ASK BOB
By Bob Korth
Q. I need a new pair of bowling shoes, I was wondering if you know where I could get some
high top bowling shoes like the ones back in the 30’s? I think they would help me.
A. As far as I know they are no longer made but if you could find a shoe you like with high tops
you could have them converted to bowling shoes. They would have to be a quality shoe to begin
with then just take them to a shoe repair shop and tell them you want to make them into bowling
shoes. It will cost you some extra money but you can have exactly what you want. Bowling shoes
last a long time anyway so the price per year would be nominal. I have a friend in my area who
will only wear cowboy boots. So he took his favorite pair to the shoe maker who put bowling shoe
soles on them and he has worn those for at least 10 years now. It looks weird to me but he likes
them and that’s what counts.
Q. I am having trouble in my summer league because of the heat. By the 3rd game my thumb swells
and I can’t get out of the ball. I don’t use tape and I don’t want to drill the hole larger. Help?
A. I suggest learning to use tape, drill the hole out ½ size larger and tape it as needed. But if you just
don’t want to join the tape movement here is your answer. For a swelled thumb temporary fix, wrap
your handkerchief one layer only around your thumb. Then force it into the thumb hole, wait about
30 seconds. The blood gets squeezed out and takes the swelling down. This is temporary and lasts
about 3 frames or so. So doing this 2 or 3 times should get you through a game.
Q. While bowling in league I have seen pins thrown into the gutter beside the pins when the rake
does not quite sweep them into the pit. Also some times they fly out of the pit and up beyond the
the reach of the rake. Some of the bowlers don’t seem to care and bowl anyway and some won’t
and make the lane personnel remove the pin before bowling. Which is correct way to handle this
situation?
A. You should always have the pin removed before throwing the next shot. Pins laying beside the full
rack of pins could come into play. A pin might bounce off of the pin in the gutter and jump
back onto the pin deck and knock down more pins than should have been knocked down. This
would be considered an unfair advantage. The pin also might trap a pin and keep it from flying
onto the pin deck and knocking down more pins. This would be unfair to you. If the pin is beyond
the pin deck and for some reason and you hit it with the ball and this causes it to stay on the lane.
this would be interference. There is no do over. You would have to take zero for that shot.
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