July 12 - The Bowling News

By Leisha Murr
After traveling with bowling
equipment all week, I feel like
I need a real vacation. When
flying with bowling balls, I
usually try to pack everything
into a carry-on bag so that I
can check both bowling bags.
Thank goodness we still have
Southwest Airlines for bowling
equipment where you can
check two bags free of charge. I
hate having to make a connection
to get anywhere out of
Dallas, but in my opinion, it is
much better than all the baggage
fees from other airlines.
If I was paying for my bowling
balls to fly with me, I’d much
rather use bowling ball express
and ship them instead of going
through all the hassles and
lines at the airport with the
bags.
This trip, I was gone too
many days to get everything
I needed into a carry-on size
bag. I checked my clothes and
one bowling bag, and I carried
on a tote with my favorite ball,
my spare ball, and my bowling
shoes. Even though I hate lugging
balls through the airports,
it is also a good idea because
if something happened with
my luggage, I would still be
able to bowl when I needed to.
Flights get delayed or canceled,
passengers get re-routed, and
sometimes the luggage doesn’t
make it until the next day.
This happened to one of the
girls bowling with our group,
so I guess carrying on a tote
is probably always a good idea
even though it is a chore.
I’ve been through airport security
many, many times over
the last ten or so years with
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bowling balls and never had
any problems. I know others
have said certain airports have
refused their bowling balls
through the TSA checkpoint,
but I haven’t really ever had
anyone question them. They
always just do a quick swab in
the bag with the wand and put
it in the machine to test and
I’m on my way to the gate. I’m
so used to the routine that I
announce, “bag check,” before
they even get through the
scanner.
This trip, on the way home
from Vegas, the TSA officer
was very thorough and by the
book. After complaining about
how heavy my bag was, he
informed me I was not allowed
to touch anything while he
did his search. “O-K.” He took
out both bowling balls and
rubbed a cotton swab in the
holes and all the way around
both one by one and put it into
the machine. It made me think
how dirty they probably are
and that the machine might
just go off for the amount of
germs. Yikes!
I figured that was it, but
then he went to the shoe
compartment and started
unloading all of that pocket.
My bowling shoes are not new,
so I don’t usually let them
air-out in public. He unzipped
the pouch with all of my turbo
switch-grip thumbs and then
went into the case that has
all of my tape and scissors
in there. The 4 inch scissors
were fine, but I had forgotten
that I had the small flat pocket
knife or Swiss-army knife with
scissors that I had gotten from
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972-780-8090
the Greater Fort Worth Bowling
Association as an award in
there. I mean, I know that little
one inch blade (which I’m sure
was duller than the scissors)
could really do some damage.
He offered that I could go
check it with my luggage, or I
can go mail it to myself, and
three times I told him he could
just throw it away before he
finally packed everything else
back in my bag. He then informed
me that it was “policy”
to run the bag back through
the scanner as he struggled to
carry the balls back to the conveyer
belt. This was the first
time the tote had ever been
re-scanned and I just laughed
as I waited. He must be new to
the TSA or on probation.
I didn’t think anything
about losing the award because
I knew I’d get another one
sometime, and then I remembered.
There is no more
GFWMBA. I’m sure I will get
another award, but it will
no longer be the Fort Worth
Bowling Association at all. I
did, however, see some good
news this week. The USBC has
approved the establishment of
the North Central Texas USBC
Association which will replace
the GFWMBA and service the
Fort Worth, Arlington, HEB,
and other surrounding area
bowlers as before.
Anyone in the area interested
in getting involved
and serving on this new
association’s board of directors
is encouraged to apply. Applications
for the North Central
Texas USBC Association board
are due July 20, and are supposed
to be posted on the web
at bowl.com/rules/ft_worth.
You can also contact the former
FWBA office 817-336-2555 for
more info on how to apply.
If you don’t like how things
were done in the past, here is
your chance with a fresh start
to get in there and help make
changes for the future.
THE BOWLING NEWS | Thursday, July 12, 2012 | Page 11
FORUM BOWL’S COLOR
Continued from Page 1
sweeper directors. “Bowlers
can pick and choose their
weeks to show up, and come
and be a part of all the fun.”
Each game, there are several
different ways bowlers can win
money, from at least eight $25
strike pots tickets drawn each
game, a special ladies strike
pot, and a mystery score drawn
after the first game which has
been over $300 for quite some
time. To go along with that,
there are brackets of all styles
for all bowlers, from scratch,
handicap, doubles, ladies and
185 and under average, as
well as at least eight mega pot
tickets at the end of the night,
in which bowlers must strike
on three different lanes to win
$200.
“One of the best parts
about the Forum Sweep is the
great atmosphere with all the
bowlers, as well as the lanes
themselves,” said Taylor, who
bowls weekly. “It is still old
wood lanes, so the transition
is still very true for the house
condition, which keeps scores
in check, meaning anyone
can make some money on any
given week.”
One of the best new additions
to the sweeper has been
the Forum Bowl’s Color Pin
Sweeper Facebook page, where
Taylor, along with wife Tina,
and now weekly supporter
Tammy Crawford come up
with weekly promotions for
the bowlers, giving them many
more chances to win money.
Some of the recent promotions
included Rangers Red Night,
Independence Day to show
your country colors, Camo
Night to support our troops,
and even a $1 hot dog night,
all giving away free strike pot
tickets to those participating.
“Our best promo yet was
our 10 year anniversary night,
in which bowlers wore black
for the occasion, and the first
person to bring Tina a black
rose got a free entry that
week,” Taylor said. “It was
amazing just how many roses
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were brought, but the very first
was delivered to our porch at
6 a.m. that morning by Josh
Skittles Mittl. People loved it!”
The best promotion has yet
to come, however, as Taylor
just announced this week plans
for a free sweeper night to all
readers of The Bowling News.
On August 18th, Forum Bowl
has joined with Houghton
Insurance Agency, operated by
Tina and her mom, the Bracket
B Sherry Houghton, to give all
bowlers who have insurance
through the agency a free entry
into that week’s sweeper. In
addition, any bowler who does
not have insurance with them,
can call by August 17th and get
a quote, and also receive a free
entry, regardless if they take
new insurance or not.
“We are always looking for
ways to give away money as
well as save people money on
the night, and now possibly
even save them money on
insurance as well,” Taylor said
of the promo.
“The choice of sport for
Houghton Insurance is definitely
bowling,” added Houghton.
“And for many of the biggest
bowlers in the area, we are the
choice of insurance.”
The sweeper crew includes
the Taylors and Houghton, as
well as Melissa George, Courtney
Sanders, Woody Woodrow,
Jeff Sapp and a few others, it is
as much about the fun for them
as it is for the bowlers.
“I love being able to see all
the bowlers and friends weekly
and hang out with them,” Tina
said. “This is work without
work, and I get to meet so
many new people, which is the
best part.”
So if you have yet to come
out and experience the Forum
Sweeper, or it has been a
while, now is a great time to
stop back in and be a part of
everything. With the generally
slow summer months averaging
over 100 bowlers, who
knows what the fall will bring,
especially on August 18th.
“Come join me in the crazy
fun,” said Crawford. “I love me
some Forum Sweep long time!”