If you think Caboolture is easy..........

[GeorgeF]

Check out this post from the PBA site

"We have a 12 team scratch trio that has six 300s and three 800s in the 1st 3 weeks, half of them were shot last week! I wonder if there are any forum members that could contribute similar reports from your center? Tonite is league nite, we should have more when I get back online at midnight, the number might be 8 or so! Last year this league had 29, we are well ahead of that pace, it just can't be like this all over the country, can it?? By the way, the 844 and the 2 of the 300s never got a "clap"!"

:shock: :shock: :shock: :shock:

 

[unmarked]

Kedron flogs there 'league conditions' in phamplets they hand out. "6 x 300 games in 6 months and 13 x 290 games. 56% of 87 Qld Cup field bowled 200+ average on our league condition. Try it!!!"

High energy balls, easy conditions and other technology is bringing higher scores than ever, bowler talent hasnt improved, just the equipment.

 

[Stuart Little]

aammmmmmmmmmmmmmggggghhhhhhhhhhhh NO!!!!!!!!

Maybe the balls have made bowling easier but the lanes make it harder and the bowler still has to hav talent other wise you would put it in the right spot. And trust me the lane conditions are crap were i bowl. The other night (not mentioning centre or league) i bowled and the lanes where crap and i dont think anyone bowled well out of the bowlers who can through 200 averages. I could name hundreds of events and leagues that hav had crap lane conditions but i wont go on.

IT'S NOT THE BALL'S, LANE OR EQUIPMENT BUT THE BOWLERS WHO ARE GETTING BETTER.

thats my opinion anyway so yeah

 

[unmarked]

exactly, ur opinion, and ur 14 years old...ive been bowling longer than u have been alive

 

[GeorgeF]

Unamrked

Am I really surprised that a centre would boast about being easy. Whilst we all know in Brisbane that most centres are pretty easy, advertising the fact is going a little too far. Yes lane conditions have gotten easier over the last 2 years as people have finally figured out how to tweak their oiling machines to the max.

Also in saying that, the bowlers have also come of age. By that I mean that 2-3 years it was rare to avg 240 for 10 games and only 1-2 people could do it. Now since we have been bowling on these conditions for some time there is now at least 10-15 guys alone in QLD who could avg 240 on the right condition. Confidence has certainly helped, confidence I think they would not have had 2-3 years ago.

The equipment is good but whilst there is strict rule parameters governing our sport I don't think using the latest Track ball will give you a 20 pin advantage over a new Track ball that was released 3 years ago.

In summary (this is longer than I had hoped). Bowlers have gained more confidence in QLD as they have been bowling on these ditches for sometime now. It's not the equipment, its the bowlers and the lane conditions that have resulted in these scores.

SO EVERYONE IN QLD WHO THINKS THEY CAN BOWL SHOULD BE BOWLING THE SPORTS SERIES TO SEE HOW GOOD THEY REALLY ARE!!!!!!!!!!! :wink:

 

[unmarked]

George

some of your points are good, others i dont agree with.

"The equipment is good but whilst there is strict rule parameters governing our sport I don't think using the latest Track ball will give you a 20 pin advantage over a new Track ball that was released 3 years ago"

on that point, i agree it wont give you a 20 pin advantage. however the 'hitting power' of these new balls is far superior to those made 2, 5, 10 years ago... They 'carry' the pins better obviously, and the pin action is getting more and more eye opening as the years go by.

Many studies have been undertaken into the advancement in sport thanks to technology. You cant tell me that if we were bowling with rubber balls on oiling patterns of 25 years ago that we could bowl the averages we do today.

Whether we like it or not, technology has made bowling , and all sports for that matter, easier.

 

[AdrianS]

Some more tidbits from the PBA board

Billy Orlikowski lead the qualifying in a regional a couple years back with 10/+612(yeeks!).

Jeff Carter(Mr 261 leauge av.) has something like 87 300's

beat that then!

 

[wchester]

Scoring...Then and Now

Back in the days before urethane and resin, when I was a young pup in the early 1960's. a 200 average bowler was a rare sight indeed!

In the late 1960's, using a Manhattan Rubber bowling ball, I somehow lucked into a world's record three game series score for junior bowlers with 299-279-269 for 847. At the time my average had just surpassed the 200 level which at the time was still recognized as very good but no longer great.

Starting in the 1970's with the introduction of the Columbia yellow Dot bleeder, the 300 games and 800's series came at an alarming rate. it was no longer Unusual for a top bowler to average 220 + for a league season.

Still using a Yellow Dot bleeder into the early 1980's I posted book averages of 237, 235, and even had a 246 average during the shorter summer league season...

I'm not alone in these accomplishments..there were literally hundreds of bowlers throughout the US with likewise lofty averages.

1981 brought about the introduction on the world's first urethane bowling ball, the AMF Angle and a new generation of bowlers discovered the joys of higher scoring. Suddenly that weak ten was turned into a strike and by now the lifetime 180 averagers had suddenly gotten "better" and now booked a 200 + average.

Fast forward to 1990 and the very first reactive resin ball is introduced, the Nu-Line X-Caliber. Mark McDowell journeyman pro bowler wowed his four opponents and literally had the entire lane in his televised victory. The long sought after 900 series is accomplished five different times and thousands of bowlers throughout the States are regularly shooting "honor" scores of 300 and 800. the lifetime 170 average bowlers are now booking over 200.

The record for high average is now 261 for a full season...that's a 783 series each and every week just to keep your average from dropping.
Last season in California, the Steve Cook Classic League set a new standard in high scoring. The entire 48 man field averaged a collective 220 + with over 30 300 games and countless 800's.

Yet bowling continues to lose participants year after year...When are we going to wake up and see that the problem cannot be remedied by making the lanes easier to score upon....

As Chicken Little says..."The sky is falling, the sky is falling"

SOMEONE PLEASE LISTEN BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE !!!!!!

 

[unmarked]

what a boring game...averaging 260..wheres the challenge?

 

[Andrew S.]

Thanks for a great post Wayne. You are so right.
On the bright side it's good to see that part of the problem has been addressed with the introduction of sport patterns. What is needed now is the introduction of sport balls.
Obviously you can't legislate against manufacture, so the only alternative is to apply the same logic to the equipment.
I think this would be a very positive move as it would also place everyone on an equal footing. Plus it opens up a whole new market for the ball companies.
Until then, the scores will continue to escalate until everyone gives it away because its too easy.
Anyone for cricket?

 

[Graham]

Anyone for cricket?

Im keen ...

 

[AdrianS]

Somewhere between a no room at all shot where a 190 game is about 10 over par and a chuck and duck shot shot where a 200 is about 20 under par exists a middle ground where the good guys would be averaging about 215-220 not 235-240 but people wouldn't be stinking up the joint with 170-180 averages when they think they should be getting about 195. Something like the scoring pace was at SPC for example(lots of guys in the 190's and 2-zeros but no one over 220 at tournament end) Problem is this is probably the hardest condition of all to put out there, just about any tech can put out the walled up shot or out of bounds outside 10 board shot. I've seen quite a few other events with this type of scoring pace where almost all styles have had a way of getting to the hole but the scores have stayed in the ballpark(examples- 98 warnambool cup, barossa cup and melbourne cup and 2000 australian open, look up the scores if you have them and see what i mean) It would be ideal if this type of scoring pace was the norm in ALL semi major and major events.

 

[Dazza]

I'll gladly admit that the leap in ball technology has helped me a lot. I don't throw a big shot and any extra carry (and hook for that matter) is always welcome. But I think the changes have come with disadvantages as well. I don't remember ever leaving a 4-9 with urethane and missing the headpin right rarely left a washout (you usually took out the 10). Bringing balls off the gutter for light pocket 7-10's seems to be a thing of only the last few years as well. It still shocks the hell out of me when I can put a ball between the the 1 & 3 pins or the 3 & 6 pins. Thankfully, the increased carry and pin action far out weighs the weird things even someone like me who doesn't hit the ball can leave.

 

[Stuart Little]

Hang on a sec!
although im 14 i still hav a point.

If i was wrong im still kinda right because everyone should be bowling better. 10 years ago people where bowling 200 averages but now its 220. in a compitition such as a masters or even squads or leagues, all of the people would be benifiting from this new technology. how many people who are serious about the sport are still bowling with rubber balls nearly everyone has got a resin. If bowling moves forward, that means everyone can move forward.

So if the score go up that doesnt mean that the compitition get worse because 2, 3, 4, or even 10 pins separted bowlers in the 1980's but it still is 2, 3, 4, or even 10 pins today.


That's me anyway
You can bowl better, but can you bet the people who are bowling well to. that is the question i ask.

 

[Sean M]

Well here's my two cents worth. If technology is moving forward then so are the bowlers scores. The thing is the level of talent can never be changed by technology. Its something you have or you don't. If a 180 ave bowler back in the days of Wayne's world is throwing a 200 ave these days then a 200 ave bowler back then should be bowling a 220+ ave today, right? The thing I get sick of hearing is what it was like back then. Do you think the fastest runners in the world today are running in Doc Martin type shoes or things they might have tied up over their ankles? As I heard in a movie not long ago...."There is no tomorrow!" so why should there be a yesterday? Lets get on with bowling and move with the times. What do you thing Wayne?

 

[jimcross]

Why should there be a yesterday ? Because,if you don't learn from yesterday --- there might not be a tomorrow.

Also read the "Stop this insanity............" post.