ITRC INTERNATIONAL TRAINING AND RESEARCH CENTER
Why E.A.R.L.?
USBC Junior Gold youth bowler Melissa Stewart of Roswell, Ga., named E.A.R.L., during a contest sponsored by US Youth Bowler magazine.
She figured if bowling great Earl Anthony’s nickname was “The Machine,” then it was only “fitting to name the new ball-throwing robot for a bowler with machine-like characteristics.” E.A.R.L. replaced the legendary Harry the Robot, the USBC ball-throwing robot that is retiring after 10 years of service. Harry, who was named after a USBC researcher as a joke, threw thousands of shots during his career and was espe- cially instrumental in USBC’s Ball Motion Study, which helped the technical team gain knowledge on ball motion and bowling ball performance.
INTRODUCING E.A.R.L.: Click on the play button (above left) to watch special video coverage of USBC’s new bowling robot and what it means for bowlers everywhere.
day. “They bowled a 300 with E.A.R.L. last month, but it’s tough because he lays the ball down in exactly the same spot every time so after only a couple of shots, the oil changes and it’s hard to strike consistently,” said Matt Lawson, director of video production for the USBC. “Of course, he’s not really intended to bowl matches.” Now that E.A.R.L. has
been set up, tested and unveiled, it’s time to put the newcomer to work. “I think we showcased the research side of the ITRC really well today, and this is the start of a whole new era of learning,” said Neil Stremmel, USBC Managing Director-National Governing Body. “We’ve been waiting a long time for E.A.R.L. to be ready, and now we can truly delve into a variety of research proj- ects. E.A.R.L. will be a great resource for us and the bowl- ing industry as a whole.”
DATA ENTRY: E.A.R.L. is set up at work every day to throw balls at pre-programmed speeds and revolu- tions for USBC technical researchers.
USBOWLER 31
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37