When did you get your physical USBC membership card?

[NewToBowling]

That's how the USBC gets it money, if you didn't get a new card every season the USBC would have been gone long ago.

While a lot of bowlers think that would be great, if they think the rules are not being enforced and they are not getting enough awards now. Watch what happens if the USBC closes it doors and see how many rules get enforced or how many awards they get then.

and if a new national organization starts up, it most likely will cost you a lot more.

Wouldn't it be cheaper to just send a new stamp each year, say 2016, 2017 just like car registration.

[zdawg]

Got mine yesterday.

[bowl1820]

Wouldn't it be cheaper to just send a new stamp each year, say 2016, 2017 just like car registration.

What they do now is not really any different than that.

you fill out a registration form, pay your money and they send you a card.

car registration they send you the renewal form, you pay your money and they give you a sticker (and new plate if it's been several years.

[Aslan]

Got mine three days ago.

Yeah. I got mine last weekend or Monday or Tuesday.

Everybody thinks bowling fees are too high and they don't provide enough value...but what can they really do?

- Awards
- Enforce rules
- Improve the standing of the sport

However, awards and cards cost money. And the sport is so much easier than it used to be....awards have went up 300-400%. At the same time, the cost of Gold and Silver has skyrocketed making a ring that used to cost $75 cost $400-$1200.

So...why not make the game harder and go back to giving out the awards like before??

Well, then you got to start sending USBC folks to centers to ensure they are actually doing things properly...AND...you got to make the game harder....which means less people will want to play.

And you could just put massive amounts of money into a youth movement...but now you're trying to convince a 13-year old boy to get off the couch and bowl versus sit on the couch and play Call of Duty. And that could take an endless amount of money and still fail.

And while doing all this...the USBC has to deal with a bowling population that thinks $25/year is too expensive for dues...and a BPAA that feels they can make more money putting in a laser tag arcade and adding black lights versus supporting league play.

NOT an easy situation to be in.

[billf]

I actually find myself agreeing with Aslan's entire post....and hell didn't freeze over yet.

Got my card several weeks ago.

[NYMIKE]

Just got my, turns out my season last year is not on the books, so this is my official first season.

[Ishkabibble]

We are lucky if we get our cards by March.

Years ago bowling centers made their bread and butter via leagues. They raked it in with the winter leagues to survive the summer months with few bowlers. Now its birthday parties and open bowling.

[AlexNC]

I paid my dues and filled out the app on bowl.com. I still had to fill out info when league began, but there was a little checkbox about paying the fee online. Nevertheless, my card arrived much quicker than the others in my league, like by week 2.

[TonyInPortland]

I just received mine a couple days ago. Haven't opened it yet. Don't really need it for anything.

[manke]

I just got mine the other day so almost 3 months after we started.