As USBC considers a move, Arlington makes much more sense to me than Orlando

As USBC considers a move, Arlington
makes much more sense to me than Orlando

By Dick Evans

My old crystal ball has been right several times and also has given me some marginal advice at other times.

For example, my trusty crystal ball predicted that CBS would replace the ABC network, which televised Professional Bowlers Tour finals for 36 years, in 1997. It was a disaster two-year CBS deal that brought the old PBA nothing but major financial headaches.

And a couple years ago I looked into my cyrstal ball and it told me that the new PBA was going to an all-exempt format weeks before the PBA announced its 64-player all-exempt field in regular tournaments.

However, a couple of weeks ago, I may have misread what the crystal ball was trying to tell me about women contestants in the USBC Masters Tournament in Milwaukee. I thought it was telling me that a woman (probably Liz Johnson) was going to make the telecast and several other were going to sparkle.

My old crystal ball was off target because none made the Masters telecast but Johnson, Carolyn Dorin-Ballard and Lynda Barnes did wonders for the image of female bowlers going up against male rivals.

For the past few weeks my aging crystal ball has been telling me that before the 2010 calendar is introduced that the Dallas suburb of Arlington will be the new home of the United States Bowling Congress, its new ultra modern training center that will feature donated Brunswick equipment and a new Bowling Hall of Fame and Museum attraction.

And it will be close to the home of the Bowling Proprietors Association of America.

The USBC announced last week that the bowling industry may revive the Orlando concept that was considered about a decade ago.

Orlando was a good site then, but it's a bad site now and for many reasons:

1. The property value in that area of Florida has gone up dramatically, especially in the Orlando and Disney World area.

2. Insurance rates have skyrocketed since three hurricanes hit the area two years ago.

3. Flights into Orlando are expensive and it’s almost impossible to even make reservations into the area during spring break, the major holidays and during the summer when parents fly their children into the expensive world playground.

4. When airlines are overbooked, it also is almost impossible to rent a car…I know, I tried to fly into Orlando to drive home during spring break and there was not a rental car to be found.

So maybe the old crystal ball has something if the USBC is serious about leaving the Milwaukee area, which erected the first ABC permanent building at its present site in 1952. The USBC headquarters and testing site is located in a great business area and should be worth more than $15 million dollars if sold.

The USBC also owns the building where the Bowling Hall of Fame and Museum is located in St. Louis. The building is gorgeous and was erected across from the Cardinals' baseball stadium, but the team has moved and they are talking about major site changes for the bowling fixture. If the USBC sold the building it should result in major dollars.

So the USBC could take all that money and buy a parcel of land near the BPAA headquarters in Arlingrton and build a USBC headquarters and an ultra-modern testing site. Then all of bowling, except for the PBA, would be within walking distance of each other and that would cut down on travel expenses big time. Besides, Dallas is located in the central part of the country and there are many more flights into and out of Dallas and they don't require changing planes in most cases.

It would fantastic if the PBA in a cost reduction move would abandon its impressive half-floor office in Seattle, but the Crystal Ball does not see the PBA moving with the USBC and BPAA.

There are some other side benefits to a move to the Dallas area. Two of the best bowling papers, one weekly and one monthly, are located there. And many of the country's top pro bowlers live in the Southwest area.

Unfortuantely, there could be hardships for current USBC employees no matter where the USBC moves if indeed it moves.

And there could be future problems between USBC and BPAA leaders despite the harmonious atmosphere today. The bowling industry is on the same page right now and behind every move of USBC President Jeff Boje’, BPAA President Joe Schumacker and BPAA Executive Director John Berglund.

My crystal ball thinks it’s a leadership group made in heaven.