Other considerations Whenever teens and adults are in regular contact (i.e. a league situation with bowlers under 18 in the league with adults), ALL adults must complete the Safe Sport component of the RVP program. For leagues, this is an all-or-nothing situation and the responsibility falls on adults to be SafeSport trained before a player under the age of 18 (youth) bowles in the league. The rules told us that the league rules allow a teen to bowle in an adult league (as defined by age), that teens are allowed to bowl, and that adults who have not been trained by SafeSport cannot bowl until they are bowled. For this reason, in our league secretary letter, we recommended that all leagues add a rule that all adult bowlers must be at least 18 years old. This is true in youth leagues, when teenagers reach the age of 18, they must be trained SafeSport to continue bowling. This could lead to problems with some of the „adult/kid“ summer leagues. It has been determined that a single tournament (our adult/children`s tournament in the spring) is NOT a „normal“ contact situation and that adults do not need to be SafeSport to participate in this tournament. NOTE: The elements in BLUE are literally from USBC to bowl.com. The rest is information that helps you understand some of the additional situations that may arise, and the information comes from conversations (several) with rules. On August 1, 2019, the USBC had enacted what most call the DRY TOWEL RULE.
Simply put, in most situations, once the competition starts, you can only insert a dry towel or shammy (or similar) into your bowling ball. You should NOT tap rosin on your thumb or finger holes (put it on the surface of the ball and wipe it off). You should NOT use abrasives or even cleaners that can still say „Acceptable for use DURING USBC competition“ on the bottle (these are old bottles, new containers should only indicate if it is a USBC approved substance that can be used at any time out of competition). SOME competitions may include pre-match practice time (i.e. once the lanes are open for practice, NOTHING can be done with your ball), so check the league/tournament rules for that. Unusual circumstances (the ball returns with a drop of rubbery material on the ball) should be brought to the attention of league or tournament officials and they may approve the use of a cleaner, but only to remove the substance that remains on the ball from the equipment. This is NOT a carte blanche to clean your ball every few images by claiming „filth“ on the ball. As the vast majority of you know, the U.S. Bowling Congress decided last year to eliminate all balance holes effective August 1, 2020.
All marbles that currently have balance holes must have those balance holes plugged before that date in order to be considered „legal“ under the new rules. No thumb or two-handed bowler using devices that currently have a thumb hole or balance hole needs to be plugged in before this date. With this rule, they changed the restrictions on the static weight of a ball. Any ball over 10 pounds can now have +/- 3 ounces right side/left +/- 3 ounces of finger/thumb weight and be considered legal as long as no balance hole is drilled into it. Previously, this was the +/- 1 ounce right side/left +/- 1 ounce finger/thumb weight rule to be considered legal. This change allows anyone who has currently drilled a balance hole to plug that hole without having to completely change the layout to make the ball legal under the new rules. It allows much more freedom when drilling new equipment. The +/- 3 ounce rule is now in effect, so all drilled logs can now be drilled in accordance with these requirements What does this mean when buying and drilling a new log? Since the 3-ounce +/- rule applies to any ball without a balance hole, spacing between pins and higher weight is no longer an important requirement when ordering a new ball. This may seem confusing, as bowlers have been told for many years that they must order a ball with a specific pin position and/or a higher weight to get the desired response, but this is no longer the case with these new rules and without the use of balance holes.
Starting with Dr. Nassar (sp??) with inappropriate behavior (and other similar situations), the new federal law now prescribes new protections when adults work with adolescents. On behalf of the U.S. Olympic Committee, the USBC has developed guidelines for compliance with all National Sports Federations (NBAs), Olympic and non-Olympic. The USBC Registered Volunteer Program (RVP) allows bowling to be compliant. For years, many bowlers have demanded certain pin positions and higher weights when ordering bowling balls. Balls with certain specifications were sometimes required, depending on the desired arrangement intended for that ball in order to keep it within the USBC static weight rules. With the move to the +/- 3 ounce rule, the placement of the CG (center of gravity) on the ball is no longer important when arranging a ball. The pin (symmetrical and asymmetrical balls) and mass preload (asymmetric balls) should be used to determine the desired arrangement of a ball you are drilling. This has been discussed for years, but ball manufacturers have done some research and confirmed that CG does not affect the ball`s reaction and is legal as long as it meets the new +/- 3 ounce rule.
You can see a manufacturer`s research in this video – Recently, the USBC released some „new“ rules regarding bowling balls, balance, and introducing foreign bodies into the blanket during bowling. We hope this will be a „plain text“ summary of these rules, as they apply to everyone. The USBC introduced these rules in August 2018, with one coming into effect on 01.08.2019 and the second on 01.08.2020. In the meantime, a gradual introduction process has been granted to the second (below) as it involves adjusting/modifying many bowling balls, especially those used by those who do not use their thumb when delivering the ball. Two-handed bowlers must have a mark („+“) on the ball where their palm rests. The USBC Singles Prize Release Form and Parental Consent Form have been replaced with a new document called the Consent Form. The USBC Registered Volunteer Program achieves two very important goals: • It requires that all volunteers who have regular contact with USBC youth bowlers have undergone a mandatory criminal background check in order to remove and/or discourage those who could harm our children. • It includes a training component through SafeSport.org so that those who work closely with adolescent members can recognize if an athlete is being abused, learn how to prevent abuse, and how to respond when abuse has occurred. Everyone deserves to participate in sports, without bullying, nebulosity, sexual misconduct or any form of emotional or physical violence.
The USBC Registered Volunteer Program is designed to ensure that everyone who works with young members is dedicated to this goal. Who needs to become a registered volunteer? Anyone 18 years of age or older who has regular contact or authority about young USBC members and individuals within the USBC leadership structure. Some roles or positions within the USBC require compliance. These roles include: • USBC Headquarters Staff • Members of the USBC National Council and Youth Committee • Members of the USBC USA Team and the USA Junior Team • Members and Directors of the State and Local Youth Committee • Board members of national and local associations • Directors of national and local associations • USBC League officials in leagues with members under 17 years • USBC Youth Tournament Manager • USBC Certified Coach Pierced balls without thumbs must be marked as „orientation“ of the handle. What is the USBC Registered Volunteer Program? The U.S. Bowling Congress Registered Volunteer Program was established in 2006 to protect youth participating in USBC youth programs. Providing a safe environment for young bowlers is a top priority for USBC. No compensation holes are allowed. All drilled holes must be used for gripping purposes at each delivery. No more than three (3) ounces of weight on each CURRENT/“OLD“ RULE: The current rule allows a little more flexibility in the use of holes, while maintaining a less permissible imbalance.
The most important points are: GebhardtsBowling.com staff is always available to answer your questions. Please call us at 800-523-9220 or email us at customerservice@gebhardts.com. BOWLING BALL HOLES AND BALANCE The „new“ balance/hole rule comes into force on 01.08.2020. Meanwhile, USBC allows you to drill balls to match EITHER the current rule OR the „new“ rule. Here is a summary of what is allowed under each rule. From 01.08.2020, ALL bales MUST comply with the „new“ rule. Allows the USBC to temporarily change the general rules of the game, rewards, league, and tournament under certain circumstances. (See below) „NEW“ RULE: The new rule is quite simple. The main points are as follows:.