By Gabe D'Angelo

Herald Bowling Writer

RECENTLY, I WAS observing a youth/adult tournament and witnessed something that is, or has become so prevalent at all levels of bowling.

A bowler who averages 220 in one house was participating in this tourney with a youth bowler. However, there are some facts that need to be addressed about his 220 average. First of all, his 220 average is in a house where that is not even considered a high average and secondly, he is a once a week bowler and rarely ventures outside his house of record.

He lined up for his practice and used the same line he plays in his regular house. Now, that’s not a bad way to start, but he never moved or looked for another line. Apparently, he was satisfied with his practice shots because he started competition playing his usual line.

However, it didn’t take long for the lanes to go into transition and our 220 average bowler was lost. Almost immediately, he began to complain about the conditions. The usual comments such as “this condition is too tough”, “I can’t carry anything”, etc., begin to flow.

After a 1st game of 175, our 220 bowler finally makes an adjustment and changes lines. Guess what happens? His next two games were 235 and 215. However, the last two games weren’t enough to give him his average, and instead of blaming himself for not making an early adjustment, he continued to complain about the house and the “terrible conditions.”

There are a number of problems I see with this incident. The first one deals with the mentality of our 220 average bowler. Quite frankly, it’s not uncommon for bowlers to blame everything and everybody but themselves when they encounter difficulties.

Secondly, a participant who averages 220 and bowls just one night a week says much about the integrity of the game. In previous years, a 220 average bowler participated in more than one league and probably spent some time practicing. He knew about making the necessary adjustments that kept him at the top of his game. All too often in today’s game, it’s “swing it and bring it.”

However, the problem that disturbs me most of this 220 average bowler is his behavior in the presence of the youth of our sport. First of all, any adult bowler of any type of ability (high average or low average) should be setting a positive example for our young bowlers. In previous years, we used the term “role models.” This 220 average bowler demonstrated to our youth that it is permissible to act as he did. They must be thinking: ”He is an adult and he averages 220. Wow, if he can complain about a bad shot, bad conditions, etc., so can I. After all, I watched a 220 average bowler do it.”

I think Mr. 220 average bowler needs a reality check. I’m going to use excerpts from the April 1997 issue of Bowling This Month that was written by BTM founder Bob Summerville. Mr. Summerville is now deceased, but I’ve used this before and had his permission.

“I know there are many of you who think you should be recognized for your high averages. However, there is a problem. The proprietors and the folks in Greendale have softened the standards for lane conditions and other components of the game. They have allowed high centers of gravity for pins so they topple easier. They have put the maximum of co-efficient of friction for balls at a level where they have become lethal weapons. Sadly, all of these have combined to make honor scores and high averages no big deal.

“The next time you encounter a difficult condition and don’t shoot your average, don’t blame the proprietor or the lane conditions. Call the ABC and tell them you want some integrity back in the bowling environment so that you can see what your true average is. Tell your proprietor that you want a lane condition that gives you an opportunity to score, not a high-score guarantee.”

ä Speaking of tougher conditions, former valley resident Mike Billioni, who now resides in the Cleveland area, is a member of the Monday Night Classic League that bowls at Parma Freeway Lanes.