It's the Stuff, Not the Sport

Alright, everyone, it’s finally come down to it.  I have a confession to make.  It is something I have been trying to convince myself that I am not.  I cringe when my friends actually say it out loud.  I’ve been in such a deep denial, it has almost been ingrained into my brain.  But I have to let it off my chest.  The time has come.

So… here it goes.  Right now.  Ok.  Let’s do this.  Deep Breath.  I am a bowler.  Yes, that’s right.  I don’t just go bowling on Friday nights when there’s nothing else to do.  I’m talking Big Lebowski and KingPin.  I’m in a league.  I compete.

Wow.  That was slightly therapeutic – announcing that to the world.  Well, anyway… this is an extraordinarily valid confession.  I bet only one of you actually knows just how expensive bowling is.  I’m not talking about for the games, which are getting more and more pricey, but for the equipment!

Let’s put it this way.  There are so many kinds of bowling balls, I cannot even begin to describe them all.  There are plastic and high reactive resin.  Balls with a strong back-end, ones that are aggressive, ones that are made to hook like no one’s business.  Unlike rental shoes, the bottoms of a pair of bowling shoes are not the same – one for push off and one for slide.  In fact, there are left handed shoes.

Although some argue that real bowlers can use only one bowling ball for all their missions, most have multiples.  My boyfriend has been around bowling his entire life and sitting in his living room right now are over a dozen bowling balls (I’m sitting on his couch – I counted them).  That is for two people – and each one costs over $60.  Some can even be more.

What other hobbies are there that have ridiculously expensive equipment?  I’ve thought of three others, but please let me know if you’re involved with any others – I want to be able to think up/find some other ideas for you.

• Tennis: This is a bone of contention with me, personally.  My boyfriend spent $130 on a racket.  Then he replaced the strings for another $20.  Then he had to buy tennis balls because they lose their bounce after a while – another $14.  Some rackets cost more and less, but that is the average for one.  The stringing was on the cheaper side and the balls were a good deal and bought with a coupon.  Let’s talk about ridiculous.

• Golfing:  Golf clubs can cost over $3000.  Used clubs can still cost in the hundreds.  So I really need to say more?

• Running:  It may not seem that way, but running shoes can definitely cost a pretty penny.  However, I do not know a lot about running, because I am personally adverse to it, so I am going to defer to a greater authority.  This is my colleague Terry’s blog and website.  He is an XC coach at a local high school and earned a full ride running scholarship.  He knows his stuff.  Feel free to ask him anything you need – he’s an expert on shoes.

Now, I know these posts are really depressing, about all the money that is being spent on hobbies, and there are only a couple real pieces of advice I can give you.  No one is going to want to deal with shoddy equipment just to save a buck.

• 1. Get to know your local dealer/pro shop guy.  For bowlers, I know, you can get a discount on the ball if you buy it and get it drilled there.  This is the most helpful thing I’ve listed… which is why it’s in a bigger font.

• 2. Buy Used.  Seems obvious, right?

• 3. Avoid buying online from places like eBay.  Ask yourself why they are selling there.  Wouldn’t an actual shop take their stuff to sell used?  I’ve known so many people that have wasted their money on a seeming “deal”.  Just because it's cheap... that doesn't make it an actual "Deal," could be a scam.