One upon a time, the goal in bowling was a 300 game - 12 strikes in a row, and it was something of a monumental feat to achieve one. Those few who achieved it often had their names at least on the bowling establishment's wall, and often in the bowling column in the local paper. There were lanes that only had between 2 and 10 perfect games a year, and those who shot that 'perfect' number were often cheered on as everything else in the building stopped so that other bowlers could watch 'history in the making'. It was quite literally "a perfect game", and would often be talked about for weeks afterward.
There also is the concept of the "perfect strike" where the ball hits the pocket (1-3 for righties, 1-2 for lefties), and the ball takes out the 1, 3, 5, 8, and pin deflection takes out all the rest going straight back into the pit. Historically I've heard that type of strike be called "pure-ing the shot." No wild messenger pins flying off the sidewalls like little white ninjas clearing the deck, nothing rolling around gently tipping over pins that survived the initial impact, and no domino strikes - where the ball hits well outside the pocket and by rights should only take out 3 pins, but due to chance the pins just keep falling over until all of them are down.
There are others that argue that there is a 'perfect form' for bowling, where the approach is just so, the posture is at the right angle, the follow through is smooth and toward your target, head up, but not standing up at the end, correctly balanced, good knee continuation, etc.... Anyone can bowl well if they just train their body to fit into this 'perfect' mold in their delivery, as long as they have a certain style. You see, that 'perfect form' is highly contingent on whether you're a cranker, tweener, or stroker. So either there are 3 'perfect forms', or the concept of a 'perfect form' is a fallacy.
So then, with the arguments floating around about easier conditions, better equipment, walled up shots, spray-n-play bowlers, even more lively kickbacks, gutters not deep enough, and so on - what or how can one define 'perfection' in bowling? Since the 300 barrier has been shattered, 800+ series are commonplace, and we have legitimate sanctioned 899 and 900 series recorded, I put forth that it (perfection) is not (and should not be) associated with scoring. Eventually the sanctioned 1200 four game series will happen, and soon after the sanctioned 1500 pin five game series. I've heard it quoted that "no 300 game happened without luck being involved." and I would agree that there is a fair amount of truth to that. It becomes especially true the further along the string of strikes one goes.
For me, I think the goal of perfection is more related to a combination of getting the best mechanics in the delivery of the ball, and the concept of 'pure-ing' the shot, where everything just flows from the backswing - to the release - to the breakpoint - to the ball going through the pins perfectly putting all of them in the pit as if they were swept directly back. This, of course, entails knowing and performing proper technique, knowing how to read lane transitions, knowing how to adjust your shot to get that pure drive through the pins. So whereas a person can put downrange 12 shots that are nowhere close to being consistent, get 12 strikes and legitimately say they got a 'perfect' game - I would counter and say they got a 300, but not a 'perfect game'. I've only rolled one 'perfect' ball in my years of bowling (by my definition), and it was a) blind luck, and b) magical. I'm still trying to duplicate that feat every time I bowl, because that's a goal where the closer I get - the better all around bowler I'll be. Then it's not about luck or excuses, equipment or conditions -- it's solely about execution, evaluation, and adjustment - which is what true bowling should be about.
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Monday, May 27, 2013
Bowling: So What's Missing in Bowling Education?
My take on the state of what's missing in bowling ed, and general thoughts on other items that have been put in the thread up to this point.
What's missing:
As far as raw information - not much at all. We have access to a lot of information that covers everything under the sun pertaining to bowling. Youtube, Amazon, chat rooms, book lists, etc . . . has put the information out there for pretty much anyone who wants to know something about bowling. There are masterclasses, seminars, one on one sessions with a coach, video analysis from several reputable sources -- all available to any who want to search it out.
The problem as I see it: we need better students, better information coordination, and better application of that information. For example: When WebMD came out, it was a hypochondriac's wet dream - they could self-diagnose to their heart's content without having to go to an actual physician. In some cases, some more publicized than others, the person who did their research via WebMD (or the internet in general) discovered something about their condition that their local physician didn't (or misdiagnosed). However, after making that 'discovery', they still had to go to a physician that specialized in that particular field to have the proper treatment. But honestly, how many people do you know go to WebMD on a regular basis, even if they are having some sort of medical issue? Not that many I'd imagine. They may go to Google, type in some things, and have a buffet of information, and go thru and find what sounds right to their underinformed sensibilities. If Google leads them to WebMD - great, but it's not like there's a filter that says "The information on website A is accurate and verified by the AMA- this information on website B is heresay and should be taken with heavy skepticism."
Likewise, with the amount of self-diagnosis available, so many bowlers who make the effort to improve some aspect of their game are told "read this book" or "watch this video" or "This PBA star told me to do this and it really helped me - so it should help you too". Fine and dandy that it works for one person and they say it's gospel, but it doesn't necessarily work for the next person. It's great if you're a Assimilative learner when someone tells you to read these 5 books and it'll really take your game to the next level. (For those who are old enough, think the old NBC show "The Pretender") However, that approach begs a couple of questions - 1. The author is a gifted enough communicator to describe every element of their material in such a way that it's easy to relate to, and 2. the material covers in depth enough facets of the experience that connecting the dots for things that aren't mentioned is reasonably easy to do. For those who remember their texts in high school/college, the same subject material can be covered 10 different ways by 10 different authors - each covers the material with their own biases and emphasis, their own flavour (if you will). But I've yet to see a book be able to respond to a direct question from a reader asking for more explaination of a concept in ways that are meaningful to that reader.
But what if you're not a Assimilative learner, perhaps you're a visual learner. No problem - Youtube is your friend, or the vhs/dvds put out by many of the big names in our sport - Earl Anthony, Dick Weber, Walter Ray Williams Jr, Norm Duke, Fred Borden, to name a few. Anyone of them will show you many of the things you need to know in such a way that you can stop, go back, slow-mo, really get in and look to see what's going on. Except that with a video, the premium is on the visual experience, and I've noticed a lack of actual explanation as to what's going on and why. It also helps when you have someone who can point out what is supposed to be learned in each video, almost like having a video whiteboard like Madden uses when he commentates football showing "This guy's gonna come this way, this defender is moving up into this area, the blocker comes here and 'BOOM' makes a hole so they ran for a gain". Then the video starts up and you know what to look for and you can then follow the play better. Works well in football shows, works ok in PBA telecasts, but in most bowling videos - it's just not there, and the viewer has to really observe and infer exactly what they're supposed to be seeing. More helpful for the large changes (swing plane, foot work, ball motion), not very helpful for small changes or self analysis. Videos and books, even well written ones are broad brush strokes (Bob Ross and his 'happy little trees'), and cannot hope to completely address any specific situation a bowler might be having.
So you aren't one who can translate Reading into Doing, and the whole video thing isn't working for you, because what you do is so different than what you're seeing - then you're probably either a 'experiential' learner, or a kinesthetic/tactile learner, you learn by doing (and isn't bowling at it's heart all about doing?). Or, perhaps you've done the reading, and watched the videos, and it's taken you so far, but you want to go further. So you decide to look for a coach, or at least someone that can answer questions that have come to your mind when doing the reading/watching the videos. In some cases that translates into "Someone who appears that they know what they're doing". This help can go in a couple of different directions - either describing what's going on in a chat room/community to get another person's take on what you're experiencing, or perhaps asking someone at the lanes to take an eyeball to your bowling and give opinions/pointers. Depending on a lot of factors, luck apparently being #1 on the list, you can find someone to show you the ropes - but again - depending on their style and ability to communicate/relate, it can either be a rewarding or completely frustrating experience. "You get what you pay for, plus or minus 100%" If someone can link up with a great resource on a forum and get things explained successfully - great. It's free, and all you risk is your ego. However as is the case in an online forum, for every knowledgeable person, there are potentially so many more non-knowledgeable people who chime in that muddy the waters. Likewise, you may have someone local who will take a few minutes to look and can point out some things for free, or you might pay someone for an hour lesson that is a waste of time and money. As someone earlier in the thread said (paraphrasing here), those who can do - may not be able to teach others to do it. Or, the person might be quite gifted in explaining how to duplicate what they personally do when bowling, but only that one style - which may not work (or be physically possible) for the person who's asking for help.
Let's also not forget that we're speaking of bowling, which like many sports has it's own fair share of people who go cannot fathom the concept of actually working to improve other than actually going out and doing it. All you have to do is roll a ball, and knock down some pins, just keep doing that. Likewise, anyone can throw a ball, so baseball, basketball and football players don't need someone to tell them the best way to throw a ball, or catch a ball, or run with a ball. Why would someone need to read, or watch videos, or even have someone coach them - they just need to practice, right?
So, ultimately there is plenty of information available to the prospective student, but the challenge is that the information isn't necessarily in high demand, mostly self diagnosed and applied, and to a degree isn't well coordinated/customized. I'm seriously leaning with Gary Parsons on this one: for those who want to learn and grow in the sport - we need a stable of educators/instructors, not just coaches/teachers.
My opinion: A teacher doesn't teach by presenting ideas/tools/procedures via a formula that is standardized. What should happen is that a teacher 1. has the ability to observe, analyse, and detect the actions/procedures that would most improve a bowler based on that bowlers ability and style. 2. Communicate those observations/improvements successfully to the bowler using methods that the bowler can relate best to (whether verbally, visually, tactile/experience based). 3. Design a plan such that it encourages the bowler to keep learning and progressing in their time away from the teacher. Basically, someone well versed in pedagogy as it pertains to bowling.
However, the student's goal and motivation comes into play here as well. Are they becoming a student of the sport, or just be the top dog of their particular house? Do they want to be a multifaceted player, or become good enough to not be embarrassed during league? As someone mentioned earlier, are they going for 300/800, just wanting to learn how to pure a shot, or understand how to play lanes? I'm not going to get into the debate about walled up shots/cake houses/whatever in this particular post, but the motivation of the bowler comes into play in determining what level of commitment they are going to put into their 'craft'. The typical house bowler isn't going to pick up more than one or two bowling publications in their lives, they're probably invested in learning the idiosyncrasies of their particular house (or houses if they are in multiple leagues) - so they're not going to invest in the long haul. I dare say they can be called students of the house as opposed to students of the game. There's nothing wrong with that, but I would propose there's not enough right about that either.
So, does bowling need a Bruce Lee/Michael Jordan/Tiger Woods - a shining example of what bowling can be? I would argue that we've had several over the years that would/could be related to by various types of bowlers. You would be hard pressed to find someone over the age of 30 who hasn't heard the names Earl Anthony or Dick Weber . . . Parker Bohn III, Jason Couch, and Patrick Allen have been representing the sport well for the Lefties, with Norm Duke and Brian Voss representing for the righties. I know Robert Smith has the game that most young power players want to emulate, and Chris Barnes/Diandra Asbaty/Jason Belmonte have been the most recent faces of both the PBA and USBC. Pick any of them and you'd have your generation's Bruce Lee. I think having a notable personality out front does help, especially if they're espousing training and education, but my opinion is that they're just not enough. Bowling has had our share of dynamic personalities doing the same things that Tiger has done for the PGA (not that they needed any help from Tiger), and yet bowling is still seen as a John Daly sport instead of a Tiger Woods/Sergio Garcia/Rory MacElroy sport.
But in a similar vein as golf - when was the last time you went to a course where there wasn't a Pro at the clubhouse who could be contacted for lessons? I bet that golf pro had lessons from several different sources. He/she might have a natural talent, but I'm sure it was honed with an independent eye. If the USBC can have Gold/Silver/Bronze level coaches, I'm sure that there could be a master level training class for bowling educators - train the coaches if you will. A year or two ago, someone (and I want to say it was Gary) posted a hypothetical series of certifications/training courses someone could go thru to be classified as a "Certified Bowling Professional."
Gary says (again, paraphrasing) "one can't grow what one doesn't understand." Well, there's a corresponding phrase - "if you don't know it, you can't sell it", or perhaps a simpler way to put it is "the proof is in the pudding." To continue the food analagy, the PBA/USBC is treating Bowling Ed like the Food Network treats most of their shows: "Here's what can be done by professionals, isn't this impressive?" What we need is someone local who says "Here's what they did on the show, how they did it - taste each step of the way, and if you don't like that flavor - here's how you can adjust it to something that you like more." Taking that philosophy will make some better bowlers (and cooks), and start improving the whole bowling experience. Improve the experience - and you'll bring bowlers back time and time again.
What's missing:
As far as raw information - not much at all. We have access to a lot of information that covers everything under the sun pertaining to bowling. Youtube, Amazon, chat rooms, book lists, etc . . . has put the information out there for pretty much anyone who wants to know something about bowling. There are masterclasses, seminars, one on one sessions with a coach, video analysis from several reputable sources -- all available to any who want to search it out.
The problem as I see it: we need better students, better information coordination, and better application of that information. For example: When WebMD came out, it was a hypochondriac's wet dream - they could self-diagnose to their heart's content without having to go to an actual physician. In some cases, some more publicized than others, the person who did their research via WebMD (or the internet in general) discovered something about their condition that their local physician didn't (or misdiagnosed). However, after making that 'discovery', they still had to go to a physician that specialized in that particular field to have the proper treatment. But honestly, how many people do you know go to WebMD on a regular basis, even if they are having some sort of medical issue? Not that many I'd imagine. They may go to Google, type in some things, and have a buffet of information, and go thru and find what sounds right to their underinformed sensibilities. If Google leads them to WebMD - great, but it's not like there's a filter that says "The information on website A is accurate and verified by the AMA- this information on website B is heresay and should be taken with heavy skepticism."
Likewise, with the amount of self-diagnosis available, so many bowlers who make the effort to improve some aspect of their game are told "read this book" or "watch this video" or "This PBA star told me to do this and it really helped me - so it should help you too". Fine and dandy that it works for one person and they say it's gospel, but it doesn't necessarily work for the next person. It's great if you're a Assimilative learner when someone tells you to read these 5 books and it'll really take your game to the next level. (For those who are old enough, think the old NBC show "The Pretender") However, that approach begs a couple of questions - 1. The author is a gifted enough communicator to describe every element of their material in such a way that it's easy to relate to, and 2. the material covers in depth enough facets of the experience that connecting the dots for things that aren't mentioned is reasonably easy to do. For those who remember their texts in high school/college, the same subject material can be covered 10 different ways by 10 different authors - each covers the material with their own biases and emphasis, their own flavour (if you will). But I've yet to see a book be able to respond to a direct question from a reader asking for more explaination of a concept in ways that are meaningful to that reader.
But what if you're not a Assimilative learner, perhaps you're a visual learner. No problem - Youtube is your friend, or the vhs/dvds put out by many of the big names in our sport - Earl Anthony, Dick Weber, Walter Ray Williams Jr, Norm Duke, Fred Borden, to name a few. Anyone of them will show you many of the things you need to know in such a way that you can stop, go back, slow-mo, really get in and look to see what's going on. Except that with a video, the premium is on the visual experience, and I've noticed a lack of actual explanation as to what's going on and why. It also helps when you have someone who can point out what is supposed to be learned in each video, almost like having a video whiteboard like Madden uses when he commentates football showing "This guy's gonna come this way, this defender is moving up into this area, the blocker comes here and 'BOOM' makes a hole so they ran for a gain". Then the video starts up and you know what to look for and you can then follow the play better. Works well in football shows, works ok in PBA telecasts, but in most bowling videos - it's just not there, and the viewer has to really observe and infer exactly what they're supposed to be seeing. More helpful for the large changes (swing plane, foot work, ball motion), not very helpful for small changes or self analysis. Videos and books, even well written ones are broad brush strokes (Bob Ross and his 'happy little trees'), and cannot hope to completely address any specific situation a bowler might be having.
So you aren't one who can translate Reading into Doing, and the whole video thing isn't working for you, because what you do is so different than what you're seeing - then you're probably either a 'experiential' learner, or a kinesthetic/tactile learner, you learn by doing (and isn't bowling at it's heart all about doing?). Or, perhaps you've done the reading, and watched the videos, and it's taken you so far, but you want to go further. So you decide to look for a coach, or at least someone that can answer questions that have come to your mind when doing the reading/watching the videos. In some cases that translates into "Someone who appears that they know what they're doing". This help can go in a couple of different directions - either describing what's going on in a chat room/community to get another person's take on what you're experiencing, or perhaps asking someone at the lanes to take an eyeball to your bowling and give opinions/pointers. Depending on a lot of factors, luck apparently being #1 on the list, you can find someone to show you the ropes - but again - depending on their style and ability to communicate/relate, it can either be a rewarding or completely frustrating experience. "You get what you pay for, plus or minus 100%" If someone can link up with a great resource on a forum and get things explained successfully - great. It's free, and all you risk is your ego. However as is the case in an online forum, for every knowledgeable person, there are potentially so many more non-knowledgeable people who chime in that muddy the waters. Likewise, you may have someone local who will take a few minutes to look and can point out some things for free, or you might pay someone for an hour lesson that is a waste of time and money. As someone earlier in the thread said (paraphrasing here), those who can do - may not be able to teach others to do it. Or, the person might be quite gifted in explaining how to duplicate what they personally do when bowling, but only that one style - which may not work (or be physically possible) for the person who's asking for help.
Let's also not forget that we're speaking of bowling, which like many sports has it's own fair share of people who go cannot fathom the concept of actually working to improve other than actually going out and doing it. All you have to do is roll a ball, and knock down some pins, just keep doing that. Likewise, anyone can throw a ball, so baseball, basketball and football players don't need someone to tell them the best way to throw a ball, or catch a ball, or run with a ball. Why would someone need to read, or watch videos, or even have someone coach them - they just need to practice, right?
So, ultimately there is plenty of information available to the prospective student, but the challenge is that the information isn't necessarily in high demand, mostly self diagnosed and applied, and to a degree isn't well coordinated/customized. I'm seriously leaning with Gary Parsons on this one: for those who want to learn and grow in the sport - we need a stable of educators/instructors, not just coaches/teachers.
My opinion: A teacher doesn't teach by presenting ideas/tools/procedures via a formula that is standardized. What should happen is that a teacher 1. has the ability to observe, analyse, and detect the actions/procedures that would most improve a bowler based on that bowlers ability and style. 2. Communicate those observations/improvements successfully to the bowler using methods that the bowler can relate best to (whether verbally, visually, tactile/experience based). 3. Design a plan such that it encourages the bowler to keep learning and progressing in their time away from the teacher. Basically, someone well versed in pedagogy as it pertains to bowling.
However, the student's goal and motivation comes into play here as well. Are they becoming a student of the sport, or just be the top dog of their particular house? Do they want to be a multifaceted player, or become good enough to not be embarrassed during league? As someone mentioned earlier, are they going for 300/800, just wanting to learn how to pure a shot, or understand how to play lanes? I'm not going to get into the debate about walled up shots/cake houses/whatever in this particular post, but the motivation of the bowler comes into play in determining what level of commitment they are going to put into their 'craft'. The typical house bowler isn't going to pick up more than one or two bowling publications in their lives, they're probably invested in learning the idiosyncrasies of their particular house (or houses if they are in multiple leagues) - so they're not going to invest in the long haul. I dare say they can be called students of the house as opposed to students of the game. There's nothing wrong with that, but I would propose there's not enough right about that either.
So, does bowling need a Bruce Lee/Michael Jordan/Tiger Woods - a shining example of what bowling can be? I would argue that we've had several over the years that would/could be related to by various types of bowlers. You would be hard pressed to find someone over the age of 30 who hasn't heard the names Earl Anthony or Dick Weber . . . Parker Bohn III, Jason Couch, and Patrick Allen have been representing the sport well for the Lefties, with Norm Duke and Brian Voss representing for the righties. I know Robert Smith has the game that most young power players want to emulate, and Chris Barnes/Diandra Asbaty/Jason Belmonte have been the most recent faces of both the PBA and USBC. Pick any of them and you'd have your generation's Bruce Lee. I think having a notable personality out front does help, especially if they're espousing training and education, but my opinion is that they're just not enough. Bowling has had our share of dynamic personalities doing the same things that Tiger has done for the PGA (not that they needed any help from Tiger), and yet bowling is still seen as a John Daly sport instead of a Tiger Woods/Sergio Garcia/Rory MacElroy sport.
But in a similar vein as golf - when was the last time you went to a course where there wasn't a Pro at the clubhouse who could be contacted for lessons? I bet that golf pro had lessons from several different sources. He/she might have a natural talent, but I'm sure it was honed with an independent eye. If the USBC can have Gold/Silver/Bronze level coaches, I'm sure that there could be a master level training class for bowling educators - train the coaches if you will. A year or two ago, someone (and I want to say it was Gary) posted a hypothetical series of certifications/training courses someone could go thru to be classified as a "Certified Bowling Professional."
"I believe bowling should have a comprehensable certification program so the instructors/coaches/teachers of the sport can be trained to be "bowling professionals"- much like golf. Golf-as-an-institution is light years ahead of bowling-as-an-institution and is one of the reasons it has much, much more respect.
Lets see, where would I begin: I would start with 4 domains: coaching, lane maintance, business, sports psychology. Each domain would have comprehensive cross training.
(1)Coaching certification would mean completion of the following: Ritger Level III training, USBC Silver Level certification, additional training with two or more of the following masters: Tom Kouros, John Jowdy, Mo Pinel, Bill Hall, Mark Baker. In addition: IBPSIA certification HOTS (I) and HOTS-on-Lanes, IBPSIA Busiesss course; a fundamental sports pyschology course on coaching and Lane Maintence certification (Kegel).
(2) Lane Maintenence certification: Completion of Kegel's Level I certification; certification by Brunswick or AMF or training by Sam Bacca, completion of the Lane Inspection Workshop; Advance Certification class via Mo Pinel. In addition, a comprehensive course on Lane play for the scratch and aspiring scratch player. Advanced certification: completion of Kegel's Level II certification class.
(3) Sports Psychology: Intro to sports psycology certification (Dr. Dean); Sports Psychology classes offered by USBC; a class on sports psychology for coaching; a class in business and sports psychology; a course in Mental Management by Larry Bassham; an Advance certification class in sports pschology.
(4) Business certification: completion of the following IBPSIA business course, a course in sports pschology and business; BPAA's The School for Bowling Center Management. Advanced certification: Completion of the BPAA's OnLine Management Training and Certification Program.
Competion of each domain carries its own certification. Completion of all carries certification and the recognition that the student is a fully certified certified "Bowling Professional".
The program could be adminstrated by IBPSIA and/or the PBA with additional classes relevant to the PBA enviroment/contextual concerns. Completion of these classes carries the weight of being "PBA certified" in each domain."
(http://forum.bowlingchat.net/viewtopic.php?p=19180#p19180)If we could get a Master/Apprentice type of situation available, where prospective educators could spend a month apprenticing under (for example) Mo Pinel, Jim Merrell, Fred Borden, Jeri Edwards, Ron Hatfield, Del Ballard, Ron Clifton, Mark Baker, John Jowdy, and so on . . . . I think that there would be a huge opportunity to set a standard for bowling education - not just for coaching for competition, but really delving into the art and science of bowling. If that "Certified Bowling Professional" course came out and after a few graduating classes dispersed into America, I think that you'd start to see stronger bowling centers form, and hopefully not just in well established bowling cities. I firmly believe that between 2 and 5 in every state would provide enough potential draw to find who the people who are willing to learn are, and if they are found and learn - they'll come back to their home centers and spread the word.
Gary says (again, paraphrasing) "one can't grow what one doesn't understand." Well, there's a corresponding phrase - "if you don't know it, you can't sell it", or perhaps a simpler way to put it is "the proof is in the pudding." To continue the food analagy, the PBA/USBC is treating Bowling Ed like the Food Network treats most of their shows: "Here's what can be done by professionals, isn't this impressive?" What we need is someone local who says "Here's what they did on the show, how they did it - taste each step of the way, and if you don't like that flavor - here's how you can adjust it to something that you like more." Taking that philosophy will make some better bowlers (and cooks), and start improving the whole bowling experience. Improve the experience - and you'll bring bowlers back time and time again.
General Life: The Slow Spiral in Home Improvement.
So, the three day weekend for me this week was anything but relaxing. Let me share with you the story of how the somewhat simple task of changing a toilet seal blossomed into a nearly complete bathroom remodel.
The wife and I have been in our house for just under 7 years, and the house is approaching it's 60th birthday. I'm sure it was state of the art back in '56 when it was built, but just like people - if it isn't maintained, it sags in places it shouldn't, and can just look a bit worn. We've been talking off and on for the last couple of years about what we'd like to change in the house, and looking at each room and getting into the cycle of "we really need to do this. But we can't do that until we do this. Well we can't do that, until this over here is handled, etc....". Sometimes it just takes one thing to break through the mental quagmire to actually cause action to begin. For us, it took a toilet seal leaking.
So, the wife last Wednesday decided that she's had enough of the slight odor that comes up whenever we flush the toilet, and that my Dad and I could get together Friday afternoon and redo the wax seal. Timetables were set, schedules were synchronized, and on Friday about 4 pm - we set to the task. Issue #1. We discovered that the screws that held the unit to the bottom flange had rusted nearly completely through. Hint: never use galvanized nails/screws/pipes in a wet environment if you want them to last more than 10 years. Once we took off the bowl and took a look at the floor, the wood under the linoleum was soaking wet. I'd noticed a drip in the basement for a little while, but I thought I'd fixed it when I had to replace the galvanized pipe (notice a trend here) that was in the bathroom since that had corroded completely through. Looks like there was a bit more to the water leaks than one point of failure. So the thought process went - how long has it been leaking and potentially being soaked up by the wood subfloor? It wouldn't do a bit of good to put a new wax seal over bad, smelly wood - which means we're pulling up the linoleum to see how far the damage/soaking went.
Turns out that the previous owners of the house periodically decided to change the look of the floor in the bathroom. However, when they got tired of the vinyl tile or linoleum, they didn't rip it up - they simply put down new on top of the old. So with hammers, chisels, and scrapers - we started taking up four layers of flooring interwoven with quarter inch plywood before getting down to the subfloor. Then we could accurately make a determination about how far the wood was wet and damaged. Needless to say, starting so late, there was no way to finish that night, so halfway through the flooring removal we had to stop for the evening.
Day two: The next morning, we started up again with the floor. A couple of hours later, we finally finished separating the flooring from the subflooring, and could accurately gather info about how far the water penetration had gone. Unfortunately, the toilet sits right beside the bathroom vanity, and to make sure 1. the subfloor under the vanity wasn't damaged and 2. if the vanity was sitting on top of one or more of those layers of linoleum - we also had to take out the vanity. Now, this apparently was the original vanity in the bathroom, because it was built into place, and built to last. In taking out the vanity, we left some nasty gashes and holes in the wall because there was no true back to the vanity. So by a little after lunch time, we had the bathroom down to the subfloor everywhere and could start replacing the rotten wood (which thankfully wasn't much).
Then it was time to start putting everything back together. Didn't seem like a good idea in a potentially (hah) wet environment to go with just plywood as the next level of floor, so two pieces of concrete board got cut and placed down to provide a waterproof barrier. We also picked up a new plastic ring that fits inside the waste pipe to ensure that all waste gets focused down the pipe instead of hoping for a gentle meeting of the flat ring and the pipe. Also done was the replacing of all galvanized fittings in that bathroom, and looking in each of those pipes - I'm quite surprised that we were getting any water into the sink and/or toilet. After getting those things taken care of, it was time for food and aspirin. The hard part was behind us (we thought), so day 3 should be easy - just putting down the new linoleum.
Day 3. When the former owners of the house put down linoleum in the kitchen - they had some extra that they just rolled up and stuck in the basement. Since the bathroom isn't huge, and the pattern is white and boring - seems a shame to not put it to good use. Got it cut to the approximate rough size, then moved it to the waiting bathroom for final cuts and fittings. Now, this flooring material had been rolled up and stood in a corner for at least 7 years, and potentially longer. It did not relax easily, nor did it set new marks for flexibility. Add to that that there are several odd corners and shapes in the bathroom, and you can imagine that the final cutting and fitting took over an hour to do. But we got it accomplished, and started gluing it down in stages. Apparently when professional installers put down flooring, they have a large weighted roller that they use to smooth down the finished flooring to ensure that it has near perfect adhesion to the actual floor. I had an oversized plastic tub that I filled with two unopened bags of playground sand and eight 15 pound bowling balls. I think it worked pretty well, and also provided a use for several cracked bowling balls that I had been loathe about getting rid of. So at the end of yesterday, the floor was down and weighted down to make sure that the roll memory had been defeated, and the hardware to reattach the bowl to the floor was in place. Since the corners are the main spots I was concerned about the linoleum curling up, I left the weights on there overnight - so the bowl is not yet back on.
Of course, since we're doing all this work, my wife interjects that it's a perfect time to repaint the bathroom to hide the floral pattern that someone had painted on before. So while the floor was being 'pressed', I also primed all the walls for painting, as well as cleaned the ceiling - but I didn't prime it yet. Two reasons for that - 1. since the walls were wet, I couldn't cover light fixtures adequately to protect them from paint splatters, and 2. only some of the bowling balls used for extra weight were cracked - others were part of my collection and are in perfectly good shape, and didn't need to be painted. So by 10 last night, I was sore, tired, smelly, paint and glue spattered, and quite ready to go back to work so I could sit down and rest my feet. Tonight I'll go home and cover the light fixtures so I can prime the ceiling, and hopefully my wife will have picked out the color she want's in the bathroom (otherwise it's gonna be a dazzling white bathroom) so I can start painting. If not, then I'll just install the toilet after priming and call it a night. I have some friends of mine going to an auction tomorrow to see if they can pick up a vanity/sink combo for a good price - and once that comes in - I can install that and the bathroom renovation will be essentially done except for final painting (which can wait till next weekend).
All this, because the wax ring on the toilet started to leak.
The wife and I have been in our house for just under 7 years, and the house is approaching it's 60th birthday. I'm sure it was state of the art back in '56 when it was built, but just like people - if it isn't maintained, it sags in places it shouldn't, and can just look a bit worn. We've been talking off and on for the last couple of years about what we'd like to change in the house, and looking at each room and getting into the cycle of "we really need to do this. But we can't do that until we do this. Well we can't do that, until this over here is handled, etc....". Sometimes it just takes one thing to break through the mental quagmire to actually cause action to begin. For us, it took a toilet seal leaking.
So, the wife last Wednesday decided that she's had enough of the slight odor that comes up whenever we flush the toilet, and that my Dad and I could get together Friday afternoon and redo the wax seal. Timetables were set, schedules were synchronized, and on Friday about 4 pm - we set to the task. Issue #1. We discovered that the screws that held the unit to the bottom flange had rusted nearly completely through. Hint: never use galvanized nails/screws/pipes in a wet environment if you want them to last more than 10 years. Once we took off the bowl and took a look at the floor, the wood under the linoleum was soaking wet. I'd noticed a drip in the basement for a little while, but I thought I'd fixed it when I had to replace the galvanized pipe (notice a trend here) that was in the bathroom since that had corroded completely through. Looks like there was a bit more to the water leaks than one point of failure. So the thought process went - how long has it been leaking and potentially being soaked up by the wood subfloor? It wouldn't do a bit of good to put a new wax seal over bad, smelly wood - which means we're pulling up the linoleum to see how far the damage/soaking went.
Turns out that the previous owners of the house periodically decided to change the look of the floor in the bathroom. However, when they got tired of the vinyl tile or linoleum, they didn't rip it up - they simply put down new on top of the old. So with hammers, chisels, and scrapers - we started taking up four layers of flooring interwoven with quarter inch plywood before getting down to the subfloor. Then we could accurately make a determination about how far the wood was wet and damaged. Needless to say, starting so late, there was no way to finish that night, so halfway through the flooring removal we had to stop for the evening.
Day two: The next morning, we started up again with the floor. A couple of hours later, we finally finished separating the flooring from the subflooring, and could accurately gather info about how far the water penetration had gone. Unfortunately, the toilet sits right beside the bathroom vanity, and to make sure 1. the subfloor under the vanity wasn't damaged and 2. if the vanity was sitting on top of one or more of those layers of linoleum - we also had to take out the vanity. Now, this apparently was the original vanity in the bathroom, because it was built into place, and built to last. In taking out the vanity, we left some nasty gashes and holes in the wall because there was no true back to the vanity. So by a little after lunch time, we had the bathroom down to the subfloor everywhere and could start replacing the rotten wood (which thankfully wasn't much).
Then it was time to start putting everything back together. Didn't seem like a good idea in a potentially (hah) wet environment to go with just plywood as the next level of floor, so two pieces of concrete board got cut and placed down to provide a waterproof barrier. We also picked up a new plastic ring that fits inside the waste pipe to ensure that all waste gets focused down the pipe instead of hoping for a gentle meeting of the flat ring and the pipe. Also done was the replacing of all galvanized fittings in that bathroom, and looking in each of those pipes - I'm quite surprised that we were getting any water into the sink and/or toilet. After getting those things taken care of, it was time for food and aspirin. The hard part was behind us (we thought), so day 3 should be easy - just putting down the new linoleum.
Day 3. When the former owners of the house put down linoleum in the kitchen - they had some extra that they just rolled up and stuck in the basement. Since the bathroom isn't huge, and the pattern is white and boring - seems a shame to not put it to good use. Got it cut to the approximate rough size, then moved it to the waiting bathroom for final cuts and fittings. Now, this flooring material had been rolled up and stood in a corner for at least 7 years, and potentially longer. It did not relax easily, nor did it set new marks for flexibility. Add to that that there are several odd corners and shapes in the bathroom, and you can imagine that the final cutting and fitting took over an hour to do. But we got it accomplished, and started gluing it down in stages. Apparently when professional installers put down flooring, they have a large weighted roller that they use to smooth down the finished flooring to ensure that it has near perfect adhesion to the actual floor. I had an oversized plastic tub that I filled with two unopened bags of playground sand and eight 15 pound bowling balls. I think it worked pretty well, and also provided a use for several cracked bowling balls that I had been loathe about getting rid of. So at the end of yesterday, the floor was down and weighted down to make sure that the roll memory had been defeated, and the hardware to reattach the bowl to the floor was in place. Since the corners are the main spots I was concerned about the linoleum curling up, I left the weights on there overnight - so the bowl is not yet back on.
Of course, since we're doing all this work, my wife interjects that it's a perfect time to repaint the bathroom to hide the floral pattern that someone had painted on before. So while the floor was being 'pressed', I also primed all the walls for painting, as well as cleaned the ceiling - but I didn't prime it yet. Two reasons for that - 1. since the walls were wet, I couldn't cover light fixtures adequately to protect them from paint splatters, and 2. only some of the bowling balls used for extra weight were cracked - others were part of my collection and are in perfectly good shape, and didn't need to be painted. So by 10 last night, I was sore, tired, smelly, paint and glue spattered, and quite ready to go back to work so I could sit down and rest my feet. Tonight I'll go home and cover the light fixtures so I can prime the ceiling, and hopefully my wife will have picked out the color she want's in the bathroom (otherwise it's gonna be a dazzling white bathroom) so I can start painting. If not, then I'll just install the toilet after priming and call it a night. I have some friends of mine going to an auction tomorrow to see if they can pick up a vanity/sink combo for a good price - and once that comes in - I can install that and the bathroom renovation will be essentially done except for final painting (which can wait till next weekend).
All this, because the wax ring on the toilet started to leak.
Thursday, May 23, 2013
Bowling: the questions, the topics, the discussion, the debates
So, I am a member of a few Bowling forums, and there have been some thought provoking posts made over the years that I've wanted to reply to, and often have. But when posting on a forum, sometimes by the time I've got my thoughts together - people have moved on to something else. I try to be considerate and not post often due to the fact that I normally post not just thoughts, but quite often essays - which is one of the main reasons I'm not on Twitter - 140 characters is just not enough. So, in the interest of getting my thoughts out there for various subjects within the overarching realm of Bowling, I'm going to post my full responses here.
Some of the questions/topics that will be shared:
Some of the questions/topics that will be shared:
- Why Bowling?
- Why not get coaching?
- What is perfection?
- Technology vs technique
- USBC and PBA, moving forward/backward/running in place?
- Your local Bowling Establishment and you
- Youth/High School/College Bowling
- The Myth/Moans behind Bowling Integrity
- What is the product called Bowling?
- Why compare/contrast Tennis, Golf and Bowling, why not with Nascar? http://forum.bowlingchat.net/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=5014
- Chase the Experience
- Bowling Culture both at the lanes and away from the lanes
- Challenges in Growing the Sport at the Grassroots Level- http://forum.bowlingchat.net/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=3611
- "The Reasons Bowling is Going Downhill" (and why bowlers love to gripe about it)
- "Bowling Alone" and Gen X'ers
- The huge number of State of Bowling posts/interviews from Coaches and/or Players.
- Sport for fun vs. working at Sport
- Boutique Bowling versus Traditional Lanes
- I have a dream - and if I could make it so . . . http://forum.bowlingchat.net/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=6209
- Consolidation both in bowling and outside of bowling
- "It's what I've always done"
- Equipment collection specialists explained: (aka: Ball Ho and proud of it)
- The Pain vs the Process of 'Matching Up'
- What is missing in Bowling Ed?
- Modern vs. Traditionalist in bowling - Why do we need both?
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Greetings, Salutations, Felicitations, Howdy.
So, after an extended break from blogging, I've decided to return to the medium. All those who were following me on a regular basis (I think there were 5 of you) will be excited to hear this. For everyone else, this initial post will be a "getting to know you" session: introductions, what can be expected, mission statement, and a general sampling of who I am and how I work.
So. Hi everyone, my name is Jason Harris
[audience] Hi Jason
Let's see, something about me. I live in North Carolina, but to hear me speak, you'd never know it. There's a decent chance someone out in G+ land has actually heard me speak, because I'm a Technical Support Analyst, and have been for 20 years. In other words - I'm a member of your friendly neighborhood help desk. Now I'd love to say I've been working for 20 years at the same help desk . . . . but that's not the case. Worked for many Fortune 500 companies doing IT support, both local, national, and international support. To be honest, if you have to call into the help desk for computer support, I'm really the person you want to talk to. In the words of the immortal philosopher Popeye -- "I yam what I yam," which brings relief to my customers and slight discomfort to those who are in the enviable position of managing me.
[audience] Hmm? Please explain.
Well, I've lived in rural America, have a Classical Education, and can speak and explain technology on the same level as anyone who calls in - if they're willing to work with me. I love solving puzzles, and hate to be defeated by a problem, so if I catch your call - the only way you're not going to be fixed by the end of the call is if I:
1. Don't have the rights required to fix the issue - which happens a lot in a Corporate setting. But I will get you to the correct person to fix the issue, or talk to them over IM so that you don't have to explain the issue multiple times. My job is if I can't fix the issue, then I'll do the legwork to get you to the right person so you will not be treated like a ball in a pinball machine bounced between multiple departments.
2. The issue is hardware related, so a local technician would have to physically handle the computer to fix the issue.
This is great for the caller/customer, and is what I expect if I have to call into anywhere -- which does happen occasionally. However the part that causes some slight discomfort to management is that:
1. I won't lie about the product or what needs to happen to fix whatever issue.
2. I'm a real person, and my personality in all it's slightly twisted glory will shine through.
There is a philosophy that good customer service can be scripted so that everyone sounds the same, and then - in theory - every caller will get an equally great experience. Sorry, every technician on a team has their own particular strengths based on experience both on and off the job. There's no real way to level the field, even if there is a script for how to troubleshoot an issue. I cannot tell you how many times I've heard a variant of the following directive: "You must always fill out every line in the tracking software, so you must ask each question, in order. If you skip any questions, you will be penalized in your evaluations. If you fill it out correctly, it will give you the correct response." False, it will give you a potentially correct response, but sometimes there comes a problem that isn't in the database, and you've got to actually think. It really irritates me to work with a customer who tells me that the person who was before me asked all the questions then immediately transfers them to the next level without even trying to troubleshoot. I didn't stay at companies very long who enforce that policy.
[audience] That really happens? I thought it was just the people who I talk to.
Nope, and I'll probably expound on that in a later post.
So anyway, other things about me that will help someone in the audience potentially relate to me: early 40's, B.A from Wake Forest (Music Theory), graduate work at Bowling Green State University (Music Theory and Electronic Music), and further education work at NC A&T (Electrical Engineering). Some might say I was a professional student, but I prefer to think of myself as having a well rounded education. I do a lot of reading to this day, quite irritated when the local Borders went out of business, even though I picked up 40-50 books during their closeout. I am a husband and father, an avid bowler, backyard chef, woodworker, enjoy designing and building furniture, a firm believer in the Art and Science of Teaching, and basically wave my Nerd flag proudly.
[audience] Nice. So, what can the person who watches this blog expect?
That's a good question. Sometimes there will be a major topic that I really try to explore, perhaps over multiple posts. Other times it might be a 'sampler platter', where there are a bunch of things that don't really relate, but I want to get out there. Those 'sampler platter' posts may be product reviews, news that I find interesting, general musings, projects that I'm working on or considering - who knows.
[audience] Ok, and what's this about a 'Mission Statement'?
Basically, my mission statement is that what I post here will be engaging, informative, and potentially interesting. Anything I put on the blog will be thought about, processed, written, rewritten, edited, thought about some more, and hopefully coherent and available to anyone who wants to read it. But once I post it, I will not go back and edit the content -- I'll treat it like a newspaper with clarifications/adjustments in the next post. That way I cannot be accused of adjusting content after the fact for whatever reason.
[audience] So do you expect anything from us?
Actually, yes. I expect a couple of things. First, I welcome debate, but I do not welcome mean-spiritedness. You as an audience member have opinions and experiences of your own, and they potentially (probably) are different than mine. I do ask that if we disagree about a topic or point of view, please discuss the subject without making it personal. This also includes any spirited debate within the comments section with your fellow audience members.
Secondly, and this is a personal philosophy, I'd prefer if those who chose to comment would talk to me in the same way as I talk to you. I know in the age of Tweets only being 140 characters, and reading and/or posting happening on devices other than laptops/desktops, there has been a trend of adjusting the typed word to being abbreviated - whether intentionally or inadvertently. Typos I understand, but please keep the 'textspeak' to a minimum.
Other than that, let's see where this journey takes us this time around.
So. Hi everyone, my name is Jason Harris
[audience] Hi Jason
Let's see, something about me. I live in North Carolina, but to hear me speak, you'd never know it. There's a decent chance someone out in G+ land has actually heard me speak, because I'm a Technical Support Analyst, and have been for 20 years. In other words - I'm a member of your friendly neighborhood help desk. Now I'd love to say I've been working for 20 years at the same help desk . . . . but that's not the case. Worked for many Fortune 500 companies doing IT support, both local, national, and international support. To be honest, if you have to call into the help desk for computer support, I'm really the person you want to talk to. In the words of the immortal philosopher Popeye -- "I yam what I yam," which brings relief to my customers and slight discomfort to those who are in the enviable position of managing me.
[audience] Hmm? Please explain.
Well, I've lived in rural America, have a Classical Education, and can speak and explain technology on the same level as anyone who calls in - if they're willing to work with me. I love solving puzzles, and hate to be defeated by a problem, so if I catch your call - the only way you're not going to be fixed by the end of the call is if I:
1. Don't have the rights required to fix the issue - which happens a lot in a Corporate setting. But I will get you to the correct person to fix the issue, or talk to them over IM so that you don't have to explain the issue multiple times. My job is if I can't fix the issue, then I'll do the legwork to get you to the right person so you will not be treated like a ball in a pinball machine bounced between multiple departments.
2. The issue is hardware related, so a local technician would have to physically handle the computer to fix the issue.
This is great for the caller/customer, and is what I expect if I have to call into anywhere -- which does happen occasionally. However the part that causes some slight discomfort to management is that:
1. I won't lie about the product or what needs to happen to fix whatever issue.
2. I'm a real person, and my personality in all it's slightly twisted glory will shine through.
There is a philosophy that good customer service can be scripted so that everyone sounds the same, and then - in theory - every caller will get an equally great experience. Sorry, every technician on a team has their own particular strengths based on experience both on and off the job. There's no real way to level the field, even if there is a script for how to troubleshoot an issue. I cannot tell you how many times I've heard a variant of the following directive: "You must always fill out every line in the tracking software, so you must ask each question, in order. If you skip any questions, you will be penalized in your evaluations. If you fill it out correctly, it will give you the correct response." False, it will give you a potentially correct response, but sometimes there comes a problem that isn't in the database, and you've got to actually think. It really irritates me to work with a customer who tells me that the person who was before me asked all the questions then immediately transfers them to the next level without even trying to troubleshoot. I didn't stay at companies very long who enforce that policy.
[audience] That really happens? I thought it was just the people who I talk to.
Nope, and I'll probably expound on that in a later post.
So anyway, other things about me that will help someone in the audience potentially relate to me: early 40's, B.A from Wake Forest (Music Theory), graduate work at Bowling Green State University (Music Theory and Electronic Music), and further education work at NC A&T (Electrical Engineering). Some might say I was a professional student, but I prefer to think of myself as having a well rounded education. I do a lot of reading to this day, quite irritated when the local Borders went out of business, even though I picked up 40-50 books during their closeout. I am a husband and father, an avid bowler, backyard chef, woodworker, enjoy designing and building furniture, a firm believer in the Art and Science of Teaching, and basically wave my Nerd flag proudly.
[audience] Nice. So, what can the person who watches this blog expect?
That's a good question. Sometimes there will be a major topic that I really try to explore, perhaps over multiple posts. Other times it might be a 'sampler platter', where there are a bunch of things that don't really relate, but I want to get out there. Those 'sampler platter' posts may be product reviews, news that I find interesting, general musings, projects that I'm working on or considering - who knows.
[audience] Ok, and what's this about a 'Mission Statement'?
Basically, my mission statement is that what I post here will be engaging, informative, and potentially interesting. Anything I put on the blog will be thought about, processed, written, rewritten, edited, thought about some more, and hopefully coherent and available to anyone who wants to read it. But once I post it, I will not go back and edit the content -- I'll treat it like a newspaper with clarifications/adjustments in the next post. That way I cannot be accused of adjusting content after the fact for whatever reason.
[audience] So do you expect anything from us?
Actually, yes. I expect a couple of things. First, I welcome debate, but I do not welcome mean-spiritedness. You as an audience member have opinions and experiences of your own, and they potentially (probably) are different than mine. I do ask that if we disagree about a topic or point of view, please discuss the subject without making it personal. This also includes any spirited debate within the comments section with your fellow audience members.
Secondly, and this is a personal philosophy, I'd prefer if those who chose to comment would talk to me in the same way as I talk to you. I know in the age of Tweets only being 140 characters, and reading and/or posting happening on devices other than laptops/desktops, there has been a trend of adjusting the typed word to being abbreviated - whether intentionally or inadvertently. Typos I understand, but please keep the 'textspeak' to a minimum.
Other than that, let's see where this journey takes us this time around.
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