Following the completion of Junior Gold last week, the United States Bowling Congress (USBC) issued a poll for bowlers to comment on future aspects of the sport.
Here is how the USBC prefaced the poll;
“Over the past several months, USBC has conducted research, engaged a third-party working group of technical experts and key stakeholders, and held a formal comment period with bowling ball manufacturers to address concerns about urethane bowling balls and their impact on competition.”
The USBC listed the following concerns to be considered, most importantly dealing with the use of urethane equipment:
• Lane pattern integrity – Urethane balls can alter lane patterns more quickly, disrupting the intended lane pattern design and creating imbalances between different styles of players.
• Competitive Fairness – When urethane and reactive equipment are both used in the same competitive environment it causes competitive imbalances between different styles of bowlers.
• Player development concerns – Increasing reliance on urethane may reduce player versatility and hinder long-term skill development, particularly among younger and developing athletes.
• Governance and integrity challenges – Urethane balls can measure softer over time, making it difficult to distinguish between natural aging and tampering. These issues have contributed to protests and confusion at events, creating enforcement challenges and questions around competitive integrity.
According to the USBC, its next steps include “continuing to evaluate this matter by considering both previously received feedback and any additional input moving forward. All stakeholder feedback and ongoing research will be presented to the Equipment Specifications Committee at its next scheduled meeting in late August or early September.”
In order to comment on the poll, bowlers are asked to go to: https://bit.ly/4lzWGcu