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Photos Harry the Robot Bowler
A bowling ball might look and feel smooth, but under a microscope tiny ridges and valleys appear. These are the result of chemicals and resins used to manufacture the balls. Those ridges and valleys determine how much grip the ball has on the lane. The more grip a ball has, the easier it is for it to curve, resulting in more strikes and higher scores. Based on data from the study, the USBC made several new ball regulations, the most important of which caps ball roughness at 50 micro inches (1 micro inch is one millionth of an inch), slightly above the average of the balls tested. The new specifications are '"our way of controlling the technology in bowling," said Ridenour. The new regulations won't go in effect until April 2009, but ball manufacturers are already adjusting. "This definitely has an effect on what could do," said Steve Klompken of Storm Bowling Balls. While Klompen wouldn't discuss any specific changes Storm was making to their bowling balls, he reiterated Storm's support for the new specifications. "We want player scores to reflect their physical ability and not let the technology outweigh the skill of the bowler," said Klompken. Related Links: Eric Bland's blog: Interior Design |
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