These questions and answers about the USBC are specifically tailored
to College Lanes customers. For more general answers or more information,
check out the USBC website.
-
What is the USBC?
- The United States Bowling Congress is the governing body of the sport
of bowling. It regulates amateur and youth bowling competition, creates
a uniform set of rules that leagues opearte under, and develops programming
to promote the sport.
- What is the Membership Fee?
- The Membership Fee are dues paid to USBC locally, statewide, and
nationally to cover the expenses of league management. In exchange
for dues, members receive a subscription to USBC's quarterly bowling
publication as well as recognition for bowling acheivements, such
as bowling a game well above average or converting the 7-10 split.
Membership is a requirement to bowl in leagues and USBC certified
tournaments.
Leagues at College Lanes are certified through the Elyria USBC Bowling
Association.
- How much is the Membership Fee?
| Type |
National |
State |
Local |
Sport |
| Men |
$10
|
$0
|
$8
|
$15
|
| Women |
$10
|
$1
|
$7
|
$15
|
| Youth |
$9.50
|
$0.25
|
$2.25
|
$10
|
- I bowl in more than one league. Do I need to pay a full membership in
each league?
- No. Each level of membership fee is collected once per season.
The only time you would need to purchase an additional membership
would be if you bowled in more than one local or state assocation
(paying only the state/local fee) or if you upgrade to a Sport
membership.
- How long is my membership valid?
- A USBC membership is good from August 1 to July 31. If the membership
is purchased after March 15, such as in a summer league, the membership
will last until the following July 31. If membership fees increase
between seasons, the bowler is expected to pay the balance in a league
that begins after August 1.
- What is the Sport fee?
- One of the programs offered by the USBC is Sport Bowling/PBA Experience,
where the lanes are oiled with patterns that have an oil ratio of
3:1 (center of the lane:outside of the lane). Sport conditions force
the bowler to develop their skill set to acheive success, leading
to higher scores on non-Sport conditions. There is even an average
adjustment scale that is used to convert Sport Averages to Standard
Averages.
Since there is an additional expense in maintaining the integrity of
Sport bowling, including weekly lane monitoring to ensure compliance,
Sport Members are charged an additional level of annual dues.
- What is the PBA Experience?
- In January of 2007, the USBC and Professional Bowlers Association
developed the PBA Experience program which allows leagues to use
the five main PBA Tour oil patterns in competition. This allows all
bowlers to try the demanding conditions faced weekly by professional
bowlers. The PBA patterns are all Sport compliant.
- What is a "Recreation" League?
- Leagues that are not USBC-Certified are called Recreation Leagues.
Although they will adhere to the rules set forth by USBC, no membership
fees are collected and averages may not be used in USBC competition.
These leagues also tend to be more about having fun.
