83 pins isn't that bad. It has been a while since I bowled handicap leagues, but it wasn't unusual for our team at the time to spot other teams anywhere from 150-300 pins per game. Spotting the other team the equivalent of an additional bowler rolling a perfect game was frustrating at times. The team getting pins would then complain all night that they should be getting more handicap. And for some reason, the other team would always have their season high games and series when bowling against us.
Interestingly enough, there was always a proposal at the beginning of the season to change the handicap percentage from 90% to 100%. It was always struck down. One year, a bowler proposed going to 80% and that also got struck down. The high average bowlers argued that 100% handicap wasn't fair for them, and the casual bowlers argued that 80% wasn't fair for them. So 90% was always the "happy medium". I have been bowling scratch for a while now and cringe at the thought of going back to handicap leagues. However, word on the street is that our scratch league will not be returning next season because our Bowlero doesn't want to give us our usual day and time anymore [we are taking lanes away from the potential for them to earn more from open bowlers.] We are the only scratch league in the center these days. That means I may have to find a spot on a handicap league on some other night next season.
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