U
upyours
AMF , Brunswick, and the majority of the world's tenpin bowling organisations appear to have completely lost the plot. They have been obsessed with promoting higher priced open bowling and recreational bowling in general, and then wondering why league and tournament bowling has decreased for 25 straight years. Bowling will NEVER become an Olympic sport despite the millions of dollars wasted on promoting the sport to Olympic officials. People involved in the Olympic movement will never understand a 'Sport' where the ''amateurs'' can outscore and outearn the professionals regularly, and where using the right equipment is often more important than talent and experience. The world's bowling organisations have spent untold millions of dollars advertizing glow bowling, laser light shows, corporate and birthday parties, and everything but bowling itself-----and some of their membership even gloat about the decline of league and tournament play.
This short-sighted approach has, at the very least, contributed to the erosion of the integrity of the Sport of bowling, and at worst, added to the erosion of many of its most loyal participants. I used to bowl 2-3-leagues a week, tournaments on weekends, and practice at least 20 games a week. All this in addition to coaching kids.
Today---no more practice, few tournaments, and 1 league per week. Many of my contemporaries have also stopped practicing, cut back on leagues and tournaments, or have quit the sport entirely----NOT because we can't play, but our ''sport'' has stopped being as much fun and there is no challenge any more.
WARNING to the world's bowling proprietors----What will happen to your bottom lines when the ''fad'' that is glow bowling stops being ''cool'', when kids and their parents realize that they were ripped off when they bought that over-priced ball with the fancy graphics, when 6 months later, it looks like hell, fades badly, and cannot be properly re-surfaced? If glow bowling goes the way of other fads, which in the cyclical world of fashion, it inevitably will go the way of the hoola hoop, Rubik's Cube, grunge, and bell bottoms,----- who will then replace the 70% of league bowlers who have quit our sport? Then these same short-sighted proprietors will find that it's a whole lot easier and much less expensive to keep your old customers instead of trying to recruit new ones.
A new governing body needs to be established to take the place of the TBA and all of the splinter groups. Recruit the memberships of the old groups as well as the kids, bring only of the best and brightest of each organization to promote membership locally. Have each of the proprietors hold an annual election from their centre's existing league officers. Each center would elect a delegate and an associate delegate and they would make up the local delegation. Then, once and for all--for the betterment--NO--for the continuing existance--of our sport, we might truly have people who care more about the future of our sport, than their own selfish motives. Shame on all of them!!! We can only hope that the current TBA voluntarily disbands, and is replaced with a progressive new organization, that will respond to its members needs, sans the old establishment.
upyours
This short-sighted approach has, at the very least, contributed to the erosion of the integrity of the Sport of bowling, and at worst, added to the erosion of many of its most loyal participants. I used to bowl 2-3-leagues a week, tournaments on weekends, and practice at least 20 games a week. All this in addition to coaching kids.
Today---no more practice, few tournaments, and 1 league per week. Many of my contemporaries have also stopped practicing, cut back on leagues and tournaments, or have quit the sport entirely----NOT because we can't play, but our ''sport'' has stopped being as much fun and there is no challenge any more.
WARNING to the world's bowling proprietors----What will happen to your bottom lines when the ''fad'' that is glow bowling stops being ''cool'', when kids and their parents realize that they were ripped off when they bought that over-priced ball with the fancy graphics, when 6 months later, it looks like hell, fades badly, and cannot be properly re-surfaced? If glow bowling goes the way of other fads, which in the cyclical world of fashion, it inevitably will go the way of the hoola hoop, Rubik's Cube, grunge, and bell bottoms,----- who will then replace the 70% of league bowlers who have quit our sport? Then these same short-sighted proprietors will find that it's a whole lot easier and much less expensive to keep your old customers instead of trying to recruit new ones.
A new governing body needs to be established to take the place of the TBA and all of the splinter groups. Recruit the memberships of the old groups as well as the kids, bring only of the best and brightest of each organization to promote membership locally. Have each of the proprietors hold an annual election from their centre's existing league officers. Each center would elect a delegate and an associate delegate and they would make up the local delegation. Then, once and for all--for the betterment--NO--for the continuing existance--of our sport, we might truly have people who care more about the future of our sport, than their own selfish motives. Shame on all of them!!! We can only hope that the current TBA voluntarily disbands, and is replaced with a progressive new organization, that will respond to its members needs, sans the old establishment.
upyours
