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GREEN LAKE, WI — Ollie Rivera knew nothing about the bowling business when he agreed to help manage the 300 Club in Green Lake.
Two years from now, the bowling center could be an example of the future of sports in small-town America.
Rivera moved from Arizona to Wisconsin during the pandemic to help her sister-in-law renovate her bowling alley over the years. After three months of modernization, the center will reopen with her Memorial Day Weekend in 2021.
“It was a pretty quick process,” Rivera said. “We came here and took it apart and put all the new stuff in here.”
New furniture, TV screens and lighting first caught the eye of visitors, but the 300 Club’s most noticeable changes were in the pits at the end of each lane.
Instead of repairing the center’s aging ‘free fall’ pin setting machines, the 300 Club installed 12 new machines with pins attached to strings.
Rivera said most players will notice little difference with the new pinsetter, other than a slight difference in pin action.
But in the eyes of the United States Bowling Congress, these differences are not that small. Organizations have been studying variations in scoring and spare conversions since 2020.
A preliminary study of 45,000 shots with both the free fall and string pinsetter found that the string machine had about 7% fewer strikes.
The USBC’s next research report included testing strings of varying lengths. The sport’s top governing body is expected to release its final report early this year.
That report will include recommendations as to whether stringpinsetters should be sanctioned for official competition.
Grading aside, small business economics is the primary reason for USBC research. Parts and repair costs for older machines can be expensive, and string pinsetters don’t require a full-time mechanic.
“When you’re in a big city like Milwaukee, I’m sure there will be mechanics out there, but they won’t be here anytime soon,” Rivera said. I think that’s a big part of it, and if we can fix everything here, let’s do it.”
The mobile app alerts the 300 Club of Green Lake to which lanes need maintenance and also advises managers on the tools they need. Since the center reopened, Rivera said he only needed about 10 times to unpin the laces.
Rivera said he wasn’t overly concerned about the USBC’s decision, as Green Lake won’t be hosting the US Open any time soon.
Most recreational players haven’t made much of a change in their machines, but the internet has gone crazy.
Last year’s TikTok Rivera, showing the string pinsetter in action, went viral and has over 54 million views.
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