Practice after moving lanes due to maintenance problems

[Pete Vetter]

I am wondering what other secretary's do when faced with a similar problem that I had to deal with recently. In the 7th frame of the 1st game, we had to move 2 teams to another pair of lanes due to maintenance issues on their original pair of lanes. One of the team captains asked if they would get a "warm-up/practice" period before resuming their match. When I asked the bowling center personnel if they could set them up with a few minutes of practice, I was told that it would be against the 'rules' for a practice session in this situation. I asked if this was AMF or USBC rules and was told that USBC prohibited this.

I have looked both through the rule book and on-line but can not find anything that addresses the situation either allowing practice or dis-allowing it. Does anyone know if there is any 'official' kind of ruling out there?

[Frank Goebel]

USBC Rule 106C (after the option of continuing on a single lane if necessary, or another certified pair, is made):

“An interrupted game and series shall be resumed from the point of interruption.”

I have always seen matches continued without practice, and have understood this to be the ruling in all cases. If practice were to be allowed, or called for, it would be mentioned specifically in the rule.

In fact, practice is not required by USBC at all before bowling (although the USBC Coaching program, and its YABA and USABowling predecessors, to which I belonged, strongly encourage it). It's just become fairly standard. The only mention of a practice period that I could see is in CAQ #13, allowing for an abrasive to be used on a ball during a practice period, before competition.

In fact, if a power outage or some other emergency forced the postponement of a session in progress, there would be no practice when continued, even if a different day, or next week, whenever. I've lived through one (although not as a secretary, but having to assist one in such a case).