OPEN LETTER TO TEAM CAPTAINS AND BOWLERS REGARDING 2006 AND 2007 TOURNAMENTS

THE ILLINOIS BOWLING ASSOCIATION WOULD LIKE TO THANK ALL BOWLERS, AND ESPECIALLY SQUAD SPONSORS FOR MAKING THE 2006 STATE TOURNAMENT OUR LARGEST SINCE 1972.  WE HAD 584 FIVE PERSON TEAMS AT LANDMARK LANES, PEORIA, AND 396 AT 4 SEASONS CENTER, FREEPORT, A TOTAL OF 980 TEAMS.  THE LARGEST SINCE 1972, WITH 1070 TEAMS.

 WE WOULD ESPECIALLY LIKE TO THANK THE MAJORITY OF BOWLERS KEEPING THE TOURNAMENT ON SCHEDULE, BY FOLLOWING THE ONE LANE COURTESY RULE AND BEING READY TO BOWL WHEN IT IS THEIR TURN.  AS YOU VETERAN BOWLERS KNOW, WE PRIDE OURSELVES ON BEING ON SCHEDULE AND WE ARE NOT HESITANT TO COMMENT WHEN BOWLERS ARE FALLING BEHIND.   THE TEAM EVENT IS NOT A MAJOR PROBLEM, BUT THE MINOR EVENTS, WE ALLOW THREE HOURS AND FIFTEEN MINUTES FOR THIS NORMAL THREE HOUR EVENT. WE WILL CONTINUE THIS FORMAT.

                                                             QUESTIONS MOST COMMONLY ASKED REGARDING OUR TOURNAMENT

  WHY AREN’T THE LANES DRESSED AFTER EACH SQUAD?  TIME IS THE MAJOR FACTOR. IT TAKES 45-60 MINUTES TO STRIP AND DRESS THE LANES, AND WITH THREE SQUADS A DAY, IT WOULD ADD APPROXIMATELY ANOTHER HOUR TO THE SQUAD START TIMES. MANY TIMES THERE ARE LEAGUES STILL BOWLING, AND THEY DO NOT WANT TO BE DELAYED ANY MORE THAN THEY HAVE TO.   ALSO, THE MAJORITY OF BOWLERS LIKE TO FINISH EARLY ON SATURDAY SO THAT THEY CAN ENJOY NON-BOWLING ACTIVITIES. THEN, THEY WANT TO LEAVE AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE ON SUNDAY.  NOTE:  THE USBC
NATIONAL DRESSES LANES AT 7:20 AM FOR MINOR EVENTS, THEN NOT AGAIN UNTIL THE 2:30 PM TEAM SQUAD, THEN AGAIN FOR THE 8:30 PM TEAM SQUAD.

BRIEF HISTORY ON LANE DRESSING.  FOR MANY YEAR’S, LANES WERE DRESSED ONLY AT THE START OF THE DAY.  LATER, WE TRIED DRESSING ONLY THE HEAD AREA, WHICH MADE THE SITUATION WORSE.   SINCE WE STARTED STRIPPING AND DRESSING THE LANES AFTER THE SECOND SQUAD, THE MAJORITY OF BOWLERS SEEM SATISFIED. 

 WHY ARE TOURNAMENT SPOTS FILLED SO FAST?   WITH THE ADVANCE RESERVATION SYSTEM, ESPECIALLY MAILING THE ADVANCE FORM TO THE TEAM CAPTAINS WITH THE ENTRY BLANK FOR THE UPCOMING TOURNAMENT, MOST CAPTAINS NOW PHONE, E-MAIL OR MAIL THEIR ADVANCE REQUEST IMMEDIATELY.   IN ADDITION, WITH OUR WEB PAGE, THE FORMS ARE AVAILABLE  WHICH HELPS IN FILLING SPOTS.   SOME HAVE SUGGESTED THAT WE COLLECT A FEE WHEN A RESERVATION IS MADE, LIKE THE NATIONAL AND OTHER TOURNAMENTS.  WE GAVE THIS SOME THOUGHT, BUT SINCE MOST RESERVATIONS MADE, ARE USED, THIS WOULDN'T REALLY HELP THE SITUATION.

WHY NOT HAVE MORE TOURNAMENT DATES?  OUR TOURNAMENT PARTICIPANTS ARE PRETTY WELL SET THAT THEY WILL NOT BOWL EITHER DAY OF MOTHER’S DAY WEEKEND.   ALSO, WITH MANY OTHER TOURNAMENTS TO CONSIDER AFTER MOTHER’S DAY, OUR STATE TOURNAMENT IS OVER AS FAR AS MOST OF OUR BOWLERS FEEL.   WE TRIED TO BOWL ON THE SATURDAY OF EASTER WEEKEND, BUT HAD POOR RESULTS. FURTHER, THE CENTER’S LEAGUES HAVE TO BE TAKEN INTO CONSIDERATION.  THE BOWLING CENTERS REALIZE IT COULD BE YEARS BEFORE THE TOURNAMENT RETURNS.  SO, THEY DON’T WANT TO UPSET THEIR LEAGUES.

WHY A SIX GAME, NOT NINE GAME OPTIONAL ALL EVENTS?  THE FIRST YEAR OF OPTIONAL ALL EVENTS WE USED NINE GAMES.  HOWEVER, A NUMBER OF BOWLERS WERE NOT ABLE TO ENTER ALL EVENTS SINCE THEIR TEAM DID NOT WANT TO BOWL THE OPTIONAL TEAM EVENT.  WE COULD NOT ALLOW A PARTIAL TEAM, AS ACTUAL TEAM ENTRIES WOULD BE FOULED UP.    WE DECIDED ON SIX GAMES, USING SINGLES AND DOUBLES SO MORE BOWLERS COULD PARTICIPATE.  AS ALWAYS THE CHOICE RESTS WITH THE BOWLER.  WE WILL USE THE SIX GAME FORMAT FOR THE 2007 TOURNAMENT.

THANK YOU FOR ASKING, AND WHILE YOU MAY NOT AGREE, YOU HAVE OUR RATIONALE.

WM. G. CHESTNUT – IUSBC BA ASSOCIATION MANAGER
DONA REININK       – TOURNAMENT MANAGER