09/18/08
USBC Equipment Specifications and Certification
USBC'S Bowling Ball Research demonstrates world-class innovation
USBC to rub elbows with NASA, General Electric, Intel at international technical conference
The
United States Bowling Congress not only views bowling as a legitimate sport, but 60 feet of complex science in motion. The research efforts of the USBC Equipment Specifications and Certification team have proven that fact and have landed it alongside some of the world's top minds in cutting-edge research including
NASA and
General Electric. The testing and research conducted by USBC has led to the development of a new equipment specification and also an invitation to the
52nd Annual Fall Technical Conference at the Hilton Phoenix East/Mesa Oct. 8-11.
09/16/08
USBC Equipment Specifications and Certification
USBC names Nestor senior technician
The United States Bowling Congress has hired
Dave Nestor as a senior technician in the organization's Equipment Specifications and Certification Department. Nestor, 43, of Parkersburg, W.Va, has received extensive training from the International Bowling Pro Shop and Instructors Association, is a USBC Level II coach and has more than 20 years of experience in pro shop and bowling center management and operations. As a member of USBC's Equipment Specifications and Certification team, Nestor will perform testing and research of bowling equipment and products to understand their influence on scoring.
09/11/08
USBC Equipment Specifications and Certification
Benner signs on as USBC test engineer
The United States Bowling Congress has announced that 2008 University of California-Davis graduate
Donald Benner (pictured left) has been hired as a test engineer. Benner, 22, earned a bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering while also competing for the Aggies' varsity bowling team, which placed third at the collegiate national tournament in 2007. Benner's many responsibilities include: compiling, analyzing and interpreting bowling databases resulting from field testing; assisting in the design and development of testing and research equipment; assisting in research that examines bowling equipment and products to understand their influence on scoring.
07/14/08
USBC Equipment Specifications and Certification
USBC develops new way to measure timing
System will be another tool to help bowling coaches teach the sport
Continuing to advance the sport of bowling through better coaching techniques, the United States Bowling Congress is developing a more modern and flexible system of
measuring timing for bowlers. Timing is the relationship between the bowling ball's location during the swing and a bowler's steps during the approach and delivery. Devised by the USBC Coaching staff, the new method will more precisely than ever measure and classify the positions of a bowling ball during the swing relative to the bowler's footsteps.
07/08/08
USBC Equipment Specifications and Certification
Kloempken named USBC Technical Director
The United States Bowling Congress has named versatile and highly respected bowling industry veteran
Steve Kloempken to the position of USBC Technical Director of the sport's national governing body.
Recognized as having one of the industry's most innovative minds in bowling ball design and construction, Kloempken will manage the USBC Specifications and Certifications team, which primarily performs advanced testing and research on bowling balls, lanes, pins and lane dressing to ensure that all equipment meets guidelines set by the organization before it is used in USBC competition.
05/17/08
USBC Equipment Specifications and Certification
Bowling ball science on National Public Radio
The USBC bowling ball motion study is the subject of a National Public Radio story. Listen (and read) as
USBC Research Engineer Paul Ridenour (pictured) explains how the study is helping maintain bowling's integrity by striking a delicate balance between player skill and technology. Two years ago, the United States Bowling Congress began a complex study of bowling ball motion. It studied the outsides of balls, the insides of balls, and even the temperature in the room to see what has the greatest impact on bowling success.
05/05/08
USBC Equipment Specifications and Certification
USBC Bowling Ball Motion Study chosen for International Technical Conference
Presentation scheduled for Oct. 9 in Phoenix area
The recently completed
United States Bowling Congress bowling ball motion study, which was started to help protect the sport's future by addressing technology issues, has been selected as a presentation topic for the 52nd Annual Fall Technical Conference in October in Mesa, Ariz. Co-sponsored by divisions of the American Society for Quality and the American Statistical Association, the conference will include presentations by researchers and practitioners dealing with technical aspects of statistics and quality in various industries.
04/01/08
USBC Equipment Specifications and Certification
USBC bowling ball motion study concludes
Two-year research project leads to new specification on bowling ball surface roughness
The United States Bowling Congress and bowling ball manufacturing company representatives have worked together during the past two years on a comprehensive
study of bowling ball motion. Now complete, the cooperative research project's goal was to determine which characteristics have greater effects on the motion of modern, high-tech bowling balls as they roll down a lane. Bowling balls submitted to USBC for approval after April 2009 must meet the new specification to be permitted in USBC competition.
03/13/08
Breaking News
USBC develops new biomechanics technology for bowling
Grip and foot pressure systems expected to have big impact on coaching, pro shops
Measuring pressure on specific points of the human body is becoming a new and growing focus for bowling coaching and training. The United States Bowling Congress has now developed advanced technology that can
measure grip and foot pressure to improve the collection of motion data throughout a bowler's approach.
03/12/08
USBC Equipment Specifications and Certification
Bowling robot to be featured in Discovery Channel Canada story
Segment on USBC's 'Harry' to air in late March
One worker at the United States Bowling Congress is about to become an international television star. He's not a famous bowler, coach or executive. In fact, he's not even human.
"Harry," the robotic bowling ball thrower used by the USBC to test bowling balls, is the subject of a Discovery Channel story scheduled to air later this month. The story is being produced by Discovery Channel Canada as a science and technology special and is scheduled to air on Discovery Channel affiliates in Europe, Australia, South America and Asia during "Inventor Week" March 24-29.
02/28/08
USBC Equipment Specifications and Certification
USBC Technology Contest Champion crowned
Engineer submits winning design for machine that measures friction of bowling lanes
An Indiana engineer is the winner of a USBC technology contest to design a device that will measure the amount of friction on a bowling lane. Testing the "coefficient of friction" of lane surfaces - the ratio of force between two objects - is important so that USBC can ensure that friction between bowling balls and the lane surface is within standards for USBC-certified competition.
Gaetan Vich of Goshen, Ind. (pictured), an engineer at an automotive supply company in Elkhart, Ind., submitted the winning design as team "Science Friction" and took home the $5,000 first prize.
01/25/08
USBC Equipment Specifications and Certification
Meet 'Harry' the robot
One of the most important members of the USBC Specifications and Certification team is not a human being. He's a robot, and his name is "
Harry." Harry (named in honor of former testing facility employee Harry Lawrence) is an approximately seven-foot tall robotic bowling ball thrower who is an integral part of the equipment testing and research effort at the USBC Specifications and Certification test facility in Greendale, Wis.
01/11/08
USBC Equipment Specifications and Certification
USBC proactive in facility, equipment standards group
Ridenour's membership in ASTM helps bowling grow in sports science field
As bowling's national governing body, the United States Bowling Congress must stay current on all sports trends such as facilities and equipment standards. One way it does that is through membership in the American Society of Testing and Measurement (ASTM). It has volunteers from private businesses, sports organizations, universities and governmental agencies. "ASTM members are safety experts," said
USBC Research Engineer Paul Ridenour, an ASTM member since joining USBC in December 2006.
01/07/08
USBC Equipment Specifications and Certification
USBC sets specification for Lane Conditioners
Federal safety guidelines must be met to be considered for approval
The
United States Bowling Congress will now require that all lane conditioners meet federal safety guidelines before they can be considered for approval and use in USBC-certified competitions. The new USBC specification requires that manufacturers of lane conditioners confirm with USBC that their products meet the U.S. Food and Drug Administration "Generally Recognized as Safe" (GRAS) standards under the Code of Federal Regulations.
12/17/07
USBC Equipment Specifications and Certification
Research complete on USBC Bowling Ball Motion Study
Results expected to be made public next spring
The United States Bowling Congress has completed its pioneering two-year study of
bowling ball motion and how advanced, high-tech equipment may influence lane conditions and scoring in the sport. The USBC Bowling Ball Specifications Task Force - formed in 2005 and comprised of USBC research engineers and technical volunteers from several bowling ball manufacturing companies - is now analyzing the research data results.
