Bowling with Leverage
by David A. Leverage
David A. Leverage is a Former exempt PBA Player, Silver level certified coach,
an ASU Bowling Alumni member, A 6 time PBA titleist, has (40) 300 games
and owns 2 Phoenix area Pro Shops.
The State of the Sport of Bowling
Its about 116 degrees today in the Desert so I am hot and angry and a little salty with the sport of bowling. It's time to raise the bar!
For years bowlers, bowling writers and broadcasters have compared bowling to Golf.
As Nascar grew the bowling world wondered why can't we grow like that?
Enough is enough! It is time the hierarchy in bowling looks right in the mirror because THAT is where the problem lies. Bowling has a lot of different groups who are allegedly the leaders in our industry and they continue to have failure after failure in uniting the sport of bowling. Yeah bowling is the #1 particicpation sport. We have heard the stats...But where is the growth? Where is the leadership in the sport of bowling? Well it starts at the top and that means USBC and the PBA Tour.
The USBC (United States Bowling Congress) is THE organization in the sport of bowling in the United States. The PBA (Professional Bowler's Association) is THE PINNACLE of our sport as far as talent and a vehicle to grow our sport. So why is it for so long these two groups cannot check their collective egos at the door and sit down at a table and grow our sport? I say enough is enough. I say put together a program where the millions of members can help the USBC membership grow our sport. Just $1 added to my and your membership each year could have a dramatic effect on our sport at the highest levels. They need to reach out and raise the bar on a National and Global level to help create events and tournaments where the bowlers without whose money each year, would not exist in the first place.
The PBA is the Pinnacle of our sport with regards to hosting the events with the best players in the world. Well...almost. Let's face it the Exempt Tour, which I was a part of HAS NOT WORKED. It was a good idea. But it simply has not worked and it needs to be changed. Having only about 59 exempt players in the world is not enough bowlers. It is time to open up the fields again and let anyone bowl who has the money to spend. The bowlers are also not making enough money in todays day and age. While expenses and entry fees have gone up, the prizefunds have gone down. Pro Bowlers are bowling for the same or less money as 25 years ago but with almost double the expenses! How would you like to go to your job every week and work 10 hours more for 10 hours less pay? I am guessing you would not be such a fan of this?
Money is the root of all evil and money makes the world go round. These are truths. However another truth is that these 2 organizations need to get together and build our sport to where it should be. The BPAA (Bowling Proprietors Asociation of America) doesn't get off the hook here either. With thousands of bowling centers around the Nation, it is time for them to promote the Professional Bowlers and work better with the USBC as well. When is the last time you went into a center and saw posters or pictures of the top professionals or amatuers in our sport?
So I am calling you out today. Raise the bar in our sport, check your egos at the door and build our sport to where it should rightfully be.
Bowling in the Olympics?
Don't hold your breath! This has been a topic for almost as long as I can remember. But the number one reason I think this will not happen is because of the controversy as to how we oil the lanes. For years the "lanemen" in our sport have been trying to perfect the art of dressing the lanes in the hopes of putting out a fair and equitable shot so that all entrants have a fair shot at winning. However at the highest levels in the world, severe inequities have been on display. The biggest controversy is the lefty vs righty one. Major League Baseball has the Designated Hitter and bowling has the lefty right problem to deal with. In addition though, the lanes can dictate whether a high rev or a low rev player can win, lefty or righty, etc. etc. Until this is handled and rectified I really don't see where Bowling will be allowed in the Olympics when a man pushing a button on a computerized oiling machine has the power of who will win or lose at the tip of his index finger?
Junior Bowling?
The Juniors of today are the future adult league bowlers of tomorrow. Or are they? They are if we teach them the proper way to bowl and give them good events to compete in. They are if we make sure they have teams to bowl on at the High School and Collegiate levels. They are if the Bowling Centers around the Country provide them with qualified instructors, and not just some guy who happens to bowl 3 games per week. When I was a kid we had legitimate instructors who would come down on Saturday morning for our league and in return the Center gave them all the free bowling they wanted. For kids to enjoy this sport more, we need to set them up for success and not failure. Lets put quality instructors in front of these children and build the Junior program from the ground up. Did you know your child can bowl tournaments and receive tons of scholarship money to help pay for their College? Did you know they can start this at a very very young age? Many of you do not because the information is simply not getting out to you.
"TEXT the Coach" As a new feature if you are having a problem and need a quick answer to that problem, send me a text message during your next practice session, league session, or tournament and I will do my best to reply in a timely manner. Text to 6025505788.
It's August.....It's hot outside....So I am going to go practice. I hope you will too. Until next month.