From: MAX@psuvm.psu.edu (Mark K. Miller)
Newsgroups: alt.sport.bowling
Subject: Re: 9 Pin No-Tap Tournies.
Date: 6 Jan 93 22:10:29 GMT
Organization: Penn State University

In article <Jan.6.08.31.54.1993.11211@remus.rutgers.edu>,
zelek@remus.rutgers.edu (Grey Wolf) says:
>
>   A friend and I finally allowed curiousity to get the best of us and we
>entered one of these after a Sunday evening league we're in.  One thing which

Congrats!  I love bowling no-taps; the house where I bowl sets up no-taps in
multi-week series.  We finished a 13-week series on 12/13/92 and we'll be
starting an 8-week series on 1/9/93.  The only "relation" between the given
weeks of a series is the the last week is a "Master's" week.  You must
participate in a certain number of previous weeks or cash in some number of
previous weeks to qualify for the Master's week.  Part of each week's prize
fund is held for the Master's week to make those prizes pretty nice.

>I did not know, and quickly learned, is that these tourneys are populated with
>the alley's employees.  All of which bowl about as often as I eat, and for
>longer periods of time.  I've talked to my father, an avid bowler for decades,
>and he assures me that's been the case everywhere he's bowled as well.

You seem to be surprised by this.  Where there is money to be won bowling good
bowlers tend to show up and bowl.  Are your tournaments handicapped?  Ours
use 50 percent of the difference between 200 and average (no negatives.)
No-tap handicap is a tricky thing to get right; 50 percent has worked well for
me.  My entering average has been 173.  Too much percentage together with the
tap strikes can make things too easy for the lesser bowlers.

>   How is it this practice is allowed?  It all but renders the competitive

These people like to bowl.  Why shouldn't they be allowed?  If the person who
put down the oil for the tournament also bowls, I'll agree with that being
bogus!  Also, I don't believe these can be sanctioned events.  So, the house
makes the rules.  If you don't like the rules, discuss it with the tournament
director or just don't play the game.

>spirit dead, since these people win almost weekly, and anyone else who doesn't
>bowl 40-50 games a week won't stand much of a chance unless they're amazingly
>lucky or a prodigy.

I certainly can't deny being amazingly lucky, but I'm certainly no prodigy and
I've never worked in a bowling center and I only bowl around 6 games per week
(not counting the tournament games.)  I won the Master's week of our last
no-tap.  In the qualifying 12 weeks, I won 1 (beat a retired touring pro in
the final round,) got second twice, third once, and fifth once.  Overall, I'm
sure I left with more money than anyone.

Do you know these people who work at your lanes; are you friendly with them?
Several of the ones here bowl in one or the other on my weekly leagues.  We
go out boozing occasionally.  We always enjoy ourselves when we're bowling.
I couldn't imagine expecting Tucker or Coleen or Howie or Steve or Bobby or
Scott to not be allowed to enter a no-tap tournament.

>   BTW, I did better than I expected, but of course did not place.  Five of
>the top six placing bowlers that night worked for the lanes.  There were
>~20 competitors this week.  Go figure.

Go figure?  Wadda ya mean, go figure?  I'll tell you go figure!  The week I
bowled my best games and series of all the 13 weeks I went home with no money.
The Master's week, when I left with mo' money, I bowled real mediocre.

Go figure!
Newsgroups: alt.sport.bowling