Are you a bowler, or just someone who bowls? If you ever watch golf on TV, you have probably seen that commercial with Arnold Palmer where he asks, "Are you a golfer, or just someone who plays golf?"
It's an ad to entice people to join the United States Golf Association, but simply joining an organization does not make anyone a player in golf or bowling.
Should you join these organizations? Absolutely, you should. By Arnold's definition, I guess I've never been a golfer because I've never joined the USGA, but I am aware that they do wonderful things for that sport, and I know for a fact that ABC and WIBC do wonderful things for bowling.
I have been a sanctioned bowler since I first rolled a ball as an eight-year-old in 1958. Does that make me a bowler? I don't think so. There have been times over the years when I was a bowler, but it wasn't simply because I was a member of ABC or even PBA.
To be a bowler, in my view, you must actively participate in the sport of bowling, and learn everything you can about balls and lane conditions and the technical aspects of the sport. In years past, league bowling was considered to be an arena where the sport was played; but today, with rare exceptions, that is not the case. Maybe Sport Bowling can bring it back to league play. It's great that there are still 3.5 million people who are members of ABC and WIBC, but only a handful are sport bowlers. The vast majority are "just people who bowl"—recreational bowlers.
I would be willing to bet that many members of PBA and PWBA are not really "bowlers." PBA has about 3,000 members, PWBA only around 300. Probably only about 75 percent of these members actively participate in the sport. Some join for business reasons, some to support the organizations, and that's great, but are they "bowlers"?
It's much more difficult to be a "bowler" today than it was in the not-too-distant past. In the "old days" of the 60s, 70s, and maybe into the 80s, the sport of bowling was relatively simple.
In those times, you didn't have to be extremely intelligent or study the technical aspects of the sport to be very, very good at it. In fact, some of the smartest people I know never reached the top level because they were too busy analyzing the physics and science of the game. A few of those became great coaches.
The best bowlers in the early days of the sport were, for the most part, those who didn't put much thought into it. They just learned a few things that worked, and they were very good at repeating shots. Some had the help of coaches, but most did it on their own because it was not rocket science.
Today, it's still not rocket science, but it's pretty darn close. In the most recent issue of Bob Summerville's Bowling This Month magazine, a reader wrote in to the "Hey Mo" segment to ask ball designer Mo Pinel about the problem he was having adjusting to adverse lane conditions in two different centers.
The reader's question took five paragraphs, and he offered the following description of his equipment: "My PAP is 5½ inches and up ½ inch, rev rate medium, speed about 16 mph, and axis rotation is about 50 degrees or so." He goes on to say, "At one house I usually start with a MoRich Labyrinth in box condition, pin at 2½ inches and mass bias 1 inch to the right of the thumb. At the other house I use a Storm Eraser sanded to 2000 with the pin at 2 inches and the mass bias past the VAL."
Mo's answer? "You are experiencing a typical problem today caused by extreme 'wet-dry' lane conditions." He goes on to recommend the following drilling layout: Pin 1-1½ inches from PAP, Mass bias 1½-2 inches past the VAL, 0 to ½ oz. negative side weight, and dull surface (320-600 grit)."
Wow! For those of you who "just bowl," I apologize for putting you through all of that, but I did it to illustrate how complex this sport has become. Was the questioner a "bowler"? Maybe. He (or she) could be a 150-average player, but it is certain that this person wants to be a "bowler" and is making an effort to learn more about the technical aspects of the game.
There was a time many years ago when I was sure I knew almost everything about the sport of bowling. I owned a bowling center, drilled balls in the pro shop for my customers, and belonged to the PBA and competed in tournaments. Back then, we simply shifted the label when drilling a ball. We played around with surfaces, and occasionally even added an axis or offset weight hole (that was considered really exotic).
Today, I couldn't drill a bowling ball effectively any more than I could tune up my own automobile. It's too technical, and it requires an enormous amount of knowledge and study to understand the vast complexities of the task. Some may be dismayed it has come to this, but I simply think that our sport has evolved and, in effect, grown up.
Some things have not changed much. The best bowlers in the world are still on the PBA and PWBA tours. Granted, some couldn't stay there without the help of ball reps, but that's OK, because as I said earlier, some of the best bowlers in the world are those who don't analyze the game very much. Why clutter your mind with techno garbage when your job is to repeat shots? Some think the ball reps should be less involved, but I'll save that subject for another column.
On Halloween, I finished my first half-century on this planet. (Scary, isn't it?) As I write this column, I am contemplating a transition from "just being someone who bowls" to once again becoming a "bowler." Three new balls have been sitting in my gameroom for several months, and I have not been able to muster the courage to have them drilled.
Becoming a "bowler." It was once so simple, but not today. It requires much more commitment. Am I willing to put in the time and effort? I just don't know.
Jim Goodwin, a BWAA director and LPBT's regional program director, is the award-winning editor/publisher of Stars & Strikes, in which the preceding originally appeared. Subscription rates are $20 per year (Pin Point Publishing, 2850 Red Valley Run, Rockwall, Texas 75087 ... voice/fax: 972/771-0069).