new to the tournament) to enjoy the experience.

I'll say this about location...

I live in the Southeastern U.S. I would love to go to Reno ... once. I want to bowl in the stadium. But in order for me to get out there with my family and my equipment would take either a significant investment of time or money, thus making it a once-in-a-lifetime trip on par with a vacation in, say, New Zealand.

There is no way I'm going in back-to-back years, or two out of every three. It doesn't add up financially for me. And given that I'm in that butter zone of averages that has no chance at ever winning a damned thing (180-210), basically the Open is nothing more than a vacation anyway.

On top of that, I find the scheduling requirements for this tournament on the border of being ludicrous. Our association's group (around 50 bowlers) are already taking up money for NEXT year, because they have to lock in hotel reservations, travel dates, etc. I don't know where I'll be 14 months from now, yet I'm supposed to commit to a date?

I full well understand why Reno gets the tournament so often: It's a dependable moneymaker for the USBC more than it is an actual competitive tournament, and Reno all but gives away the stadium. Still, if the USBC continues to focus on Reno so often, it will end up being to the detriment of the tournament itself.

I competed in Baton Rouge and was surprised at how compact the space requirements were. I was expecting much, much more ancillary stuff -- the booths, the video lanes, etc. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised, because I've been to the building that housed the tournament when it was in Mobile, Ala., and was shocked they could fit it all in there. As such, I think the USBC could afford to scale down a little in exchange for rotating cities more often.

Jess