Mc Bowling?

With the economic times we have faced and the decline in USBC membership league play, is it just the money? or is there another culprit? Many people have complained that during the league meetings more and more frivolous fees are being voted in to the weekly fees. Some say it is to improve the prize fund. Now if you really want to make money while bowling, the prize funds in most all house leagues are not the way. You will not make money and are better off putting that extra fee in the bank every week and saving up. The only leagues that make money are the ones that have big sponsors and have big fees to go with them. Bowling is a fun out let for family and friends or even if you’re a serious bowler but it’s just to bowl. Bowling in tournaments to make money, several houses have tournaments for that, for 20 bucks you can make $200-$500 depending on entries, granted there is a chance that you will bowl better than the rest but is that a smaller or bigger chance than plunking money down week after week to be put into a prize fund that pays you 100 bucks over 36 weeks? That’s not a great return if you’re trying to make money. This has many bowlers headed for the doors, never to return. Bowling in leagues is supposed to be fun, but those few small groups seem to take control and dominate the meetings. No one wants to be an outsider so they go along with the flow. Don’t let them vote in fees you don’t agree with, stand up and make your point, your voice is as important as the next person. You have a right to be heard and chances are if you feel that way so do a lot of others. There are other ways to make money and still have fun bowling in a league. Start a side pot or brackets in your league. This can be a way to give those what they want and not hurt the pocketbook of those who cannot afford the extra on a weekly basis. Side pots can be done without any software but brackets do need the software which most alley already have and that can be fairly inexpensive when you factor in the amount you might make over the course of a league by winning a few brackets and pots.

Ask your center for a break on linage. With the declining membership we have to take matters into our own hand. Think about it, a stranger can walk in and pay $2-$4 a game, why is league headed towards$10 for the linage fees, per person, per week? Check with the bowling manager to see if there can be a break in how much they charge linage to the league, the answer may be ‘no’ but a pleasant surprise might be a ‘yes’, especially if they see it will increase the amount of teams on the league and therefore increase open play and more food and bar sales. This season alone my own regular league has lost 6 teams, that 24 people not paying in and not going to the bar or snack bar and the main complaint is “we just don’t have the money this year”. Getting people to commit to a long season is difficult and the center is now going to the Cosmic/open play to get their money. We have to make them see that leagues can still be viable and affordable and fun. I know many of you league bowlers are tired of the USBC fees and not seeing what your money is going to, you can check out where the money goes at www.bowl.com. I know fees seem to be climbing and you seem to get less for your money but without a governing body for bowling we would have no rules, no awards and no protection from some unscrupulous people. Think of the USA without a governing body, it would be even greater chaos than it is now with everyone out for themselves (me, me, me).

So please get involved in the process. Associations have meetings and you can find out when and where and talk to your association representative to get them to make your point, some are open meetings which I recommend you try to attend.

If bowling nights are to continue we need to make it a fun night for all, not an expensive waste of time of your hard earned money. If these nights are less expensive we could recruit more league bowlers and bring back those who have declined because of the money issues than more would be willing to spend $10 a night rather than $17-$20 for one night of bowling. You managers out there think of all the increase of revenue, the Mc Donald factor; sell 10,000 burgers at a dollar or 10 burgers at $9.99, who actually makes more money? Think about it!