I’m goin’ to Kansas City! Kansas City, here I come! (Part 2) By Bill Zuben How can you have a convention center without a sign indicating where parking is available? After a few laps of the convention center we found a $5 lot. CEO Kevin Dornberger opened the general meeting explaining this was new to him. I can’t think of a convention without Roger Dalkin. Liz Holmes, a Texas bowler, sang the national anthem. Dornberger quickly turned over the podium to USBC President Jeff Boje. He explained the vision of USBC – grow the sport. He concluded with a resounding “Bowling’s back.” The Clash of Champions will be contested here on Thursday night. PBA/USBC Hall of Famer Nelson ‘Bo’ Burton introduced the sixteen USBC-sponsored tournament winners with a short video presentation on each one. There will be two shows taped for broadcast on CBS over the weekend. These will pit male against female. Teenager against senior. Almost a David against Goliath, but U.S. Amateur Champion David O’Sullivan is the goliath. The diminutive U.S. Junior Amateur Champion Adam Martinez will serve as the male David. USBC Vice President Darlene Baker recognized the efforts of the Bowler to Veterans Link.She presented awards to the top association contributor – Nation’s Capital, and top state association – California. International Bowling Hall of Fame and Museum representative Jerry Baltz updated the future of our hall. It will either go to Arlington, Texas or relocate near the new Busch Stadium in St. Louis. He recognized the top associations – Vicksburg, MS, Greater Cincinnati WBA, and the top state – Oregon WBA. We picked up Jim and Anne Jones and headed out to the Ameristar Casino. What a setup. You could think you were in Las Vegas. After a little casino action, we feasted on the buffet. There were several high quality restaurants at the complex, even an Arthur Bryant’s. We finished the night with a little more casino action. Jim Jones did very well –thank you – on the blackjack table. Don went through his whole roll of pennies. Another day, another dollar. After another trip to Panera Bread, my day starts at 8:30 AM with Steve Wunderlich conducting the PBA Experience Workshop. He explained that anyone joining a summer Sport League not to just pay the $15 Sport Upgrade, but to pay the full Sport League fee for the 2008-09 season. The $15 upgrade would end on July 31, 2008. The full membership expires on July 31, 2010. So you get two summers for the price of one. The 2001-02 season had 4,567 members. 2002-03 saw a slight increase to 4,654. 2003-04 expanded a little more to 4,857. A bigger growth to 5.594 appeared in 2004-05. Then the number skyrocketed 12,689 in 2005-06, and to 27,921 in 2006-07. He is looking for a 34,000 membership this year. PBA Experience has had an enormous effect. 53% of membership average under 200 in their standard league. JJ Garrett pushed Wunderlich for a answer to how many ‘new’ bowlers the PBA Experience developed. Wunderlich admitted there may have not been many new bowlers, but more bowlers bowling more often – the USBC vision. While the Sport Bowling program is a fast growing program, it has yet to turn a profit. It is still in the educating process according to Wunderlich. Bowling needs a professional tour. The more people that watch the telecasts, the more money the sponsors will pay, and then the more money will be paid in prize money, which will bring more people to watch. A vicious cycle. The popularity of the PBA Experience has come from the perception that the league is bowling on the same patterns as the PBA. Golfers cannot play the same golf course after the pros have left. The perception of Sport Bowling is that it is difficult. It does not have to be. Wunderlich recommended the same pattern be left for several weeks to allow the bowlers to adapt. You do not have to change the shot every week. A question came up about the PBA Experience being Sport compliant but not the desired pattern. Wunderlich said that he is selling the ‘characteristics’. Chameleon in one center will not play exactly the same way in another center, but the characteristics are the same. The lane will probably have to be attacked from the same angle. There are too many variables to ensure exact duplication. Sport Bowling is not concerned on which pattern is being used, only the fact that the shot is in compliance with the 3:1 ratio. Associations need to get more involved, since the proprietors’ major concern is the pulling of tapes. Try to get at least one board member qualified to pull tapes and bowl in the Sport League to make this easier. Remember the rule of twos – two tapes, one at 22 feet and one at two feet before the end of the pattern. While the cost of a complete Brunswick pickup kit is $2,790, Sport programs can get a 10% discount. Better yet, USBC associations can but the kit for $2,000.91 and sell it to the proprietor. This can also apply to the reading tape as well. Sport Bowling Membership kits will now cost $95. The USBC cost is over $70 and then shipping. Extra brochures are available at no extra cost. Last year there were over 15,000 300 games on USBC compliant conditions and 63 on Sport compliant. Technology moves on. At 10:30am, Neil Stremmel conducted the ‘Technology Update’ Workshop. After a few technical problems with the audio system, the workshop got started. June 2007 saw the advent of new pin specifications, testing of PBA patterns and ball motion Phase I. In July came new lane surface hardness with the Sward system, the change to once a year lane inspections and the announcement of the National Training Center (now for Arlington, Texas). With August came the publishing of axis migrations based on RG (radius of gyration), high speed video testing, implementation of the on-line center certification process and the initial study of static weight. September was the release of the statistical study on Lane Inspection and Phase II of Ball Motion. Nothing in October, but the new Lane Surface Task met and Paul Ridenour came on board as a research engineer. December began a new spec for lane conditioner viscosity and the announcement of Gaelan Vich of winning the Lane Friction contest. A new specification on GRAS (Generally Regarded As Safe) for lane conditioner and a Task Force met on these specs came out in January. A provisional patent was filed on grip and foot pressure biomechanic systems in February. Stremmel was appointed as the Technical Delegate for the Men’s World Championship in Bangkok which allows pro bowlers, a step closer to Olympic recognition. Marching on – the results of the Ball Motion Task Force were published and Stremmel was appointed to the IBPSIA Board of Directors. April brought on a provisional filing of a pattern for a motion capture system and Stremmel was appointed to the WTBA Technical Committee Chairperson. That’s quite a year. So what’s ahead? • Build a new technical and training facility in Arlington, Texas • Pin Deck Tilt Study • Lane Cleaner flashpoint and corrosivity study • Additional testing on about 600 bowling balls for surface roughness Ra and RS) and oil absorption rate • Intermediate Differential Study • Static weight testing • New and updated coefficient of restitution test methodology As if most of the room wasn’t lost already, Ridenour covered the Ball Motion Study Phase II Update. I think I heard a rocket flying over the collective head of the room. And then Stremmel closed the casket with a mathematical explanation of skid, hook, roll. A graph showed the primary factors in ball reaction, surface roughness being the greatest. Ra is the measurement of the microinches of the height of the spike on the ball surface. RS is the measurement of microinches of spacing between the spikes. Biomechanics will incorporate grip pressure, foot pressure and motion capture in cooperation with USBC Coaching. The graphics of this wowed the room. Despite a very lively and informative Question and Answer session, about two-thirds of the room was empty by the end of the workshop. Lunch proved to be another successful venture – and I didn’t even get a ticket. Don and I were joined by Catherine Bliss, the convention sales manager for the Circus Circus in Reno. The Milano had a Minitini Special – not alcohol – pasta, pizza and pantini. Great meal at a great prize. I’m really starting to like Kansas City. OK! Back to work. Final workshop – right up my alley – ‘Coaching’. David Garber, Director of Coaching presided. Assisting him were Bill Monce, Coaching Specialist and Dale Niemo, Special Projects Manager. Garber’s brain type according to Wichita State’s Gordon Vadakin is Entertainer. He gave a rapid-fire, sometimes irreverent, workshop. It was nice of him to recognize me with the likes of Fred Borden, Palmer Fallgren, Bob Maki and Cary Pon as pioneers of the USBC Coaching program. The Coaching Video covered the history of bowling from the Ned Day / Marion Ladewig era to the high-tech Jason Belmonte era. We need to get away from theory and into problem solving. E-Learning will continue to develop high school ‘Coaching Principles’, Level I (a $60 fee), Bronze, Silver and Coach It Up! There will be regional training sites to finish the E-Learning. Target date for the online Bronze Certification is June 30, pending conflicts with the Texas move. Coaches will go through continuing educational programs and will need to be recertified if not active in coaching duties for more than two years. The Bowling Academy will be a more detailed version of the, ”Bowl Like the Pros”. The Practice Pair will be continued at future USBC Open Championships. The video for BLTP is always interesting. 80% of first year league bowlers will quit. We need to get them involved. The cost of the program varies on which pros are selected, typically $1,000 to $2,000 per bowler plus expenses. It does not cost. It is an investment. One of the association presidents in attendance talked about the Bowling Academy that his association hosted last year and the two they will do this year. Monce explained the State Association Coaching Initiative which evaluates each state association on the four element program. California, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Washington, Colorado and Louisiana were chosen as test states. 12,000 coaches have been certified through the coaching program, but nobody knows how many are actually active. Local associations will keep an updated list of USBC coaches. This will be one of the elements of the initiative. The on-lane skills clinics will be a continuing education for coaches. It will consist of coaches teaching coaches. State associations will set their own limits to financial support.