Bowlers Journal International - January 2008 - (Page 72) READERS POLL COMPILED BY BOB JOHNSON OF MEMORABLE COVERS AND FAXED-IN SCORES You offer lots of opinions (some of them even printable!) on a plethora of tenpin topics. YOU ARE AN OPINIONATED LOT, you readers of Bowlers Journal International. And you have a right to be: You are among the elite bowlers in the world, averaging a composite 202.5 — and that figure does not include the averages of the Professional Bowlers Association members who read the magazine. Some of you may be retired, but you’re certainly not shy and retiring. That became quite obvious in the way you answered several questions posed in the 2007 BJI Readers Poll. For instance, we asked you what you thought of bowling’s “Celebrity Hall of Fame,” which was created to help raise funds for the International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame in St. Louis. It’s not an "official" Hall of Fame along the lines of the USBC’s or PBA’s — it’s more ceremonial, with inductees taking their bows during the annual “Salute” fundraiser at Bowl Expo — but readers take it seriously in their disdain for it. Nearly three-quarters of you consider it to be a joke (40.2%) or simply don’t care about it (34.2%), while only 25.6% think it’s a great idea. So, what bowling hot topics do readers care about? Several were revealed in answers to the question, “If there were a Czar of bowling, what should his or her top priority be?” In order, you listed the priorities as: 1. Controlling scoring and restoring integrity to the sport (not just under the umbrella of “Sport Bowling,” but in general). 2. Rebuilding league membership. 3. Supporting the Professional Bowlers Association, so high-level players always will have a platform on which to display their skills. 4. Short of reviving a full-blown Women’s Tour, at least providing more opportunities for the sport’s top female 72 bowlers journal international players to compete with one another. Other suggestions for the Czar (does a Czar actually take suggestions?) included finding ways to improve the image of bowling (which was seen as a way of opening doors to more corporate sponsorship), doing a better job of promoting youth bowling and all that it has to offer, and reducing the NOVEMBER 2006 By a relatively large margin, you liked the cover featuring Walter Ray Williams Jr.'s record-breaking 42nd PBA title better than any other published during the 12 months prior to the appearance of the Readers Poll. Steve Mackie of Albuquereque, N.M., described it as "an historic moment with a great action picture." Bob Landis of Gainesville, Ga., said it showed "great emotion celebrating a wellearned accomplishment." Added G.R. Callson of Dickson City, Pa.: "It aroused interest in the record, and the layout was eye-catching." But Dan Marazzo of Glendale Heights, Ill., said it best when he observed, "Anytime a legend's record like Earl Anthony's gets broken by a gentleman and artist of the game like Walter Ray Willliams Jr., we should celebrate it." And what was your least-favorite cover of the previous 12 months? To see it, turn the page. cost of bowling (which many believe has gotten out of hand in recent years). Interestingly, less than 1% of Poll participants viewed the bowling’s efforts to be added to the Olympic Games program as a priority for a tenpin Czar. Proprietors often complain about the crybabies among their league bowling populace — those bowlers who demand easy scoring conditions under the veiled threat of moving to another center. Said complainers are a minority among BJI readers, who expressed interest in sporting integrity in four Poll questions. We asked readers what percentage of success in bowling today is based on a player’s talent, and how much could be credited to the modern technology that has been incorporated in bowling balls, wrist supports, lane surfaces and oil patterns. We tallied the responses, and were somewhat surprised to see that you take credit for only 43.41% of your success on the lanes, while admitting that technology is responsible for 56.59% percent of your average. In that regard, 52.9% of you say that the United States Bowling Congress should institute more regulations and limitations in regard to bowling ball core dynamics, coverstocks and drillings. Just before the end of the year, USBC completed its ball motion study, and says it will release a report on that study this spring. It will be interesting to see what recommendations are brought forth, now that USBC knows a majority of its members would welcome some tighter specifications. We asked readers whether they bowled in or planned to join one of Sport Bowling’s PBA Experience leagues, and 43.6% answered in the affirmative. Among those not planning JANUARY 2008
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