The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1925-01-16

Stockings ambition after. the FIRST
individual tournament was to build
up the annual event until its entry
passed the 1000 mark. Entries for
this years tournament win close
next Saturday night and it is ex.
pected the total will be well over
500, with Baltimore sending over a
large delegation.
Stocking Is now serving his third
term as president Of the Washing
ton City Duckpin Association and
at the end Of his third year 1t is
unlikely that he viii have sue
ceeded in two Of his ambitions. But
he has done extremely well. far
better than was generally expected
OF him.
And Stocking, he insists, will
resign at the end Of this term.
He is neither tired Of the job
nor discouraged, he declares, but
| feels that others should be given
opportunity to try their hands at
plotting the association.
You know" he said recently, "a
man can work himself out on a
| job. Another man taking his place,
fresh in ideas and thoroughly
familiar with what the job calls for,
puts new life in it"
To put more life in the job Of
| president OF the Washington City
Duckpin Association than Stocking
has put in 1t Is a tough assignment
for somebody. He has set a swift
pace.
And now, getting around to his
fhird ambition n dn TTyifH q
| national duckpin tournament. The
possibilities OF such an affair were
impressed on Stocking by the great
success of intercity matches con-
| Quoted under the direction OF his
! association.
Stockings achievements thus FAR
have been in the face Of Difficult.
] ties, many difficulties, created by
! splits in the ranks of the bowlers
| over the city associations affairs,
particularly the business of select
! ing tournament alleys, and Stock.
| ing has had trying time, >indeed.
His moral courage and determine
| ton have been put to an acid test
themselves his enemies pay tribute
| to his pluck.
All this is leading to the point
| that Earle Stocking, about to step
out of the Washington City Duck
/ min Association as it's leader, may
become the main factor in giving
the duckpin game a tremendous
boost. It would be through the
realization of that third ambi-
tiOn-the national tournament.
With only that to work on and un-
hampered by the petty sQuabbles
that now disrupt the sport locally,
Stocking, it Is believed. could at
least lay the foundation for a
| tournament that would be to duck
pins what the American Bowling
| Congress is to tenpins.
He would start in the face Of dis
couraeing circumstances. The prin-
cipal drawback would. be the lack IF
Standardization in duckpins. Only u
comparatively few cities roll the
same style game as prevails here,
Some cities use rubber-banded
NAPLES. Some shoot at pins smaller
smaller balls. There are even diff
ferent type of rubber banded pins.
| And nowhere in the country is
there a city that will, overnight, pass
nm it's pet style Of maple for any
other. That's one big reason why
the Atlantic Coast Bowling Associa-
tion, which held tournament here
in 1916, failed. In short time, the
association attempted to standardize
the game in order that the bowlars
could compete on equal terms in it's
national tournament.
Perhaps never In the history Of
bowling has single move created
90 much dissa tisfaction as the altera-
tons Of duckpins and balls made &c
conform to the Atlantic Coast Bowl
ing Association standard.
A gradual change, experience
has shown, would have been much
better. The association tried to do
too much at once, it is generally
agreed.
| After looking into present con-
ditions, Stocking declares there are
enough cities and towns that roll
Washington's style of duckpins to
organize a tournament that would
be worth while.
II sucll-a tournament were con-