Alright USBC.  You claim to solicit input from the bowling community.  Here's a strong recommendation on how to improve the OC from a representative majority of typical league bowlers...

That’s a great idea.  Did you see the last couple of postings on the Facebook site?  A couple of standard bowlers shot low 1800’s, which no one is going to say is impossible considering you are 209.

But those guys are gonna be in the regular division for the next three years cause that 1800 inflates their ave.  Having a so many game max ave doesn’t penalize them from having one moment of glory.  Now if they have two in five years, sure bump them up.

I agree, having 30,60,10 distribution is more indicative of what a usbc league truly is, but it’s never gonna fly for political reasons when the winner of standard, and I wouldn’t have a problem if he or she didn’t receive and Eagle, gets a check for $5000, but the best bowler and eagle winner only gets $2000 because of different prize funds.

You could do maybe 30, 25,25, 20.  Where the bulk of the house hacks battle it out in their respective divisions.  Then the top 20 percent battle it out for the prestigious eagle.

I have no doubt only the top 10 if not 5 percent of bowlers have any realistic chance of doing well in that division, but usually the 11-20 percent, while very good bowlers, also have egos big enough to think they can do well.  Good for them, with them in the mix it balances out the prize fund enough, you know the usbc will top weight the prizes so that the regular champ gets just as much, if not more than the other division winners.  They already stated that for 2017.

And they already have the data.  Every tournament you can look up your participation history and get your lifetime average.

By the time this place, you could even state minimum 27 game ave from 2013 onwards. ( next year they are using from 2010).  I’m suggesting 2013 cause it was the first year I think they had fresh oil for all squads? 

Wouldn’t take much work to run a program that breaks out divisions by those parameters and calculate tournament ave with rolling 45 game ave.

While Riggs et al stated that they and others like them would bowl in a parking lot for free just for a chance to win a an eagle.  The truth is the usbc needs as much participation as possible for a revenue source.

You have to create an atmosphere so everyone thinks they have a chance to get something out of the tournament.  It’s no longer an excuse to consider the tournament a pseudo vacation since the site is the same rotation, with a west coast bias.

It's a losing battle ....

The OC is tough and it should be .... but the VAST majority of bowlers never see anything other than soft house conditions.  It's a donation fest for the majority of participants and will never change unless the OC conditions get softer or league shots get harder.  PERIOD.

The USBC sanctions leagues (which means they take your money and do nothing except send out tin 300 rings), then holds a national tournament that is supposed to cater to those league bowlers ...... but it doesn't at all.  Maybe the new weight hole rule will fix it all 

Just got back from the OC and I bowled one of my best sets.  Bowled a sport league this year for the first time in like 5 years.  I believe there is a correlation there.  I average 225+ on a THS and have a OC average of 195.  I know I probably will never win (always think I could pop and shoot a decent 700) but I enjoy the competition and will continue to go.

I think these changes for the most part a good thing and while the division cutoffs aren't perfect they're a start.  I like that we are no longer converting a sport average to a THS average and then bowling on a sport condition.  That one made no sense.  I thinks the championship average will also help with sandbagging.  My son has an OC average of 153 so I know what a 155 bowler looks like and a lot of the old classified division bowlers were better than the classified division.

There have always been as many as 500 guys who werent PBA, Team USA or mega buck champs, that are going to be at the top of the prize lists at nationals. 

Those type of bowlers are called professional amateurs.