RobbieB
Rodentus scientificus
In the TBA questions thread, there are a number of posts regarding TBA setting restrictions on lane conditions to help the fringe tournament bowlers improve (and yes, I know that's an oversimplification). Rather than continue to hijack Waynes thread, I thought it was time for a new one.
Tim, I actually share a lot of your views on lane conditions. However, as a reasonably long time member of the industry, I'm a realist about what proprieters will do to keep heir bowlers happy, and the adult bumper bowling mentality is too entrenched now to alter.
As far as helping fringe tournament bowlers make the step up, I have been there and done that. (some might say not too well lol) To be able to improve, you need three things:
The honesty to accept that despite your 220 GWOC league average, you are nowhere near competitive on 'real' conditions;
Desire to want to improve;
Access to means of improvement.
Much of our tournament and potential tournament bowling base has now grown up with resin superballs and blocked lanes. IT IS NOW THE NORM, and it is time that the old farts like me who learned to bowl with rubber gear on lacquer accepted that. We can't turn back the clock, so another way forward must be found.
Regulating lane conditions will not work, simply because the proprieters will do whatever they need to do - or think they need to do - to retain their customers. Patterns are not the only way to block a lane, if you really want big scores, they are just the easiest way to ditch it up.
Knowledge is the key to the future of the sport, and should be the number one priority for TBA. Joe Average might not want to bowl National events, but a lot of league bowlers want to improve, and the average bowler is still at the 150-ish level they were at 20 years ago. What has changed is that the reward curve for increasing skill level is a lot steeper now.
When I made up my mind that I wanted to be competitive, I knew how bad I was, despite my inflated average. My solution was to use plastic for league play, to take away the area and free carry of the then modern (10 years ago)balls. I think it helped me get better, and become a regular casher rather than a donator. Weaker gear (not necessarily plastic) makes you throw the ball better, and is one way of improving on current lane conditions, especially if you avoid the dry edge a play in the oil. Playing two or three lowball games a week helps a lot with your spare game, too.
Back to the education part - If TBA had the resources, they could appoint regional coaching coordinators and set up a permanent series of clinics, seminars and training camps around Australia. At these camps, the difference between 'recreational' and 'serious conditions can be reinforced. If and when TBA can create a demand for a product - lets call them 'sport condition leagues' - the centres will supply that product. Centres would have to apply for certification of their sport pattern, regulated by the regional coaching coordinator, with spot checks irregularly. Once the house hacks realise just how bad they really are, they will either try to improve or go back to their china shots. For the ones who want to improve, the lanes stay on - for a fee - for an hour, with a registered coach in attendence. Once a month you have a clinic instead of a league session.
The problem is, $12.50 won't buy you a network of coaches and support infrastructure, or a nationwide bowler recruitment campaign, or support for televised bowling tournaments. $12.50 buys exactly what we have - part-timers and volunteers struggling to keep what's left of the sport relevant to a client base with generally no idea about the basics of the sport.
If you do the sums, TBA needs a million dollars a years just to do the basics properly. Simply sanctioning every league bowler in the country would get them there, but its a Catch 22 in that they can't supply the services and the profile to justify the fees until they get the fees, for which everyone wants justification....
Fees should be fifty bucks a years, payable weekly with social money. Thats a buck a week, for christs sake. For everyone. As I put forward in the other thread, $2 a week would be better, if we could talk the props into giving back a lousy off peak free game a week. I think most would.
With that sort of money, the sport has the firepower to DO SOMETHING! You know one of the things I'd like to see from TBA? A nice, glossy monthly or bimonthly magazine, full of big, paid ads going directly to 50,000 people KNOWN to have disposable income. Filled with articles on bowling ranging from as basic as why lanes are oiled, to bowling ball physics. KNOWLEDGE IS THE KEY TO THE FUTURE OF THE GAME! If that couldn't become at least cost-neutral in the hands of a decent marketing guy I'd eat one.
TBA need a marketing manager, and enough money to advertise the sport, teach the bowlers we have, and - in concert with the proprietors - recruit new ones.
Tim, you complained that your centre won't put down challenging patterns for you. I will bet that if you got a dozen bowlers willng to bowl at a crappy time for the centre - Sunday night, a dead league night, whatever - they would do it. If not, shop around and find one that will.
At Kirwan, we are happy to lay shots out on request, under reasonable conditions. Not only that, we have some of the cheapest practise rates in Australia, and any member of any State teams practises free - including DeVeer, Holt, whatever. I'm not idealistic enough to think that will become the norm, but it wouldn't kill TBA to arrange a free card for Pres Shield, Rachuig and other State rep bowlers so that practice up to x games per week got charged back to TBA (at a good rate, hopefully). These guys will be playing more than one league a week, normally, so they get a bit back for extra fees and the cost of representation. Just an idea.
Social membership - why can't we have a $5 social membership that gives social bowlers a discount on social bowling? The centres would just jack up the price by the cost of the discount, gain a great mailing list for advertising, and human nature being what it is, people won't want to 'waste' their membership, so they might go bowling more. Pick the worst 4 hour block of the week and offer half price bowling to 'social club members' only, watch it fill up.
Oops, getting off topic. Rant over.
Cheers, Robbie (ex-fringe tournament bowler)
Tim, I actually share a lot of your views on lane conditions. However, as a reasonably long time member of the industry, I'm a realist about what proprieters will do to keep heir bowlers happy, and the adult bumper bowling mentality is too entrenched now to alter.
As far as helping fringe tournament bowlers make the step up, I have been there and done that. (some might say not too well lol) To be able to improve, you need three things:
The honesty to accept that despite your 220 GWOC league average, you are nowhere near competitive on 'real' conditions;
Desire to want to improve;
Access to means of improvement.
Much of our tournament and potential tournament bowling base has now grown up with resin superballs and blocked lanes. IT IS NOW THE NORM, and it is time that the old farts like me who learned to bowl with rubber gear on lacquer accepted that. We can't turn back the clock, so another way forward must be found.
Regulating lane conditions will not work, simply because the proprieters will do whatever they need to do - or think they need to do - to retain their customers. Patterns are not the only way to block a lane, if you really want big scores, they are just the easiest way to ditch it up.
Knowledge is the key to the future of the sport, and should be the number one priority for TBA. Joe Average might not want to bowl National events, but a lot of league bowlers want to improve, and the average bowler is still at the 150-ish level they were at 20 years ago. What has changed is that the reward curve for increasing skill level is a lot steeper now.
When I made up my mind that I wanted to be competitive, I knew how bad I was, despite my inflated average. My solution was to use plastic for league play, to take away the area and free carry of the then modern (10 years ago)balls. I think it helped me get better, and become a regular casher rather than a donator. Weaker gear (not necessarily plastic) makes you throw the ball better, and is one way of improving on current lane conditions, especially if you avoid the dry edge a play in the oil. Playing two or three lowball games a week helps a lot with your spare game, too.
Back to the education part - If TBA had the resources, they could appoint regional coaching coordinators and set up a permanent series of clinics, seminars and training camps around Australia. At these camps, the difference between 'recreational' and 'serious conditions can be reinforced. If and when TBA can create a demand for a product - lets call them 'sport condition leagues' - the centres will supply that product. Centres would have to apply for certification of their sport pattern, regulated by the regional coaching coordinator, with spot checks irregularly. Once the house hacks realise just how bad they really are, they will either try to improve or go back to their china shots. For the ones who want to improve, the lanes stay on - for a fee - for an hour, with a registered coach in attendence. Once a month you have a clinic instead of a league session.
The problem is, $12.50 won't buy you a network of coaches and support infrastructure, or a nationwide bowler recruitment campaign, or support for televised bowling tournaments. $12.50 buys exactly what we have - part-timers and volunteers struggling to keep what's left of the sport relevant to a client base with generally no idea about the basics of the sport.
If you do the sums, TBA needs a million dollars a years just to do the basics properly. Simply sanctioning every league bowler in the country would get them there, but its a Catch 22 in that they can't supply the services and the profile to justify the fees until they get the fees, for which everyone wants justification....
Fees should be fifty bucks a years, payable weekly with social money. Thats a buck a week, for christs sake. For everyone. As I put forward in the other thread, $2 a week would be better, if we could talk the props into giving back a lousy off peak free game a week. I think most would.
With that sort of money, the sport has the firepower to DO SOMETHING! You know one of the things I'd like to see from TBA? A nice, glossy monthly or bimonthly magazine, full of big, paid ads going directly to 50,000 people KNOWN to have disposable income. Filled with articles on bowling ranging from as basic as why lanes are oiled, to bowling ball physics. KNOWLEDGE IS THE KEY TO THE FUTURE OF THE GAME! If that couldn't become at least cost-neutral in the hands of a decent marketing guy I'd eat one.
TBA need a marketing manager, and enough money to advertise the sport, teach the bowlers we have, and - in concert with the proprietors - recruit new ones.
Tim, you complained that your centre won't put down challenging patterns for you. I will bet that if you got a dozen bowlers willng to bowl at a crappy time for the centre - Sunday night, a dead league night, whatever - they would do it. If not, shop around and find one that will.
At Kirwan, we are happy to lay shots out on request, under reasonable conditions. Not only that, we have some of the cheapest practise rates in Australia, and any member of any State teams practises free - including DeVeer, Holt, whatever. I'm not idealistic enough to think that will become the norm, but it wouldn't kill TBA to arrange a free card for Pres Shield, Rachuig and other State rep bowlers so that practice up to x games per week got charged back to TBA (at a good rate, hopefully). These guys will be playing more than one league a week, normally, so they get a bit back for extra fees and the cost of representation. Just an idea.
Social membership - why can't we have a $5 social membership that gives social bowlers a discount on social bowling? The centres would just jack up the price by the cost of the discount, gain a great mailing list for advertising, and human nature being what it is, people won't want to 'waste' their membership, so they might go bowling more. Pick the worst 4 hour block of the week and offer half price bowling to 'social club members' only, watch it fill up.
Oops, getting off topic. Rant over.
Cheers, Robbie (ex-fringe tournament bowler)
