Why is Jason Sterner allowed to do this when he bowls....

[Hammer]

When Jason is bowing in a tournament he will get his ball and than he spits on his fingers and wipes it on his shoes. How can this be allowed? I am surprised the other players don't say anything about it. Anyone have thoughts about this?

[boatman37]

IIRC there are a few of them that do it. Can't recall any names off the top of my head but pretty sure I have seen others do it.

[J Anderson]

When Jason is bowing in a tournament he will get his ball and than he spits on his fingers and wipes it on his shoes. How can this be allowed? I am surprised the other players don't say anything about it. Anyone have thoughts about this?

I would guess that the other players realize that it’s not affecting the approaches. I hadn’t noticed it before

[Aslan]

I think its probably more of a pre-roll ritual than something that gives him an advantage. He slides when he releases the ball, so I wouldn't think he'd want a wet sole. Is it "illegal"? Maybe? I don't know.

Lots of time I'll rub my slide foot under the ball return because there's dust that tends to build up down there. Then I'll take a dry hand and wipe my sole. So, essentially I'm adding dust to my sole. I just do it because its kind've a routine and if I did step in a spot of water or something...hopefully the dust will keep me from sticking. Is it adding foreign material to my shoes and the approach? Depends how you look at it. On the one hand, it's not foreign to the approach because it was on the approach...just not in the same area. And I'm brushing any excess off with my hand. On the other hand, I'm putting something on the sole that wasn't there when I got on the approach and bringing it from under the ball return to the actual approach/slide area. So, I could see both arguments.

Over the summer, my summer league had to inform a couple bowlers not to apply rosin to their shoes prior to bowling. The couple had been doing it for years and didn't even know it wasn't allowed. I've seen people apply that ultra slide powder to their shoes and others on the pair would sometimes go ballistic. I don't know why someone would even want to put rosin on their shoes. Ultra Slide I understand the motivation. I've done it if I stepped in something wet...but I would apply it and then brush it off with a wire brush....really just trying to get the sole dry enough where it won't stick due to the wetness. Now I don't bother...I just switch out my sole with a similar one in my bag.

[J Anderson]

I think its probably more of a pre-roll ritual than something that gives him an advantage. He slides when he releases the ball, so I wouldn't think he'd want a wet sole. Is it "illegal"? Maybe? I don't know.

I had to go to YouTube and in the one video that I looked at he used his left hand and wiped his right foot. If one were using alley shoes and the shoes were slipping too much it would make sense to add some moisture to sole of the shoe you want to use to push into the slide, so it could be a habit from before he got his own bowling shoes.