I have read a good number of articles which cover the pros and cons of a standard condition for the sport of bowling. I have also read a good number of articles with regards to the sport condition. And while many are pretty good, these articles make me wonder how many of those who wrote them actually spend times bowling in leagues or bowling period!

I am a senior bowler and I bowled in a Traveling League with bowlers averaging over 225, including a bowler or two averaging over 230. I also was a sub several times in a league last summer which used the sport condition. The bowler averaging over 230 who was the top average in the Traveling League did not average 200 in that summer league with the sport condition. One of the reasons was because of the condition, which was not only challenging, but made one really work hard at their game in order to carry a decent average. I feel good with my own efforts because I averaged almost 180 and I that pretty good.

I have watched the pro bowlers on TV the last few weeks and sometimes, like last Sunday, they experienced some difficulty with the lane conditions. One of those bowlers was Pete Weber and I consider him a very good bowler. He usually solves conditions and reads the lanes very well. But in this case, he was also having difficulty, as was the other bowlers. One other thing I noted about Pete Weber is the change in his attitude and conduct. He conducted himself well and acted with integrity and I thank Pete Weber for that because he set a good example for any kids who were watching.

I am very grateful for the sport condition they used on that particular show and also for that condition itself because it makes one realize that pro bowlers, like us, can also have their bad days. They, too, must face what they are dealing with and how they handle it can give us an idea of the caliber of their professionalism.

A sport condition such as they use for the Pro Tour is at least one credible answer to those critics who say that bowling is becoming too easy. Those who criticize the pro bowlers who appear on TV and who are having a problem or problems with the condition being used that particular day need to bowl on that condition themselves. If they did, they would realize just how hard that condition is. And when we see those days when the Pros do bowl extremely well on the conditions they must face, we all need to realize just how talented these people really are.

I sometimes wonder when I read articles about how easy it is to bowl a 300 these days, why more people are not having 300 games. The writers who write how easy it is make it sound like there are 300 games bowled every night in every league. Where are the lanes, the centers, and the bowlers who are having all these 300 games on conditions that are so easy? Why do these writers not tell us why they are so easy? If they are so easy, it must mean the writer of the article has bowled there and rolled their own 300 games on these easy conditions! I challenge those writers to come to centers I bowl in and roll a 300 game on those easy conditions. Since it is so easy, they should obviously be able to roll a 300 for us to examine! And if they cannot, then they need to get their facts straight and start telling it like it is, not like they THINK it is! They make bowling seem to be the world's easiest sport.

I have been critical of bowling in the past and I told it like I saw and see it. But, while I think there are some things that need to be corrected in the sport of bowling, I think that USBC is on the right track and they are doing what they think is right, for the good of bowlers and for the good of the sport. Let us all stand behind them and support what they are doing.

The next time you come across someone or you read about an article someone wrote about how easy it is to roll a 300 game, ask that person to step up to the plate and roll a game and show you how easy it is. Since they seem to know how easy it is, they should be able to roll a 300 game. I will venture to say that no matter who told you that and no matter how easy they think it is, they will not be able to produce that 300 game at will or when they want to!

I have rolled two 300 games and I feel grateful that I was able to accomplish that feat, not just once, but twice. And I have tried since to roll another one. No matter how good conditions are and whether you are ON or not on a certain night, it is not easy to roll a 300 game. I honestly feel that no matter who you are, how good you are, or how good the conditions and your game is on a certain night, there is still some element of luck when it comes to rolling a 300 game. You have seen pros roll what was or looked like perfect shots, when pins just did not go down. The pins fall when everything works together to take them out. And if one pin happens to fall the wrong way or wiggle wrong, there is a good chance a pin or two will remain standing.

A perfect shot can take down all the pins or a perfect shot can leave one or more pins. A 300 game cannot be predicted. A 300 games happen when someone rolls twelve (12) shots that take all the pins out. The shots can be perfect, light hits, heavy hits, or whatever, and it can be a 300 game. But, those same shots can also produce a game that falls short of 300. So, you just keep trying. And take it from me when I say that ANYONE can have a 300, regardless of who that person is, with a little luck and a lot of faith.

I want all of you out there to remember one thing when you are bowling. You control your own game and your attitude can help you produce a 300 game, whether you believe it or not. BUT, you must believe that it CAN or COULD happen in order for it to actually happen. Remember that night when you had a turkey, or a few strikes in a row? Well, add those strikes up and think of what could happen if you had twelve (12) in a row! WOW! That would be a 300 game.

I'll tell you this for sure! If and when you ever roll a 300 game, you will thank God you do bowl and you will also thank God that you never gave up. A 300 game will change your bowling life forever and you will look at bowling from a different angle and a different perspective. You will also be glad you have joined the elite few who have bowled 300 games.

I want to leave this message for those who tell us that rolling a 300 game is easy: Tell that to all those bowlers out there in this land who have been bowling for years and years and never rolled a 300 game. And multiply the number of those bowlers! You will find that the BIG majority has not rolled a 300 game and maybe never will. All your articles do is to help make those who want to roll a 300 game feel like it is not a big feat or that a 300 game is not that big a deal. But let me tell you something Mr. or Mrs. Easy! A 300 game IS a big deal and it is worth every minute you spend of your life bowling. You will know what I mean if you roll a 300. Once you do, you will not only feel like all your bowling efforts were worth it, but you will thank God that it happened to you. And you will feel privileged that something like that was bestowed upon you.

A 300 game is NOT easy but it is worth every minute of your bowling life!

Hang in there all of you and never give up! One day it could happen to you! And if it does happen to you, you will never forget how great a feeling it is and what an accomplishment it is!