Association officials who measure bowling lanes are reminded to look for the words “USBC Approved” or “ABC/WIBC Approved” as well as an approval number on all synthetic (non-wood) lanes, pin decks and other pit-end products such as flat gutters and kickback plates.
Approval numbers should be stamped on or imbedded in all synthetic products, unless they were manufactured before 1980.
For any questions about where this information may be located on particular products, contact the USBC Specifications and Certification Department at specs@bowl.com or (800) 514-BOWL, ext. 3172.
Making sure that each bowling lane complies with USBC specifications is something almost every lane inspector deals with every year. Making sure that the center actually receives their certification once the inspection has been performed is usually out of the inspector’s hands and in the hands of the U.S. Postal Service.
Therefore, USBC has developed a brand new method of processing for the annual certification inspections.
The new method will mean data entry of the center information and inspection measurements but it will allow for almost immediate processing of center certificates where all measurements meet with specifications. This will provide improvements in the processing time for center certificates/decals, and also league/tournament sanctioning, not to mention honor score approval.
You can’t go wrong with this program. You won’t have paperwork to send in the mail so your association will save money on postage and you will no longer need to check with Headquarters to make sure the paperwork was received.
Once the information has been entered and is verified to meet specification requirements, the center certificate/decal will be automatically shipped from Headquarters to the center within days instead of weeks.
The information required for Page 1 of the application will only need to be entered once. After that, if some information would change, you would need to only enter those changes.
If the information entered is verified and found not to meet specifications, the inspector will immediately know which area of the lane is out and needs to be corrected.
The new program can be accessed from any computer with Internet access. No prior training is needed, the program is user friendly and will even let you know if you make a mistake. The inspector will select from a drop down list of measurements and the program will do the math. If a mistake is made for an entry on the form, the program will let you know and you will be able to correct it prior to submitting the data. If the center is connected to the Internet, the inspector could even enter the data at the center upon completion of the inspection.
The benefits of the new program will encompass everyone from the association down to the center to the member.
Another new benefit the program is an upgraded database to track owners/managers, lane measurements from year-to-year, center equipment, and the list goes on.
The requirements for the annual certification inspection do not include taking tape readings or the weighing of pins. These are two separate inspections. (Please refer to USBC Playing Rules.)
We ask that you do not perform lane dressing inspections the same day as the certification inspection. These inspections cannot be processed as “legal” inspections. It is also mandatory that the lane dressing inspections be unscheduled and unannounced to the center.
In addition, we require lane dressing inspections to be performed only on a condition that has been applied prior to “sanctioned” league or tournament bowling. We also ask that the first lane dressing inspection of each season be performed after August 1st and/or when fall leagues have started.
In an effort to save both the inspectors and individuals that read tapes both time and money, USBC would like to inform you that there has been a major problem noted when the blank tape leaders are too short and an additional length of blank tape needs to be attached to serve as a leader. The problem is due to the different values noted from batch to batch of the tape that is currently supplied solely for the purpose of lane taping. Therefore, USBC would like for you to take note of the following.
It is important to remember that the blank leader tape should not be cut after removing the tape from the take-up device. The zeroing of the reader on the blank section of leader that contains no dressing eliminates the reading of any natural fluorescence of the tape itself and provides readings of only the oil. The length of the leader is needed to enable proper zeroing for both the black box reader and the computer lane monitor.
When the leader is cut short, another piece of tape needs to be attached as a leader to enable the tape to be fed into the reader and to position the tape properly for zeroing. If the attached tape does not have the same “value” as the tape that was used for the actual inspection, an accurate reading of the lane condition cannot be accomplished.
Therefore, whenever the blank leader tape is too short (under 4 inches in length – the best length is 6 inches or more), USBC is advising that the tapes not be read and that the inspector be informed of the proper procedures to follow. In addition, these tapes should not be submitted to a reader site or USBC for reading, as they will not be considered as valid. Arrangements should be made to have another inspection performed within 10 days.
