RELEASE: AUGUST 20, 1990

BOWLING (!) ENTERS THE COMPUTER AGE

By Dan Gutman

   First, American business discovered computers.  Next, the schools.  And
now--bowling alleys.

   Bowling, the sport that is so uncool that it has become hip, is actually the
most popular indoor participation sport in America.

   A visit to your local bowling emporium--one time a smoke-filled dive with a
bunch of Ralph Kramdens in funny-looking shirts--is now a high-tech adventure.
With bowling season getting underway next week (you mean there's actually a
SEASON?!), it's an experience not to be missed.

   State-of-the-bowling art is Brunswick's "BowlerVision," a fully computerized
scoring system.  No more fighting over how to add up strikes and spares with
this baby.  It tallies up everybody's score automatically, like magic.

   That way, you can focus all your attention on--well--getting beer and
scoping out the girls in the next lane.

   Not only does BowlerVision keep score for you, it also shows your bowling
ball's path on the lane, its speed and the angle it entered the pocket.  It
will even let you set up practice shots in any configuration.  You can work on
your 7-10 split all night, if that's your fancy.

   Even if your local alleys don't have BowlerVision yet, you can still use a
computer to make bowling more pleasurable.  Most sports generate a lot of
statistics.  But in bowling, the act of throwing the ball down the alley is
almost secondary to scores, points, handicaps, and rankings.

   In a typical 12-team league, somebody usually has to spend between three and
eight hours a week calculating a night's worth of statistics by hand.  There
usually isn't a lot of competition for that job.

   "The League Secretary" ($145-$245) is a software program that keeps just
about any record and statistic a bowling league will ever need.  Instead of
taking hours, the computer does all the calculations in seconds.

   You just plug all the scores into the program.  The computer calculates
points, handicaps and averages for teams and individuals.  It handles forfeits,
make-ups, split seasons, vacancies, absentees and blind scores.  A few minutes
after you enter the scores, the computer will print out all the necessary
records.

   The League Standings Sheet shows how the teams are ranked. The Current
Average List shows everyone's average in descending order, ascending order, or
alphabetical order.  The Bowler Annual Record gives the scores of all the games
bowled and shows who scored the highest game over their average.

   Records can be printed for the current week or for the year to date.  The
program can handle the records of up to 48 teams and a season fo 48 weeks.

   "The League Secretary" is available for IBM, Macintosh and Apple II
computers.  For more information, contact: Bowling Computer Systems, 824
Indiana, Wichita Falls TX 76301 (817-761-2018).

   In 1981, I understand, AMF introduced the first bowling ball designed by
computer.  Now THAT should be in a trophy case somewhere.

   Personally, I kind of miss the good old low-tech days when you heaved a
plain old black ball down the alley and kept score manually. My friends and I
used to have a blast throwing the pencils at each other and writing funny
insults on the scoresheet while the other guys were taking their turn.

   But I guess you can't stop progress, even when it comes to bowling.

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Wow! A bowling stats program, what a concept - and only $145-$245.
I hope that they don't port it to the Amiga, it could hurt my shareware. ;)
 - Allen