John Congdon

I have been reading some good things in the latest US Bowler magazine about Stu Upson that has taken over at the USBC.  He has made some great changes and the people I know at the USBC seem to like the direction he has gone so far.

That being said.  The sport has been declining in membership for years.  The dues we pay used to get some decent awards, but those seem to keep dwindling.  They spend our money on moving the headquarters to Texas (still not sure if this was good or bad).

There is also a Keynote speaker every year at Bowl Expo.  They seem to get people that aren’t part of the industry, such as Bill Cosby.  Any idea how much of our money goes to paying for these high profile people?  When I go to a tech conference, I want to see the leaders in tech.  When I go to a bowling conference, I want to see the leaders in bowling.

I just heard that for Bowl Expo 2010, they are getting Sarah Palin.  My political beliefs aside, why on Earth would you bring politics into something like this?  You are already going to alienate half of the attendees that don’t like her.   Not to mention that I am sure she doesn’t speak for free or even cheap.  I think that this is a bad move on the part of the USBC.

Just my $0.02