JBT Online/ Main Event Update 1-7-09
Well, the 2008 JBT Las Vegas Main Event is in the books, and what an event it was! Over $56,000 in scholarships was awarded to a continent-wide field over four intense days of competition. When the dust settled, Brad Miller of Raytown MO captured the $5,000 first place scholarship as open scratch singles champ, Suzana Signaigo of Kapolei HI took home $1,500 for winning girls scratch singles,and Brenden Lou, Chula Vista CA, won $2,000 for his handicap singles victory.
Complete results of the Main Event are now posted at our website, www.bowljbt.com. Please check it out today! It's a mountain of stats to go over and organize, so we hope you'll enjoy looking over the results. If we missed anything, please contact us and we'll get it corrected.
The 2009 Las Vegas Main Event will return to Texas Station over the Christmas holiday next December. It's already time to help spread the word about our event- we'd love to make it even bigger and better. We simply don't have the advertising budget to send out glossy pamphlets everywhere (we'd rather put that into our scholarship prizes), so it's up to you guys to let people know that our tournament is worth coming to. 2009 flyers will be available in June, in time for you to get the word out to all the big summer events you go to, and to your fall '09 leagues. Thank you in advance for helping to make the 2009 Main Event possible.
Speaking of '09-- we're always taking notes and getting feedback from you guys towards making the Main Event an even better experience. We run our regular-season JBT events 47 weekends a year, but '08 was only the 5th Main Event, and it's obviously on a much larger scale than our weekly events, so it's definitely still a work in progress. That said, I was very happy with the changes and additions for 2008,and I hope you were too. Here's what we noticed:
- Scratch bowlers seemed to be MUCH happier with the much more difficult lane conditions than previous Main Events. It took a 193 average to make the cut to Sunday, where other years took over a 200 average. It looked like the pattern played fair to rightys, leftys, straighter players and crankers. - The team event was a HUGE success. We came up with the team event, to be honest, as a way to keep folks occupied while we worked on the numbers for the singles cut scores. However, it was clear from the first shot that it was a great addition, and you can expect to see that back in 2009. - Almost all squads started exactly on time this year, and squads that didn't still had a 'staggered' start, getting you on the lanes as soon as possible. Squads that started late were due to the scratch bowlers taking much longer to bowl than in years past, which makes sense in retrospect with the tougher shot. So, we'll learn from that and have less on a pair on scratch lanes, or allow more bowling time. - Bowling lasted from 8 AM until 2 AM on the 26th, so there isn't much time for expanding within the existing time frame... so, we're considering adding Dec. 24th as a qualifying day. People (to our surprise and relief) bowled on 12/25,so why not 12/24 as well? Going later than 12/28 isn't much of an option, as room rates soar in Vegas as New Year's approaches.
Now, it's your turn! What did you love? What did you like? What was better this year? What still needs work? What completely stunk? A LOT of what you saw at the 2008 Main Event was from your feedback from previous Main Events, so please know that even if we don't directly use your suggestion, the feedback is definitely valued.
If you did enjoy the JBT experience, we have plenty more tournaments to offer besides the Main Event! As I mentioned, we do this almost every weekend all over the western U.S., and almost all our events are scratch and handicap, and open to anyone, no membership fee, so check out our 'schedule' page and come on down! Over the summer, we have bigger-money tournaments that attract entrants from a wide area. The east-coast JBT (a separate group from us) runs their own Las Vegas Open in August- flyers were available at Main Event and on their website. We think our entry fees vs. our prize funds and formats compare VERY favorably with other big summer tournament choices out there, so we'd love to see you at some of those.
I also want to take the time to again thank the volunteer staff that makes Main Event possible. We don't call ourselves the "Junior" Bowlers Tour for nothing- we really want the kids to feel like this is 'their' tour, and to empower them in terms of contributing both on and off the lanes. So, the majority of my staff ARE junior bowlers, most of whom bowled in the Main Event, and instead of going off partying when they were done, came back to help with the next squad- or were there at 6 AM to make sure the first squad started on time. Those are some special kids! So, thanks again to Matt Cormack, Jerod Florez, Matt Jones, Lana Lycan, Randy Cote, Brain Ballard, Martika Cabezas,Kyle Karpovich,JR Monteith, and anybody else who pitched in. The "juniors at heart" crew of Bruce Hemer, Mike Lee, Lynn Matsubara, Robin Sandler, Brandy Silva, the JBT Gear team from K&K Embroidery, and many others all helped make Main Event happen, and I am deeply grateful for them all! And of course, Jerry Francomano and the crew at Texas Station make their center an ideal place to host a major event- I basically arrive and they turn over the center and do whatever it takes to make our event shine- what a great thing for a tournament director!
We will be getting the videos from the Main Event posted soon as well- check it out!
The tournament itself goes by like a blur to me, and so much happens that I don't have time to say "howdy" to every one of you individually. So, please know that I appreciate every single one of you for being there, I hope every single one of you had a terrific time, and I hope every single one of you will return, with many more of your bowling friends, to the Main Event for years to come!
Please keep in touch during 2009- we'll send out events every once in a while so you don't forget us, heheh. Thank you once again for making the 2008 Main Event the best one ever- but, the best is yet to come!
Thanks, Jeff Hemer, JBT www.bowljbt.com
JBT regulars---- see you in Vancouver WA and Portland OR this week, and Vegas next week! remember the Junior Gold Qualifier, 7 PM Saturday night 1/17 at The Orleans!
