2017 Ushers in New Balls from Columbia 300

New Columbia 300 performance Side Swipe solid features Orange/Red/Gray Bend-It Solid veneer wrapped around the Side Swipe core. With a 500/1000/3000 Abralon® finish, the Side Swipe solid is designed for medium oil, but look for a longer stronger backend reaction from the Side Swipe core shape and cover preparation. January 24th will be the worldwide release date. 


The high performance Columbia 300 Tyrant pearl, with Black/Blue/Silver Reflex Pearl HST should provide a tool for medium to heavy oil patterns, depending on your skills and ball speed. The low Radius of Gyration (RG) and high RG Differential creates a strong "engine" for this new pearl which is finished 500/1000 Abralon® then polished w/ Powerhouse Factory Finish. The predisposition to read the lane provided by the strong Differential, and 1K cover prep should help bowlers get a good read of the mid-lane even though this is a pearl. Look for the Tyrant pearl February 14th. 

New From Track Bowling

Track Mako – The Mako core follows the highly successful i-Core 2.0, found in the Paradox series and represents the second generation of dual density core design. This design allows Track to better manipulate and control Radius of Gyration (RG) and RG differential numbers. The Mako core is dual density and asymmetric. 

The Track Mako is Blue/Purple/Black QR-10 Solid Coverstock, finished to 500/2000 Abralon, designed for Heavy oil lane conditions. World wide release date is January 27th, 2017.

The extremely popular Kinetic series is back. With the modified Kinetic core wrapped in the all new emerald/black DR-6 Hybrid cover, this new Kinetic is at an all new price point, making it the most engine for your money. 

The new DR-6 Hybrid coverstock offers Track’s strongest down lane motion in the mid performance category. Its angular characteristics are perfect for any medium oil condition or broken down lane pattern.

The Modified Kinetic core is back by popular demand. This low RG, medium differential and low Mass Bias core stores energy longer and uses it quicker than Track’s other mid performance cores. You won't find an asymmetric core for this price anywhere!

Track Kinetic worldwide release date is February 14th 2017.

2016 Chicago Sun Times Beat the Champs

Bowling Memorabilia From USBC Hall Of Famer Roger Dalkin

As many of you know over my lifetime I have been an avid collector of bowling memorabilia, some of which is one of a kind. If you ever visited my office at Bowling Headquarters in Greendale, you saw just a small part of my collection. 

My extensive collection in now in boxes in my daughter’s basement. It is time to let others enjoy these items like I did. As a result I am going to start selling off my entire collection over the coming year. 

This post (Facebook) is to see if there is any interest. 

The collection includes medals from the ABC and WIBC Tournaments back to the early 1900’s, ties, art, autographed bowling pins, one of a kind items, and even the 6’ by 9’ USBC sign that was in front of the building in Greendale. 

If you have interest or know anyone who might be interested send me an email with your name and email address and I will send out emails to all who are interested about how I will proceed selling items in the collection. Email me directly at rkdalkin@wi.rr.com.

If you would like you can repost this on bowling sites.

Thanks

Roger Dalkin
USBC Hall of Fame
Former USBC CEO and 
ABC Executive Director

BOWLING INDUSTRY TAPS LINK STRATEGY GROUP AS STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP AGENCY

ARLINGTON, Texas – Bowling’s major entities – the United States Bowling Congress (USBC), Bowling Proprietors’ Association of America (BPAA) and Strike Ten Entertainment (STE) – have contracted with Link Strategy Group to develop sponsorship partners for the industry.

Combined, the USBC, BPAA and STE provide access to the more than 67 million consumers who bowl each year and more than 5,000 bowling centers across the U.S. Link Strategy Group will serve as the strategic partnership agency to introduce the bowling platform to potential non-endemic corporations interested in access to the sport of bowling.

“After an in-depth search for a partner in this area, the consensus was that Link Strategy Group was a great fit for bowling,” said John Harbuck, President of Strike Ten Entertainment, the marketing arm of the bowling industry. “They immediately grasped the significant power that our organizations collectively offer and have the contacts to get bowling front-and-center with potential sponsors.

“Bowling is the number one participatory sport in the U.S. and, to date, is really untapped when it comes to non-endemic partnerships,” he added.

In addition to providing companies with access to consumers through bowling centers, Link Strategy Group will be able to offer exclusive naming rights for the recently relaunched Professional Women’s Bowling Association (PWBA) Tour and tour events. Current PWBA sponsors include Pepsi, Nationwide, Smithfield and Go Bowling.

Link Strategy Group will also be able to provide partners with unparalleled access to the USBC membership, which is larger than the combined memberships of similar organizations in golf and tennis. Opportunities also exist around the USBC’s national events, which draw participation from thousands of bowlers around the country. These include the Open Championships, Women’s Championships, USBC Masters, USBC Queens, U.S. Open, U.S. Women’s Open, Junior Gold Championships, Team USA and others.

“Bowling is the original social network. It’s a game that’s been enjoyed by people of all ages and skill levels for literally centuries,” said Jeff Benton, CEO of Link Strategy Group. “We are excited that for the first time a company can own the sport of bowling through the collective assets of the major bowling organizations.  We can deliver this platform, truly unique in the world of sports, to companies who want to reach a very loyal, expansive audience. And, with the PWBA, we have a new platform and women’s sports property that is perfectly suited for companies wanting to connect with the female consumer.”

For more information on how to partner with the bowling industry, contact Stephen Grecsek at sgrescek@linkstrategygroup.com.

My First Bowling Ball, First Bowling Shoes

Recent requests for information leads me to make a few points to those of you that are new bowlers or recreational (low involvement) bowlers. Please do not misunderstand this post, there are 10's of millions of you that bowl every year, just that with the continuing technology and advancements made in the bowling industry, the bowling ball or bowling shoe is not like what grandpa (or great grandpa) used to use!

Many people view a bowling ball or performance shoes like a commodity item, like a shirt or an apple or a screw. Find it cheap and pick up what you need. If you have been shopping lately, there are so many of the above mentioned items it's almost dizzying to consider a purchase. So, between the Fugi, Gala, Golden Delicious, etc., there surely is an apple you like best (that works best for you). Similarly in bowling the right item, let's call them the right tool, will work best, too.

The wrong size screw or shirt certainly will NOT work, so to, with today's modern bowling equipment. Bowling balls, while some are intricately made with resin infused polyurethane covers and built around up to 7 pounds or more of complex inner workings, the core system, some are made just like the house ball you may have rolled when you were a kid first playing this sport or like grandpa's (or great grandpa's) old two finger rubber ball from "awhile ago."  

Just like picking the right size shirt, the look of the shirt must work for you. So let us consider ball weight as something akin to the size of a shirt. If you pick an extremely light ball, to have more "control" of it, you will often find yourself "controlling" it right into the gutter. Weight must be a determining factor for ball choice as it contributes to the effect of your ball. I am sure you have seen plenty of lighter bowling balls bouncing right off the pins hardly toppling a one. The synergistic potential of you swinging a ball without needing to accelerate it, because it is too light or possibly even that it is too heavy, helps create a consistent, momentum and gravity driven swing that is VERY repeatable. Repeatable, like it's better to get two strikes together than one. Better to get three? Five? Repeatable is good in bowling.

Now let us consider the look of our shirt/bowling ball. Color is a personal preference. Having something you like will clearly help you enjoy the shirt. But bowling balls come in some outrageous colors, these days. Just like the guy in the wildly colored shirt, that shirt surely catches your eye and gets your attention. But simpler color pallets can be pleasing, calming, workable in bowling balls, just like a new shirt.

But when you notice more than one of the outrageous colors rolling down the lane, often you notice a dramatic effect created. Ball manufacturers realized along time ago, with bright yellow, dull yellow, dull white and every manner of bright red, that a unique and dramatic color will get peoples attention.

So, the very dramatic colors had better work very well, or people will steer clear of the bright stuff in droves. Look close, today you will see multi color balls of yellow, orange, gold, red, and my favorite PINK, mixed with black, blue purple, etc., for dramatic effect, doing very neat things on bowling lanes all over the world.

You do not want a ball to hook like crazy. Then you will also notice the green, black and blue, and darker hues, work nicely for many bowlers, often with less ground covered out and back on every shot. Effectiveness is not solely living in bright colored balls. More often it is not the ball that is magically striking down those pins but the skills of the person rolling the ball that is performing the magic. A bowling ball that fits correctly helps create the magic you might be looking for. More on ball fit in a future article.

Lastly, when considering the bowling shoe, there are many options. The shoe with a universal sole, works for lefthanders or right handers, is a workhorse. The more basic sport shoes last a long time, breaks in quickly, and often there are a bevy of colors and styles. But like any shoe, the nuance of fit should be investigated. Make sure to check in at the local bowling store, often inside the bowling center you bowl in. Check out the choices and try on some styles that work for you. The specialty retailer that you meet is committed to serving you, the bowler. He or she can be your best asset and confidante when it comes to all things bowling. 

Higher up the bowling shoe ladder is the performance shoe. Often priced comparably to other high performance sports footwear. The more complicated shoes, often made of leather, with colorful trim and accessories, will often last for a decade or more. The accessories can include: multiple soles and heels, pouches to carry the shoes, shoe covers to protect them and more.  The advanced options, usually help serve bowlers that bowl in multiple locations. Multiple soles and heels can provide vastly different potential to limit the amount of slide you get or increase your slide. Creating just the right amount of slide helps a player duplicate their delivery. Repeatability.  

Covering the shoes as you do everything else in a bowling center, but bowl, protects the soles and heels from getting contaminated by moisture or particulates from carpet, etc. Shoe covers are strongly recommended. If you purchase more basic shoes for a small additional investment you can get the additional protection from a number of makers.

Storm's New Timeless Bowling Ball