Does our sport need bowling lessons?
by John Berry
Through years of my misspent youth, I spent quite a bit of time in the bowling alleys throughout Chicagoland.
By the age of 16, I was pretty, darn good, averaging over 200 and competing in some lofty company with the older set — 35 to 70 — in pot games and tournaments.
The conditions were tough back then with the wooden lanes serving up an occasional “high board” that would pop up with bowler’s having a tough time getting their bowling balls over the high board to the 1-3 pocket, or 1-2 pocket, if you were left-handed.
I had one bowling ball — a new one with the first adjustable thumb hole with a crank — and that was it!
The wooden pins — hard rock maple — were as light as 3 lbs. 2 oz. up to 3 lbs. 8 oz. back then with some tournaments featuring 4 lb. wood, like the Petersen Classic.
Some lanes were so difficult that one prominent bowler back then, Ron Levine, witnessed the demolition of Pla-Mor Lanes and, even after their demolition, he said the “10” pin was still, standing on lane 16.
I had my first perfect 300 game at the age of 17 and was Illinois State Single Champion in 1970, averaging 246 for the tournament with very difficult tournament conditions.
What’s all this about?
Well, bowling has come a long, long way since I was earning money as a 10-year-old, sneaking into the back pinsetter area to help my friend Wimpy set pins, at four cents a game.
When I started bowling, the price per game was 25 cents with, roughly, six million keglers participating in the U.S.
Today, there are well over 65 million bowlers in the U.S., and they fork over $5 or more per game, some places getting as high as $10 per line.
The bowling balls have changed and become so tech savvy that 150 average bowlers have become 200+ average bowlers with innovations of reactive resin, urethane and high-tech core designs, so, while I had one bowling ball, today’s kegler has as many as 12, or more.
The “smart” bowling ball even has sensors that feature feedback on speed, impact and rotation.
Lane surfaces have transitioned from wood to synthetic materials for smoother surfaces and durability.
Even our traditional pinsetters have been replaced with sensors, and the sideboards and back boards are livelier providing more pin action and higher scoring.
And bowling centers have luxurious lounges, video walls and are multi-faceted entertainment centers.
One other thing, back when I started bowling, we watched Championship Bowling at Faetz-Niesen Recreation in Chicago and the Pro-Bowlers Tour on Saturday afternoons on ABC.
Today, they also have their own TV Channel — BOWL TV — with finals on CBS Sports.
Bowl TV covers juniors, collegiate events, the PBA tour, mixed doubles events, PBA 50 and so much more.
Yes, it is a subscription-based channel, but they have almost 100,000 YouTube subscribers.
And when I bowled, my aforementioned first 300 game in 1960, there were so few perfect games per year that you could probably count them on two hands.
In other words, the bowling industry has catered to their audience, their players, their fans.
Our grand sport doesn’t do that too much anymore, especially at tracks that are subsidized by casinos and certain State legislators. And those not having the luxury of funds from casinos cannot afford to spend significant sums of capital as they have horsemen and purses and overhead about which to worry just to stay in business.
Oh, the breeders have done their part in our progression as they have — just like the bowling industry has made 150 average bowlers into 200+ keglers — turned the once prestigious 2:10 2-year-old into a ho-hum 2:00 list for those juveniles, and, sadly, we know what a 2:00 earning potential is for a youngster.
Sulky designs have contributed, as well, and so have equipment changes altered our sport and its performers, lighter sulkies, stronger sulkies, safer sulkies.
But we are still losing our fan base, and the bettor is being left at the starting gate.
Past HRU columns have suggested ways to help build a new fan base and fan value, which has declined over the past 40 years as age, and shorter fields, have taken a toll on payoffs and fan shrinkage due to the inevitable.
We have always played second fiddle to the thoroughbreds and, thank goodness for Gabe Prewitt, Jessica Otten, and the others that get a few of our worthy events televised, BUT, we need our own dedicated 24-hour harness racing network covering the harness racing world.
We have to go for the gusto if we are to be considered a major league league, which we are.
Isn’t there enough action in North America, Europe, Down Under and, even, South America and Bermuda to propel our sport into the future?
Every industry who reads this better say “YES!”
Yes, we do have the Racetrack Television Network and HRTV (acquired by TVG) but thoroughbred racing remains the king, and we have to do something about that.
Our industry should have a National Pick-8 with all tracks sharing in the takeout profitability.
Modeled after the Powerball or Mega Millions, the wager could be based on a $.20 cent or $.50 cent price per combination with the requirement being to pick the first seven winners, followed by a winning trifecta in the last leg (similar to the Powerball number).
It could be seeded with a $20,000,000 stipend and, quite possibly, grow to several hundred million dollars, a jolt for the industry.
Minor prizes would be awarded for those with four, five, six or seven winners without the final trifecta.
The takeout could be much less than the current lottery system with funds also allocated to horse aftercare, youth programs and, possibly, equine social security.
We’ve suggested ways to eliminate all whipping penalties by extending the saddle pads out to the horse’s rump — the back section padded — so when the driver has the need to try and get another length or two of speed for his owner, trainer and, most important, the guy or gal that has $2 on the horse to win, there will be just a pop sound and no welts, stripes or discomfort.
IT’S AN EASY FIX!!
We have also proposed putting door-bell cameras every 16th of a mile along the track so there can be no argument as to inquiries or objections after a race.
But even that is not now good enough as Jessica Hallett has experimented with head camera helmets. which is even a better idea.
As one BDHC (Broken Down Horseplayer Club) enthusiast lamented, “Some of us get awfully disgusted when these guys put an extra length between horses by leaning back so much. Halfway through, we know we have no chance 10-15 lengths out of it. Half the field is out of reach, and that doesn’t help harness racing!”
We’d better start listening to our remaining few fans.
Sadly, our sport has taken not one single stride in re-inventing our sport for our fans.
There’s a lot more, but we’re running out of time, and space.
Finally, I am often asked, “Why do you even care? You are old.”
The answer, “When you love someone or something, you never want that love to go away.”
Yes, it is inevitable that life ends for all of us, as it did for our grandparents and parents, and, one moment, will end for us.
Heartbeats don’t last forever.
I’m hoping the hoof beats do.
MAY THE HORSE BE WITH YOU!
