JBT Online Update 2-26-09
Response to USBC age limit change
The JBT's response to the 2/13 usbc press release changing the maximum age limit, as well as many other changes, is now available on our website. We'll also post our responses at the end of this update. Rest assured, our age limit change isn't budging one day. And now, we'd rather talk about us, not them.
Albuquerque, So Cal results being posted Thanks to everyone who came out to four great JBT events last weekend! I had the double whammy of my week to do taxes and the usbc madness to deal with this week, so the final results are just being posted now, bit by bit, at our website, so check it out often. Be sure to read the final results and all the completely updated stats, videos, and so much more, at the best website in junior bowling, www.bowljbt.com. Thanks once again to Vivid College Scouting and Felix Chac Chuo Farm for sponsoring this weekend's So Cal events. www.vcsports.com has over 130 pictures and 2 videos from this weekend's events, so be sure to check them out!
Support Your Sponsors! Speaking of sponsors, it's important to thank them and use their businesses whenever possible. This of course starts with Ebonite, and with a $100 scholarship bonus every time you win a JBT throwing Ebonite equipment, it's easy to thank them by purchasing Ebonite equipment. When you purchase that Ebonite equipment, please consider doing it through Impact Bowling in Phoenix, K&K Bowling in Las Vegas, Kingman, and online, and Bowlers Dream.com, online. These sponsors are a huge part of our Tour, and I know some of you have been loyal to other shops for years, but for those of you who aren't, please check them out! The Pro Shop industry is a very competitive one, and we appreciate these and other Pro Shops Tour-wide coming together for the benefit of junior bowling. The only reason that our Bowler of the Year awards are worth scholarships, not just plaques, is Go Wireless. Check out gowireless.com, and use them for all your mobile electronic needs. Do you have an account at bowlingblvd.com? If not, it takes only a minute to get one. This site aspires to be the myspace of bowling, and made a major scholarship contribution, so we'd like to show them it was worth it. If you can read this email, you should have a bowlingblvd.com account. This is only a few of our sponsors. As the price of bowling goes up, we rely more on sponsors to guarantee our very high prize funds. Please make a note to yourself to use our sponsors whenever possible!
Tucson this weekend! The Arizona Conference rolls on this weekend with a doubleheader weekend at Tucson's Santa Cruz Lanes. Our Saturday event starts at 1:30 PM (if you have an older flyer it says 1 PM, please note the extra half hour to allow folks some extra time to travel), and a separate Sunday event begins at 10 AM. As we'll discuss below, not many events remain in each Conference before the Invitationals, so don't miss this great weekend of fun and exciting JBT action.
K&K Challenge, Laughlin next weekend! Want to see what it's like to bowl on the usbc National Tournament pattern? You will if you bowl the K&K Challenge, a regular season Mojave Conference event, next Saturday at Kingman's Cerbat Lanes. If you haven't yet qualified for the Mojave Invitational, are chasing more all-conference points, or like the idea of $300 for first place instead of $200, and $500 if you roll a 300 game, then you can't miss this event. Get a road crew together and get there! If that wasn't enough, we're backing that event up with one of our perennial favorites, Laughlin's Riverside Lanes, on Sunday morning, March 8. Laughlin has some pretty amazing deals right now, so if you want a relatively cheap mini-vacation while your kids run up the JBT leaderboard, this is a great weekend. Don't miss it!
4/11 Hiline event cancelled- 4/12 Hiline event still on! We have been alerted that our 4/11 Pac NW event at Hiline Lanes in Burien overlaps with a "swiss" event held that day, also in Seattle. It was not our intention to overlap with this date, so since it's in the same city we will cancel our event. Please, folks, when we put out our proposed schedules prior to each segment, check through it and look for these potential problems- this is the first event we've ever cancelled due to an overlap and we don't intend to do it again. Please note that the 4/12 event at Hiline is on as scheduled. We hope to see you there!
Sneak Peek at Remaining Schedules Even though we're still in February, time is already running short on each conference's season. here's a quick rundown of what's left:
ARIZONA: 2/28 - 3/1: Santa Cruz Lanes, Tucson 4/4- 4/5: AMF Deer Valley, Phoenix 5/16 - 5/17: Green Valley Lanes / Bedroxx, Tucson 6/20: Invitational, BRC Kyrene, Chandler - $1,000 first place per division.
MOJAVE: 3/7 - 3/8: Cerbat Lanes, Kingman ; Riverside Lanes, Laughlin 4/8 - 4/9: Texas Station / Strike Zone, Las Vegas 5/31: Invitational, Gold Coast- $1,000 first place per division
SO CAL: 3/14 - 3/15: BRC Premier / Parkway Bowl, San Diego 4/25 - 4/26: Buena Lanes, Ventura 6/13: Keystone Lanes, Norwalk 6/14: Invitational, Keystone- $1,000 first place per division
PAC NW: 3/28 - 3/29: Triangle Bowl, Longview WA 4/12: Hiline Lanes, Burien 5/9: Kellogg Bowl, Milwaukie OR 5/10: Invitational, Hazel Dell, Vancouver WA- $1,000 for first place per division
NM-TX: 3/21 - 3/22: Oasis Lanes, El Paso TX 4/18 - 4/19: South Plains Lanes, Lubbock TX / Western Bowl, Amarillo TX 5/2 - 5/3: Starlight Lanes, Bernalillo NM 6/6: Big Rock Casino, Espanola (scratch only at 10 AM,scratch and handicap at 2 PM) 6/7: Invitational, Silva Lanes, Albuquerque- $1,000 for first place per division
ALL-CONFERENCE: 5/30: Girls Invitational, Gold Coast, Las Vegas NV- $500 for first 6/20: Tournament of All Time Champs and Almost Champs, BRC Kyrene, Chandler AZ 7/24 - 26: Touring Players Championship, Strike Zone, Henderson NV- $2,000 per division first place 8/6 - 9: East Coast JBT Las Vegas Open- $4,000 first scratch, $2,500 first handicap! 8/22-23: Desert Open / Tour Trials Combo- up to 50 games on the weekend! $1,000 + glass cactus first
Wow!!!!!!! Lots of stuff in store,but it all goes very quickly, so start thinking about your plans now!
See you soon! We'll see you in Tucson this weekend for some great JBT action! There just isn't anything else like it- we hope you'll bring some new faces with you to show them what we're all about!
********************************************************** Our usbc response, which can be found at our website, is below:
Hello everyone,
Many of you have been asking what the JBT’s response is to the recent USBC announcement that changes the maximum age, re-allows rings, raises dues, lowers Jr Gold averages, and limits local associations’ role in youth.
Below are three items: First is a letter from Chuck Pezzano Jr, JBT creator and east coast JBT director, to Brian Graham at USBC. Second is the form letter that any of you who have responded to USBC regarding the change have likely already received. Third is my response. Chuck and I are different people with different writing styles. I admit in advance mine is more emotional. What can I say, that’s just me.
Also, please visit http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/usbc-youth-age-limit.html. It is a growing petition that protests these changes. Please spread the word as much as possible.
I’ll look forward to talking with you more about this issue or many others.
Thanks, Jeff Hemer, JBT www.bowljbt.com
1) Chuck’s letter:
Brian,
I have been sent a copy of what appears to be the USBC's form letter answer to complaints about the age eligibility rule change. This copy is at the bottom of this e-mail; if this did not come from you, please let me know.
As you are well aware, I have been a longtime AJBC/YABA/USBC supporter, until developments with the SMART-or-GOODBYE Rule ended that relationship. That was the choice of the USBC, not mine. However, that separation did not end my concern for junior bowling. As a person who has conducted almost 3,000 junior bowling tournaments, I feel I should be able to understand the reasoning behind the age eligibility change that has been proposed.
Unfortunately, I do not.
There have been several occasions in my 44 years of involvement with junior bowling that a change in the age rules has been proposed. The reasons that change was never made still exist today. Forcing 20 and 21 year-old youth bowlers out of the program just when they are about to reap the greatest benefits of their lifelong investment of time and effort seems unnecessary and cruel. If this was a long-range plan and the rule was grandfathered in to protect those who had already begun their junior career (say, 8-year-olds), then it would not be causing such national anger and would be much easier to accept.
This 1% or so of the total youth membership (your figure) that remain junior bowlers are there for a reason. If the USBC thinks that a large percentage of these bowlers will move on to adult competition (rather than leave the sport), I feel they have made a bad miscalcuation. They have always had the option of advancing to adult competition but most haven't done so for one of three reasons:
1) They feel unprepared. Not every 20-year-old is dominating younger bowlers on the lanes. There are plenty of 130-150 average bowlers in this age group who need more time to develop their skills. Without the opportunity to do that in the less-competitive and more-fun environment of junior bowling, these young people may quickly become ex-bowlers. I don't think that is what you want.
2) They enjoy competing (or need to compete) for scholarship prizes. Most of the bowlers in this age group are in college or deciding whether they will be attending college. Scholarship prizes help (or in some cases, allow) this pursuit of a higher education. Some junior leagues/tournaments award scholarship prizes based on participation as well as performance so even the less successful bowlers are able to help fund their education. I know of no adult competition that awards scholarships or cash based on participation. Taking these scholarship opportunities away will also take away a chance for college for some young people. I don't think that is what you want.
3) They are unable to commit to adult competition. Almost all adult leagues take place in the evening. Some of these leagues run past midnight and school obligations prevent a conscientious student from participating. Adult leagues and tournaments are much more expensive than junior tournaments. When a league fee jumps from $10 to $25 and tournament entry fees go from $20-30 to $80-100, many can no longer afford the sport. These people will look for another sport/hobby. I don't think that is what you want. I don't think that is what bowling needs.
Comparing age-cutoffs in bowling to other sports is comparing apples and oranges. Many female tennis players reach their peak at 15 or 16...and retire millionaires at 19 or 20. It is universally understood that baseball players peak at 27-29. Football players peak at 24-28. Bowlers and golfers sometimes continue to improve into their 30's, 40's and beyond.
The Junior Team USA issue is irrelevant. For years, non-USA youth bowlers were welcome to compete in the Junior Gold tournament with the understanding that regardless of their performance, they would not be permitted to become a member of Junior Team USA. Therefore, you already have the solution to that issue in place by extending that rule to include any age cutoff you'd like for the Junior Gold tournament. Either allow older bowlers to compete only for scholarship prizes or draw an age participation line for that event. Why would you punish thousands of youth bowlers around the country in order to avoid backlash from 2 or 3 individuals?
I would also like to address the alternate plan you suggest of allowing these newly-created 20-year-old adult bowlers to compete in 21-and-under junior competition. This is a line that has already been hopelessly blurred when it was determined that youth bowlers should be permitted to bowl in adult tournaments; another rule I still don't understand.
Youth tournament groups such as mine will almost all certainly choose not to turn their backs on these orphans of the sport. We will all make our own rules as we see fit to protect the young people USBC is trying to rush into adulthood. Instead of having ONE eligibility rule for junior bowlers, many will exist. And those who wanted to chase the 20-21 year-olds away from youth bowling will still not see their desire met.
The most ironic thing of all to me is that even though I strongly oppose it, this new rule will allow groups like mine to not only maintain membership, but to grow. We will now be able to welcome back those who chose to turn adult prematurely, and wish they hadn't. We will be a tournament option for juniors and for 20-21 year-old adults. The lure of adult competition will not cost us bowlers in the future, since not only 20-year-olds, but 15-year-olds can enter adult tournaments and still bowl with us. These same young people will be forced to leave their USBC-certified junior leagues and many will choose NOT to join adult leagues....costing USBC more members.
If this ruling is allowed to actually go into effect, maybe I should thank you because the Junior Bowlers Tour will be one of the biggest beneficiaries in the short-term. Sadly, the long-term effect is not as rosey for any of us with youth membership dropping and "solutions" like this.
I was informed several years ago that USBC rule changes for juniors do not go through the same type of approval process that is required for adults because "We know better than the delegates what's best for junior bowling". Since this rule change comes from the Youth Committee and the Board of Directors, I would like you to provide me with the names and contact information of all members of these two groups. I have been unable to find that information on your website. If it is there and I have missed it, please direct me to it.
Thank you in advance,
Chuck Pezzano Jr., Director Junior Bowlers Tour (973) 423-3339
2) The form letter from Brian Graham:
Thank you for your comments regarding the recent decision by the USBC Board of Directors to lower the age for USBC Youth membership eligibility from 22 to 20. We understand that this change comes as a surprise, and we like to provide the following explanation and reasoning as to why the Board believes the change is best for the sport.
Lowering the maximum age prevents anyone from turning 21 during the USBC season from participating in USBC Youth certified leagues and tournaments. By nearly all legal and social standards, 21 years of age is considered adulthood. Additionally, comparable national governing bodies such as the Untied States Golf Association and United States Tennis Association cap youth membership at age 18.
From a competition standpoint, athletes generally reach full physical maturity near the age of 20. The previous system allowed men and women as old as 22 competing in “youth” leagues and tournaments with a physical advantage over the competition many people would view as inappropriate.
The issue also has implications for Junior Team USA in international competition. Lowering of the maximum age to 20 brings USBC Youth into compliance with World Tenpin Bowling Association (WTBA). The WTBA limits participation in international youth bowling competition to those under the age of 21 effective January 1, 2010. If USBC did not make this change, the result would potentially be bowlers earning spots on Junior Team USA who are not eligible for international competition.
It should be noted that this change has been under consideration by USBC and its predecessor YABA for a number of years. USBC staff agrees it is appropriate for 21 and 22 year olds to transition out of youth leagues and tournaments and into adult competition.
It should also be noted that the total number of USBC Youth members affected by this change represents less than 1% of the USBC Youth membership.
Please understand that under the new rules, and even under the previous rules, leagues or tournaments have the ability to adopt rules regulating who will and who will not be allowed to participate in the competition. Should a league or tournament desire to allow 20, 21 and 22 year olds to compete in their competitions, this can be done by simply modifying their rule(s) regarding eligibility to allow for USBC adult members under the age of 23 to participate. Tournament managers and league coordinators simply have to adopt a rule allowing USBC adult members into what has been a youth competition. This is done by checking the ADULT and the YOUTH box when certifying the tournament or league.
We understand that a change of this significance will be an adjustment, but we hope this explanation gives you a better understanding of why USBC believes it will be a positive step for bowling.
If you have additional questions or concerns, please contact me.
Brian
Brian Graham, Director of Youth Development USBC Youth Development Team (817) 385-8420 (800) 514-2695 Bowl with US
3) My message to bowlers and parents:
JBT Bowlers and parents: February 20, 2009 On February 13, 2009, the USBC put out an announcement on their website regarding four major changes to the USBC Youth program. If you are not aware of these changes, read the announcement immediately. I was incredibly disappointed with the announcement for many reasons, which I will detail below. The response I have gotten from JBT bowlers and parents has ranged from shock and outrage to resigned amazement at the direction our national governing body is taking with its inexplicable actions. Before I comment further I wish to make two points: Number 1: What I am about to write is concerning this and other actions of USBC headquarters, and communications to / from the USBC officials there. Unless specified, I am referring to USBC Headquarters and NOT referring to the many hard working people associated with USBC on a local level in junior bowling nationwide, in local associations, centers, etc. I consider many of them my friends and feel bad for them that they are stuck with this “leadership”- though I hope to open their eyes to the fact that they are not ‘stuck’ at all. Number 2: USBC is already verrrrry much aware of my opinion of their competence towards youth bowling. Nothing I say below is going to surprise them, coming from me. What WILL matter is if they realize it is coming from YOU, not just from me. Just complaining about this will result in nothing. Complaining about this AND doing something concrete- not just sending angry emails they’ll reply to with a form letter but hitting them where it counts- their bottom line- will result in the necessary change. Many people in America whined for a long time about our government’s leadership. No matter what candidate you backed in 2008, it is clear that once the people who were upset stopped just complaining and actually mobilized and got something done, they got the change they wanted. I encourage you to use that as a template. This is as important to the future of bowling as elections are to the future of our country. YOU are the ones that will make this happen. Below, I will itemize the issues I have with this latest announcement, suggest action that you can take to reverse this travesty, and outline the steps we will take as we move forward with JBT and other like-minded groups. ********************** KEY POINT #1: No matter how you feel about ANY of the rule changes, what is most disturbing about this is how autocratically they were announced, in mid-season, with feedback from membership only solicited AFTER the rule was enacted. USBC seems to have completely forgotten that it is a membership organization. USBC leadership has made clear that they will enact whatever rules they feel like, whenever they feel like enacting them, because the bowlers will have no choice but to follow them. This is a strange position to take for an organization whose membership is a fraction of what it was in the past, and whose members are finally waking up to the fact that they DON’T, in fact, have to certify to enjoy the sport of bowling. How can USBC announce changes this sweeping mid season? This is equivalent to David Stern telling NBA teams in February they can suddenly play zone; or telling NFL players they suddenly can have 12 players on the field- not perfect analogies, but you get my drift. How about this- let’s change the JBT points system, or our prize fund guarantees, NOW. You simply don’t make changes like this mid-season. It smacks of desperation, and is patently unfair. Specifically in regards to the new age requirement, what if a 21 year-old bowler has already bought plane tickets for a December 2009 tournament, just as one example? Who is refunding that plane ticket? There will be thousands of questions like this coming up. Again, the one that should really make your blood boil is this: how was this announcement made, followed by these upcoming “Town Hall” meetings AFTER the rules are enacted? This is beyond belief, completely inexcusable, and utterly indicative of how little USBC cares about what you have to say about these rules. Everyone who has complained about the new rules has received the same form letter back (which I’ll address later). I doubt you’re going to get anything other than that form letter in live form at these meetings. You’re going to get “we know what’s best for you, my ignorant little bowlers, and we really aren’t interested if you don’t like it”. This is the only possible mentality for a group who would do this. Here’s a quick story: back in January 2006, I was part of a series of conference calls and group emails between about a dozen or so “key people” involved in junior bowling, and about the same number of USBC officials, including then-CEO Roger Dalkin. This was sort of like the ‘town hall’ meetings that are about to happen. The result of these meetings was near unanimous disgust on the part of us on the direction USBC was planning to take with USBC, most notably the rule 400 changes that east coast JBT director Chuck Pezzano has aptly nicknamed ‘smart-or-goodbye’. Their response to our feedback, to our astonishment, was, ‘tough, we’re going to do it anyway’, and that’s BARELY paraphrasing. Then why’d you waste everybody’s time having these meetings!? At least our meetings were held BEFORE USBC changed rule 400. Your “Town Hall” meetings are being held AFTER they changed the rules- what a slap in the face! They are hoping that people who are upset- especially you 20-21 year-olds left out in the cold- will yell, scream, stomp their feet- and then just go away, and still pay their certification fees. DO NOT JUST GO AWAY. I implore you.
***************
Now, let’s look at each of the four new rules: The first rule (second on the announcement) covers the addition of a third, cheaper membership option for short-season youth leagues. No problem- I get that USBC is exploring ways to increase membership- aren’t we all, after all. What I want to point out here is that the regular membership (for the vast majority of bowlers whose leagues are 13+ sessions) is a whopping $17. I haven’t had time to research that, and will revise this when I do, but isn’t that a pretty darned big leap? JBT membership remains at $0. And, what do you get for your $17? The announcement lists the benefits (their words in bold): - USBC Youth Membership card. Well, hooray! - 4 Issues of US Youth Bowler. Our website puts out the equivalent content of that 52 weeks a year. - USBC recognized average. This is only important if you feel that remaining certified is important. I have often used the analogy that having a membership card for the USFL fanclub is just as important. (That’s a defunct pro football league, kids…) If there is enough non-usbc events to bowl in, who cares what your usbc average is? - Ability to participate in USBC events. See above. This only matters if better alternatives exist. Many JBT members only maintain USBC membership to ‘fill in the gaps’ between their JBT bowling, and to bowl in Gold Finals. Unfortunately, Gold Finals has become a farce. We as a sport can do WAY better. I can only hope that enough announcements like this from USBC will actually accelerate the day that happens. - Revamped youth awards program. JBT bowlers appear to find the JBT awards program to be just fine and not in need of revamping. And when it does need revamping, we’ll listen to our bowlers FIRST! You’ll also notice, in this announcement and in others, USBC likes to stick in their most insulting changes in hidden spaces, in small sentences. The big rider to the 3-tier membership announcement is that they are LOWERING the average requirement for Gold membership for girls to an astonishing 150, and keeping the boys number at an equally astonishing 175! Junior Gold is supposed to be the event that helps determine Junior Team USA. Well, years ago, USBC realized it was their cash cow. They either make a small fortune off it, or it is the biggest mismanagement mess in junior bowling history. I LOVE some aspects of Junior Gold- some leagues on the local level, such as one we have in Las Vegas- are absolutely AWESOME, and run by awesome, dedicated people who simply want to help junior bowling grow. But they are shackled by the false hopes USBC purposely creates of sending kids to Gold to ‘compete for junior bowling’s national championship’ when 90% of the attendees are simply donating to UBSC’s funds (via the usurous $75 expense fee- I charge a $9 expense fee for our Main Event). The solution is painfully obvious: The under-developed USBC Youth Open championships should be the junior mirror image of the adult USBC Open Championships (a fantastic event- how do they get that so right and mess up so much else??) , and THAT should be what kids looking for the best competition on a nationwide level, at all skill levels, should aspire to. Junior Gold itself should be contested by no more than 100 boys and 50 girls, most of whom anybody heavily involved with junior bowling could each list on their own and come up with almost identical lists. This itself is something I could write a novel on, but the relevant point here is that by lowering the girls average requirement to 150 (nothing less than 190 is acceptable, and 210 for boys), they are “showing their hand” that all they care about is additional revenue streams, at the expense of the integrity of their own programs, and the false hopes of their own membership. Are you going to stand for that?
**************** The second rule (first on the announcement) seems less relevant to us, but in actuality is crucial. In a nutshell, it gives each bowling center the chance to process its own certifying and awards in-house, and not through the local association. In other words, the local associations are being taken out of the loop! I don’t pretend to comprehend all the politics going on here (talk of BPAA mergers and local association revenue streams can even bore me), but this is a move that is infuriating the local associations, who now feel like THEIR work and THEIR voices don’t matter either. No matter how each local official feels about these rule changes, no matter how each local official feels about JBT running off and being “rebels” in not certifying- they are all just as upset at USBC National as we are, and feel just as ignored as we do. ‘They’, collectively, finally understand how we have felt for three years. We—you, me, everyone- need to speak with your local officials, share your outrage, re-explain to them the truth of why we’ve done what we’ve done if they do not understand, and how outraged YOU feel about the rule changes vs. how USBC tells you that you should feel. Why don’t you ask your local officials if they feel they do a good job? California, for example, is a pretty big state. I bet they can find a company to produce rings and other awards, etc. Ask them if they really NEED USBC. And, with these rule changes, can even more changes that reduces their importance even more be far behind? I bet not. Along those lines, you think they’re gonna keep the age rule at 20? Hmm….. Pretty soon, it’ll be just a few employees that never leave their glass palace in Dallas telling every bowler what’s best for them. You know, I think California can run itself just fine. Maybe USBC acted like they didn’t care when JBT decided to go its own way, but if CALIFORNIA goes its own way, I think USBC might realize they’ve made some major mistakes, and change the way they do business. ARE YOU UP TO THIS CHALLENGE? Or will you fall back?
**********************
Now, the real fun begins: Rule number three covers a revamp of the awards program. It goes on for quite a while, and then, stuck way down in the bottom, is the kicker: 300 RINGS ARE BACK!!! Now, wait just a freaking minute. For three years, we were told that rings were EVIL. We were directly told that “bowlers don’t want awards, they want a pat on the back” (yes, that’s a direct quote). We were told (and are told) that the goal of USBC is to put bowling into the Olympics and expand NCAA visibility, at the expense of anything and everything else, and that rings violated some high school code designed for football in 2 small counties in western Kansas, therefore what if some kid in Washington grows up to be the next Reggie Bush and is discovered with a 300 ring… the laughable logic goes on and on. They were ‘protecting’ you, they said. They cowtowed to NCAA, to USOC, to other sports, to all be a part of their clubs… we’re BOWLING, and BOWLING needs to call BOWLING’s shots, not vice versa. As a result of this lack of backbone, we spent three years with juniors paying for rings they coveted, and adults getting free rings they couldn’t care less about, when evidently that was completely unnecessary. WOW. Now, completely out of nowhere, they’re okay again? What the heck changed? What ring “redesign” has satisfied some athletic board somewhere? And why couldn’tthat solution have been immediately reached when they felt they had to ban rings? More importantly, who at USBC are YOU going to be asking for a refund for all money you had to spend on 300-800 rings the last three seasons? I STRONGLY encourage you to ask that question to USBC national- FLOOD their email, phones, and mailboxes with your receipts. Many people who have been USBC ‘loyalists’ since 2006 have hung on to the feeble premise that USBC can be ‘trusted’, is ‘stable’, etc. Are you going to continue to put your trust into an organization so incompetent that it, at BEST, took 3 years- THREE YEARS- to fix its most laughably backwards situation, and at worst simply lied to you? Do you WANT to be a part of an organization with a problem like that if you don’t HAVE to? Do you HAVE to?
**************************** And, finally, rule number four, again stuck in a tiny one word sentence at the end of the announcement: 20 year olds, you’re adults now! The short response: WHY ARE YOU FIXING SOMETHING THAT ISN’T BROKE? WHY ARE YOU MANDATING SOMETHING THAT SHOULD BE OPTIONAL??? WHY ARE YOU INSTITUTING SOMETHING BEFORE FEEDBACK FROM THE AFFECTED BOWLERS???? The following gets even more emotional. It is close to my heart. I cannot help the emotion. Hey, USBC, guess what? Bowlers that are “ready for the transition to adult bowling” are going to go adult before they are 20 anyway, often well before. Why would you want to force those that are not? Hey, USBC, guess what? There are things around like JBT, certified groups like MJMA, heck even Junior Gold, that award SCHOLARSHIPS. Is bowling unique among junior sports in how it goes about this? Darned right it is. It should be PROUD of it, instead of apologizing to USOC and NCAA for it. You are telling 20 year olds that they no longer need scholarships. Obviously, you’re wrong. Hey, USBC, your form letter response says that “athletes generally reach full maturity near the age of 20”, and that 22 year olds have an “inappropriate… advantage”. WRONG on two counts. Why do Walter Ray, Earl, Pete Weber, Duke, all still dominate PBA? Bowlers do not have the same linear maturing process the more physical sports have. Stop deluding yourself. Secondly, our Tour proves over and over again that age is one of the LEAST relevant factors to success. The current champ of our most prestigious event is FIFTEEN. Our leading scholarship winner is SIXTEEN. Our younger bowlers beat our oldest bowlers regularly. Much more importantly- our younger scratch level bowlers nearly unanimously LOVE bowling the older bowlers. OUR MEMBERS LIKE IT THAT WAY. There’s a concept, huh? Why do you think many of the better youth bowlers are trying PBA events, etc.? Because they want to test their skills against older, better competition. But, only the very best will try that more than once or twice, and even fewer will actually do well. Why the heck would you deny 99.99% of your membership the chance to succeed at a lower scratch level for a vastly cheaper entry fee, in a vastly more wholesome environment? It makes no sense at all. Hey, USBC, maybe a 21 year-old who is barely able to pay for college NEEDS an inexpensive tournament to hone their skills in, as opposed to extremely expensive, generally short format adult tournaments, who are filled by the very best bowlers in the area or ‘career sandbaggers’ who are well documented. So, from all the research I’ve seen, people who are pro-age change rely on two arguments: 1) younger kids have no chance against the older bowlers, and 2) there’s no point in staying junior once you’re 20 (or 19 or 21 or whatever). Both of those are disproved BY THE BOWLERS THEMSELVES after about ten seconds at any JBT event, or at any other well-run junior event, I’ll wager. Hey, USBC, your form letter response is fixated by ‘social’ definitions of Youth. The word ‘youth’ in ‘Youth Bowler’ ONLY indicates that they’re not bowling for cash yet, and NOT their physical stature, hairline, marital status, ability to join the military, etc. Get it? “Legal and social standards” have nothing to do with it. Nothing. Golf and Tennis cap ‘youth’ at 18. And a bad pro golfer makes hundreds of thousands of dollars a year. STOP COMPARING BOWLING TO GOLF AND TENNIS just because they’re individual sports. GOLF AND TENNIS LAUGH AT US BECAUSE OF STUFF LIKE THIS. Australian bowling limits youth at 24, by the way, if the bowler chooses to not compete for cash that long. Hey, USBC, the point of staying Youth once you get ‘good’ is to win scholarships. Four years of college takes most people to about 21-22 years old. I thus find the current age limit completely fine. The form letter finally returns to the tired, flawed argument of complying with other organizations’ standards in paragraph four. It warns that bowlers may still be youth, win a spot on Junior Team USA, but not be able to compete in things like WTBA, which limits to 21 and under. I have two things to say about that: - THOSE VERY FEW JUNIORS ARE AWARE OF THAT. IF THE BOWLER DECIDES TO STAY JUNIOR FOR THE MANY OTHER REASONS HE/SHE MAY HAVE, WHY WOULD YOU DENY THEM THAT OPPORTUNITY?!?! - YOU ARE TALKINGABOUT SOMETHING THAT AFFECTS 1 OR 2 BOWLERS A YEAR, AND AS A RESULT CHANGING A RULE THAT THOUSANDS OF 20 AND 21 YEAR-OLDS WHO WILL NEVER COMPETE FOR TEAM USA WILL HATE!!!! Talk about the needs of the few over the needs of the many! I’m all for bowling in the Olympics. But USBC , you’re suffering a MASSIVE case of bowling myopia. For the sake of the very, very few elite players who will ever be involved in things like Team USA, you’re making yourself look ridiculous in the eyes of everyone else. This is suicidal!
The bottom line on this is simple. 95% of my BOWLERS are angry at the age change. My membership is a large enough statistical sample that sentiment must be similar nationwide. My contacts with other Tours seem to show similar numbers. So, for you to write to your angry members saying “USBC staff agrees” that it is for the best to do something virtually none of its membership wants, shows that USBC is completely out of touch with its membership.
Which brings up the question: WHO IS ON THE USBC YOUTH BOARD?! WHY IS THIS SHROUDED IN SEMI-SECRECY??? Please ask this at your Town Hall meetings. Fun fact: Go to bowl.com and look at the other press release- about the just-named youth leaders of the year. THE MALE RECIPIENT IS 21 YEARS OLD!!! What, does he get the title until August? Because USBC is shoving him out the Youth door after that!! Nice piece of irony there. Of course, I do (occasionally, hehe) allow for the possibility that I’m way off base. Maybe people only feel this way around JBT-land. Maybe folks in areas without large Tours, etc. feel the opposite. I doubt it though. And again, even if they do- nobody agrees with how this announcement was made. No matter how you feel about anything I’ve said that’s opinion- you’ve got to bristle as a bowler at your governing organization acting as dictator, not representative. DO NOT LET THEM GET AWAY WITH THIS. The response form letter concludes with this gem: “It should be noted that 1% of youth membership” is affected by this change. Guess what? If you’re reading this, and you happen to be in that 1%, they have just told you that they don’t care one little bit what you think. Nice. They’ve forgotten, of course, that a darned big chunk of the youth membership cares greatly and have friendships with that 1%... and they won’t stand for it either. The other 99% are upset, too,USBC, because they’re gonna be that 1% soon.
BUT JEFF, WHAT CAN I DO?? I hope you are as deeply offended as I am. I feel sick for all youth bowlers and parents. I do the best job I can with JBT, but I know that dealing with USBC in some form is a reality for almost all of you as well. You MUST show them that they cannot get away with the new rules, or announcing them in this fashion. What can you do? This: - Email USBC. You can frame that form letter response too! - Call USBC. Demand to hear it live. See if they can actually say this stuff with a straight face. - Write USBC. Use your own words. Be professional, but be angry if you are, too. - GO TO THE TOWN HALL MEETINGS. Ask them things I’ve brought up, or that you’ve thought of, and don’t sit back down until you get an answer, not a run-around. - Encourage your leagues, your state, your friends, your bowling center, TO NOT CERTIFY unless these issues are addressed. This is the big one. It will take guts. It must happen. - Run for USBC office, and change it from within. Good luck, though. If Chuck Pezzano, who has run over 2,500 JBT events over 35 years, who has watched AJBC, YABA, and ABC all come and go, and knows more about junior bowling in his pinky than we all know put together, can’t even get a SECOND INTERVIEW for a position on the Youth Committee, (a job that should have been CREATED for him), that shows you how hard it is to break into the good-old-boys (and girls) club from the outside, or when you know too much.
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I had so much hope for USBC when they started hiring so much new blood, bowlers that I know personally, many of whom have come through the JBT program. I know they are sick about what is going on. They can’t say anything, though, because they need that job, or might have even been drinking the USBC Kool-aid. We NEED a USBC- we need a national organization. Just not this one. This is not a “Congress”. This is an oligarchy. Look up that word and see if you can describe it better. I have no interest in being a ‘rebel’ for the sake of being rebellious. I’m waaaay too busy with the job of running the best tournaments I can. I’ve just been saddled with the genetic burden of not being able to remain silent when such egregious injustice is being done to people I care about. Two summers ago, USBC called me up to tell me I could no longer award plaques. They were now a threat to bowlers’ eligibility, just like rings. Furious directors from all over the country, including some who had thousands of dollars of plaque inventory, got hold of USBC and didn’t let go until USBC- gasp!- came to their senses and decided it was okay to award plaques after all. It’s been done before. It can be done again. It’s up to you. I hope to see you soon, and hope you’ll bring many new faces, to JBT events in the near future!
-Jeff Hemer, Junior Bowlers Tour www.bowljbt.com
Albuquerque, So Cal results being posted Thanks to everyone who came out to four great JBT events last weekend! I had the double whammy of my week to do taxes and the usbc madness to deal with this week, so the final results are just being posted now, bit by bit, at our website, so check it out often. Be sure to read the final results and all the completely updated stats, videos, and so much more, at the best website in junior bowling, www.bowljbt.com. Thanks once again to Vivid College Scouting and Felix Chac Chuo Farm for sponsoring this weekend's So Cal events. www.vcsports.com has over 130 pictures and 2 videos from this weekend's events, so be sure to check them out!
Support Your Sponsors! Speaking of sponsors, it's important to thank them and use their businesses whenever possible. This of course starts with Ebonite, and with a $100 scholarship bonus every time you win a JBT throwing Ebonite equipment, it's easy to thank them by purchasing Ebonite equipment. When you purchase that Ebonite equipment, please consider doing it through Impact Bowling in Phoenix, K&K Bowling in Las Vegas, Kingman, and online, and Bowlers Dream.com, online. These sponsors are a huge part of our Tour, and I know some of you have been loyal to other shops for years, but for those of you who aren't, please check them out! The Pro Shop industry is a very competitive one, and we appreciate these and other Pro Shops Tour-wide coming together for the benefit of junior bowling. The only reason that our Bowler of the Year awards are worth scholarships, not just plaques, is Go Wireless. Check out gowireless.com, and use them for all your mobile electronic needs. Do you have an account at bowlingblvd.com? If not, it takes only a minute to get one. This site aspires to be the myspace of bowling, and made a major scholarship contribution, so we'd like to show them it was worth it. If you can read this email, you should have a bowlingblvd.com account. This is only a few of our sponsors. As the price of bowling goes up, we rely more on sponsors to guarantee our very high prize funds. Please make a note to yourself to use our sponsors whenever possible!
Tucson this weekend! The Arizona Conference rolls on this weekend with a doubleheader weekend at Tucson's Santa Cruz Lanes. Our Saturday event starts at 1:30 PM (if you have an older flyer it says 1 PM, please note the extra half hour to allow folks some extra time to travel), and a separate Sunday event begins at 10 AM. As we'll discuss below, not many events remain in each Conference before the Invitationals, so don't miss this great weekend of fun and exciting JBT action.
K&K Challenge, Laughlin next weekend! Want to see what it's like to bowl on the usbc National Tournament pattern? You will if you bowl the K&K Challenge, a regular season Mojave Conference event, next Saturday at Kingman's Cerbat Lanes. If you haven't yet qualified for the Mojave Invitational, are chasing more all-conference points, or like the idea of $300 for first place instead of $200, and $500 if you roll a 300 game, then you can't miss this event. Get a road crew together and get there! If that wasn't enough, we're backing that event up with one of our perennial favorites, Laughlin's Riverside Lanes, on Sunday morning, March 8. Laughlin has some pretty amazing deals right now, so if you want a relatively cheap mini-vacation while your kids run up the JBT leaderboard, this is a great weekend. Don't miss it!
4/11 Hiline event cancelled- 4/12 Hiline event still on! We have been alerted that our 4/11 Pac NW event at Hiline Lanes in Burien overlaps with a "swiss" event held that day, also in Seattle. It was not our intention to overlap with this date, so since it's in the same city we will cancel our event. Please, folks, when we put out our proposed schedules prior to each segment, check through it and look for these potential problems- this is the first event we've ever cancelled due to an overlap and we don't intend to do it again. Please note that the 4/12 event at Hiline is on as scheduled. We hope to see you there!
Sneak Peek at Remaining Schedules Even though we're still in February, time is already running short on each conference's season. here's a quick rundown of what's left:
ARIZONA: 2/28 - 3/1: Santa Cruz Lanes, Tucson 4/4- 4/5: AMF Deer Valley, Phoenix 5/16 - 5/17: Green Valley Lanes / Bedroxx, Tucson 6/20: Invitational, BRC Kyrene, Chandler - $1,000 first place per division.
MOJAVE: 3/7 - 3/8: Cerbat Lanes, Kingman ; Riverside Lanes, Laughlin 4/8 - 4/9: Texas Station / Strike Zone, Las Vegas 5/31: Invitational, Gold Coast- $1,000 first place per division
SO CAL: 3/14 - 3/15: BRC Premier / Parkway Bowl, San Diego 4/25 - 4/26: Buena Lanes, Ventura 6/13: Keystone Lanes, Norwalk 6/14: Invitational, Keystone- $1,000 first place per division
PAC NW: 3/28 - 3/29: Triangle Bowl, Longview WA 4/12: Hiline Lanes, Burien 5/9: Kellogg Bowl, Milwaukie OR 5/10: Invitational, Hazel Dell, Vancouver WA- $1,000 for first place per division
NM-TX: 3/21 - 3/22: Oasis Lanes, El Paso TX 4/18 - 4/19: South Plains Lanes, Lubbock TX / Western Bowl, Amarillo TX 5/2 - 5/3: Starlight Lanes, Bernalillo NM 6/6: Big Rock Casino, Espanola (scratch only at 10 AM,scratch and handicap at 2 PM) 6/7: Invitational, Silva Lanes, Albuquerque- $1,000 for first place per division
ALL-CONFERENCE: 5/30: Girls Invitational, Gold Coast, Las Vegas NV- $500 for first 6/20: Tournament of All Time Champs and Almost Champs, BRC Kyrene, Chandler AZ 7/24 - 26: Touring Players Championship, Strike Zone, Henderson NV- $2,000 per division first place 8/6 - 9: East Coast JBT Las Vegas Open- $4,000 first scratch, $2,500 first handicap! 8/22-23: Desert Open / Tour Trials Combo- up to 50 games on the weekend! $1,000 + glass cactus first
Wow!!!!!!! Lots of stuff in store,but it all goes very quickly, so start thinking about your plans now!
See you soon! We'll see you in Tucson this weekend for some great JBT action! There just isn't anything else like it- we hope you'll bring some new faces with you to show them what we're all about!
********************************************************** Our usbc response, which can be found at our website, is below:
Hello everyone,
Many of you have been asking what the JBT’s response is to the recent USBC announcement that changes the maximum age, re-allows rings, raises dues, lowers Jr Gold averages, and limits local associations’ role in youth.
Below are three items: First is a letter from Chuck Pezzano Jr, JBT creator and east coast JBT director, to Brian Graham at USBC. Second is the form letter that any of you who have responded to USBC regarding the change have likely already received. Third is my response. Chuck and I are different people with different writing styles. I admit in advance mine is more emotional. What can I say, that’s just me.
Also, please visit http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/usbc-youth-age-limit.html. It is a growing petition that protests these changes. Please spread the word as much as possible.
I’ll look forward to talking with you more about this issue or many others.
Thanks, Jeff Hemer, JBT www.bowljbt.com
1) Chuck’s letter:
Brian,
I have been sent a copy of what appears to be the USBC's form letter answer to complaints about the age eligibility rule change. This copy is at the bottom of this e-mail; if this did not come from you, please let me know.
As you are well aware, I have been a longtime AJBC/YABA/USBC supporter, until developments with the SMART-or-GOODBYE Rule ended that relationship. That was the choice of the USBC, not mine. However, that separation did not end my concern for junior bowling. As a person who has conducted almost 3,000 junior bowling tournaments, I feel I should be able to understand the reasoning behind the age eligibility change that has been proposed.
Unfortunately, I do not.
There have been several occasions in my 44 years of involvement with junior bowling that a change in the age rules has been proposed. The reasons that change was never made still exist today. Forcing 20 and 21 year-old youth bowlers out of the program just when they are about to reap the greatest benefits of their lifelong investment of time and effort seems unnecessary and cruel. If this was a long-range plan and the rule was grandfathered in to protect those who had already begun their junior career (say, 8-year-olds), then it would not be causing such national anger and would be much easier to accept.
This 1% or so of the total youth membership (your figure) that remain junior bowlers are there for a reason. If the USBC thinks that a large percentage of these bowlers will move on to adult competition (rather than leave the sport), I feel they have made a bad miscalcuation. They have always had the option of advancing to adult competition but most haven't done so for one of three reasons:
1) They feel unprepared. Not every 20-year-old is dominating younger bowlers on the lanes. There are plenty of 130-150 average bowlers in this age group who need more time to develop their skills. Without the opportunity to do that in the less-competitive and more-fun environment of junior bowling, these young people may quickly become ex-bowlers. I don't think that is what you want.
2) They enjoy competing (or need to compete) for scholarship prizes. Most of the bowlers in this age group are in college or deciding whether they will be attending college. Scholarship prizes help (or in some cases, allow) this pursuit of a higher education. Some junior leagues/tournaments award scholarship prizes based on participation as well as performance so even the less successful bowlers are able to help fund their education. I know of no adult competition that awards scholarships or cash based on participation. Taking these scholarship opportunities away will also take away a chance for college for some young people. I don't think that is what you want.
3) They are unable to commit to adult competition. Almost all adult leagues take place in the evening. Some of these leagues run past midnight and school obligations prevent a conscientious student from participating. Adult leagues and tournaments are much more expensive than junior tournaments. When a league fee jumps from $10 to $25 and tournament entry fees go from $20-30 to $80-100, many can no longer afford the sport. These people will look for another sport/hobby. I don't think that is what you want. I don't think that is what bowling needs.
Comparing age-cutoffs in bowling to other sports is comparing apples and oranges. Many female tennis players reach their peak at 15 or 16...and retire millionaires at 19 or 20. It is universally understood that baseball players peak at 27-29. Football players peak at 24-28. Bowlers and golfers sometimes continue to improve into their 30's, 40's and beyond.
The Junior Team USA issue is irrelevant. For years, non-USA youth bowlers were welcome to compete in the Junior Gold tournament with the understanding that regardless of their performance, they would not be permitted to become a member of Junior Team USA. Therefore, you already have the solution to that issue in place by extending that rule to include any age cutoff you'd like for the Junior Gold tournament. Either allow older bowlers to compete only for scholarship prizes or draw an age participation line for that event. Why would you punish thousands of youth bowlers around the country in order to avoid backlash from 2 or 3 individuals?
I would also like to address the alternate plan you suggest of allowing these newly-created 20-year-old adult bowlers to compete in 21-and-under junior competition. This is a line that has already been hopelessly blurred when it was determined that youth bowlers should be permitted to bowl in adult tournaments; another rule I still don't understand.
Youth tournament groups such as mine will almost all certainly choose not to turn their backs on these orphans of the sport. We will all make our own rules as we see fit to protect the young people USBC is trying to rush into adulthood. Instead of having ONE eligibility rule for junior bowlers, many will exist. And those who wanted to chase the 20-21 year-olds away from youth bowling will still not see their desire met.
The most ironic thing of all to me is that even though I strongly oppose it, this new rule will allow groups like mine to not only maintain membership, but to grow. We will now be able to welcome back those who chose to turn adult prematurely, and wish they hadn't. We will be a tournament option for juniors and for 20-21 year-old adults. The lure of adult competition will not cost us bowlers in the future, since not only 20-year-olds, but 15-year-olds can enter adult tournaments and still bowl with us. These same young people will be forced to leave their USBC-certified junior leagues and many will choose NOT to join adult leagues....costing USBC more members.
If this ruling is allowed to actually go into effect, maybe I should thank you because the Junior Bowlers Tour will be one of the biggest beneficiaries in the short-term. Sadly, the long-term effect is not as rosey for any of us with youth membership dropping and "solutions" like this.
I was informed several years ago that USBC rule changes for juniors do not go through the same type of approval process that is required for adults because "We know better than the delegates what's best for junior bowling". Since this rule change comes from the Youth Committee and the Board of Directors, I would like you to provide me with the names and contact information of all members of these two groups. I have been unable to find that information on your website. If it is there and I have missed it, please direct me to it.
Thank you in advance,
Chuck Pezzano Jr., Director Junior Bowlers Tour (973) 423-3339
2) The form letter from Brian Graham:
Thank you for your comments regarding the recent decision by the USBC Board of Directors to lower the age for USBC Youth membership eligibility from 22 to 20. We understand that this change comes as a surprise, and we like to provide the following explanation and reasoning as to why the Board believes the change is best for the sport.
Lowering the maximum age prevents anyone from turning 21 during the USBC season from participating in USBC Youth certified leagues and tournaments. By nearly all legal and social standards, 21 years of age is considered adulthood. Additionally, comparable national governing bodies such as the Untied States Golf Association and United States Tennis Association cap youth membership at age 18.
From a competition standpoint, athletes generally reach full physical maturity near the age of 20. The previous system allowed men and women as old as 22 competing in “youth” leagues and tournaments with a physical advantage over the competition many people would view as inappropriate.
The issue also has implications for Junior Team USA in international competition. Lowering of the maximum age to 20 brings USBC Youth into compliance with World Tenpin Bowling Association (WTBA). The WTBA limits participation in international youth bowling competition to those under the age of 21 effective January 1, 2010. If USBC did not make this change, the result would potentially be bowlers earning spots on Junior Team USA who are not eligible for international competition.
It should be noted that this change has been under consideration by USBC and its predecessor YABA for a number of years. USBC staff agrees it is appropriate for 21 and 22 year olds to transition out of youth leagues and tournaments and into adult competition.
It should also be noted that the total number of USBC Youth members affected by this change represents less than 1% of the USBC Youth membership.
Please understand that under the new rules, and even under the previous rules, leagues or tournaments have the ability to adopt rules regulating who will and who will not be allowed to participate in the competition. Should a league or tournament desire to allow 20, 21 and 22 year olds to compete in their competitions, this can be done by simply modifying their rule(s) regarding eligibility to allow for USBC adult members under the age of 23 to participate. Tournament managers and league coordinators simply have to adopt a rule allowing USBC adult members into what has been a youth competition. This is done by checking the ADULT and the YOUTH box when certifying the tournament or league.
We understand that a change of this significance will be an adjustment, but we hope this explanation gives you a better understanding of why USBC believes it will be a positive step for bowling.
If you have additional questions or concerns, please contact me.
Brian
Brian Graham, Director of Youth Development USBC Youth Development Team (817) 385-8420 (800) 514-2695 Bowl with US
3) My message to bowlers and parents:
JBT Bowlers and parents: February 20, 2009 On February 13, 2009, the USBC put out an announcement on their website regarding four major changes to the USBC Youth program. If you are not aware of these changes, read the announcement immediately. I was incredibly disappointed with the announcement for many reasons, which I will detail below. The response I have gotten from JBT bowlers and parents has ranged from shock and outrage to resigned amazement at the direction our national governing body is taking with its inexplicable actions. Before I comment further I wish to make two points: Number 1: What I am about to write is concerning this and other actions of USBC headquarters, and communications to / from the USBC officials there. Unless specified, I am referring to USBC Headquarters and NOT referring to the many hard working people associated with USBC on a local level in junior bowling nationwide, in local associations, centers, etc. I consider many of them my friends and feel bad for them that they are stuck with this “leadership”- though I hope to open their eyes to the fact that they are not ‘stuck’ at all. Number 2: USBC is already verrrrry much aware of my opinion of their competence towards youth bowling. Nothing I say below is going to surprise them, coming from me. What WILL matter is if they realize it is coming from YOU, not just from me. Just complaining about this will result in nothing. Complaining about this AND doing something concrete- not just sending angry emails they’ll reply to with a form letter but hitting them where it counts- their bottom line- will result in the necessary change. Many people in America whined for a long time about our government’s leadership. No matter what candidate you backed in 2008, it is clear that once the people who were upset stopped just complaining and actually mobilized and got something done, they got the change they wanted. I encourage you to use that as a template. This is as important to the future of bowling as elections are to the future of our country. YOU are the ones that will make this happen. Below, I will itemize the issues I have with this latest announcement, suggest action that you can take to reverse this travesty, and outline the steps we will take as we move forward with JBT and other like-minded groups. ********************** KEY POINT #1: No matter how you feel about ANY of the rule changes, what is most disturbing about this is how autocratically they were announced, in mid-season, with feedback from membership only solicited AFTER the rule was enacted. USBC seems to have completely forgotten that it is a membership organization. USBC leadership has made clear that they will enact whatever rules they feel like, whenever they feel like enacting them, because the bowlers will have no choice but to follow them. This is a strange position to take for an organization whose membership is a fraction of what it was in the past, and whose members are finally waking up to the fact that they DON’T, in fact, have to certify to enjoy the sport of bowling. How can USBC announce changes this sweeping mid season? This is equivalent to David Stern telling NBA teams in February they can suddenly play zone; or telling NFL players they suddenly can have 12 players on the field- not perfect analogies, but you get my drift. How about this- let’s change the JBT points system, or our prize fund guarantees, NOW. You simply don’t make changes like this mid-season. It smacks of desperation, and is patently unfair. Specifically in regards to the new age requirement, what if a 21 year-old bowler has already bought plane tickets for a December 2009 tournament, just as one example? Who is refunding that plane ticket? There will be thousands of questions like this coming up. Again, the one that should really make your blood boil is this: how was this announcement made, followed by these upcoming “Town Hall” meetings AFTER the rules are enacted? This is beyond belief, completely inexcusable, and utterly indicative of how little USBC cares about what you have to say about these rules. Everyone who has complained about the new rules has received the same form letter back (which I’ll address later). I doubt you’re going to get anything other than that form letter in live form at these meetings. You’re going to get “we know what’s best for you, my ignorant little bowlers, and we really aren’t interested if you don’t like it”. This is the only possible mentality for a group who would do this. Here’s a quick story: back in January 2006, I was part of a series of conference calls and group emails between about a dozen or so “key people” involved in junior bowling, and about the same number of USBC officials, including then-CEO Roger Dalkin. This was sort of like the ‘town hall’ meetings that are about to happen. The result of these meetings was near unanimous disgust on the part of us on the direction USBC was planning to take with USBC, most notably the rule 400 changes that east coast JBT director Chuck Pezzano has aptly nicknamed ‘smart-or-goodbye’. Their response to our feedback, to our astonishment, was, ‘tough, we’re going to do it anyway’, and that’s BARELY paraphrasing. Then why’d you waste everybody’s time having these meetings!? At least our meetings were held BEFORE USBC changed rule 400. Your “Town Hall” meetings are being held AFTER they changed the rules- what a slap in the face! They are hoping that people who are upset- especially you 20-21 year-olds left out in the cold- will yell, scream, stomp their feet- and then just go away, and still pay their certification fees. DO NOT JUST GO AWAY. I implore you.
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Now, let’s look at each of the four new rules: The first rule (second on the announcement) covers the addition of a third, cheaper membership option for short-season youth leagues. No problem- I get that USBC is exploring ways to increase membership- aren’t we all, after all. What I want to point out here is that the regular membership (for the vast majority of bowlers whose leagues are 13+ sessions) is a whopping $17. I haven’t had time to research that, and will revise this when I do, but isn’t that a pretty darned big leap? JBT membership remains at $0. And, what do you get for your $17? The announcement lists the benefits (their words in bold): - USBC Youth Membership card. Well, hooray! - 4 Issues of US Youth Bowler. Our website puts out the equivalent content of that 52 weeks a year. - USBC recognized average. This is only important if you feel that remaining certified is important. I have often used the analogy that having a membership card for the USFL fanclub is just as important. (That’s a defunct pro football league, kids…) If there is enough non-usbc events to bowl in, who cares what your usbc average is? - Ability to participate in USBC events. See above. This only matters if better alternatives exist. Many JBT members only maintain USBC membership to ‘fill in the gaps’ between their JBT bowling, and to bowl in Gold Finals. Unfortunately, Gold Finals has become a farce. We as a sport can do WAY better. I can only hope that enough announcements like this from USBC will actually accelerate the day that happens. - Revamped youth awards program. JBT bowlers appear to find the JBT awards program to be just fine and not in need of revamping. And when it does need revamping, we’ll listen to our bowlers FIRST! You’ll also notice, in this announcement and in others, USBC likes to stick in their most insulting changes in hidden spaces, in small sentences. The big rider to the 3-tier membership announcement is that they are LOWERING the average requirement for Gold membership for girls to an astonishing 150, and keeping the boys number at an equally astonishing 175! Junior Gold is supposed to be the event that helps determine Junior Team USA. Well, years ago, USBC realized it was their cash cow. They either make a small fortune off it, or it is the biggest mismanagement mess in junior bowling history. I LOVE some aspects of Junior Gold- some leagues on the local level, such as one we have in Las Vegas- are absolutely AWESOME, and run by awesome, dedicated people who simply want to help junior bowling grow. But they are shackled by the false hopes USBC purposely creates of sending kids to Gold to ‘compete for junior bowling’s national championship’ when 90% of the attendees are simply donating to UBSC’s funds (via the usurous $75 expense fee- I charge a $9 expense fee for our Main Event). The solution is painfully obvious: The under-developed USBC Youth Open championships should be the junior mirror image of the adult USBC Open Championships (a fantastic event- how do they get that so right and mess up so much else??) , and THAT should be what kids looking for the best competition on a nationwide level, at all skill levels, should aspire to. Junior Gold itself should be contested by no more than 100 boys and 50 girls, most of whom anybody heavily involved with junior bowling could each list on their own and come up with almost identical lists. This itself is something I could write a novel on, but the relevant point here is that by lowering the girls average requirement to 150 (nothing less than 190 is acceptable, and 210 for boys), they are “showing their hand” that all they care about is additional revenue streams, at the expense of the integrity of their own programs, and the false hopes of their own membership. Are you going to stand for that?
**************** The second rule (first on the announcement) seems less relevant to us, but in actuality is crucial. In a nutshell, it gives each bowling center the chance to process its own certifying and awards in-house, and not through the local association. In other words, the local associations are being taken out of the loop! I don’t pretend to comprehend all the politics going on here (talk of BPAA mergers and local association revenue streams can even bore me), but this is a move that is infuriating the local associations, who now feel like THEIR work and THEIR voices don’t matter either. No matter how each local official feels about these rule changes, no matter how each local official feels about JBT running off and being “rebels” in not certifying- they are all just as upset at USBC National as we are, and feel just as ignored as we do. ‘They’, collectively, finally understand how we have felt for three years. We—you, me, everyone- need to speak with your local officials, share your outrage, re-explain to them the truth of why we’ve done what we’ve done if they do not understand, and how outraged YOU feel about the rule changes vs. how USBC tells you that you should feel. Why don’t you ask your local officials if they feel they do a good job? California, for example, is a pretty big state. I bet they can find a company to produce rings and other awards, etc. Ask them if they really NEED USBC. And, with these rule changes, can even more changes that reduces their importance even more be far behind? I bet not. Along those lines, you think they’re gonna keep the age rule at 20? Hmm….. Pretty soon, it’ll be just a few employees that never leave their glass palace in Dallas telling every bowler what’s best for them. You know, I think California can run itself just fine. Maybe USBC acted like they didn’t care when JBT decided to go its own way, but if CALIFORNIA goes its own way, I think USBC might realize they’ve made some major mistakes, and change the way they do business. ARE YOU UP TO THIS CHALLENGE? Or will you fall back?
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Now, the real fun begins: Rule number three covers a revamp of the awards program. It goes on for quite a while, and then, stuck way down in the bottom, is the kicker: 300 RINGS ARE BACK!!! Now, wait just a freaking minute. For three years, we were told that rings were EVIL. We were directly told that “bowlers don’t want awards, they want a pat on the back” (yes, that’s a direct quote). We were told (and are told) that the goal of USBC is to put bowling into the Olympics and expand NCAA visibility, at the expense of anything and everything else, and that rings violated some high school code designed for football in 2 small counties in western Kansas, therefore what if some kid in Washington grows up to be the next Reggie Bush and is discovered with a 300 ring… the laughable logic goes on and on. They were ‘protecting’ you, they said. They cowtowed to NCAA, to USOC, to other sports, to all be a part of their clubs… we’re BOWLING, and BOWLING needs to call BOWLING’s shots, not vice versa. As a result of this lack of backbone, we spent three years with juniors paying for rings they coveted, and adults getting free rings they couldn’t care less about, when evidently that was completely unnecessary. WOW. Now, completely out of nowhere, they’re okay again? What the heck changed? What ring “redesign” has satisfied some athletic board somewhere? And why couldn’tthat solution have been immediately reached when they felt they had to ban rings? More importantly, who at USBC are YOU going to be asking for a refund for all money you had to spend on 300-800 rings the last three seasons? I STRONGLY encourage you to ask that question to USBC national- FLOOD their email, phones, and mailboxes with your receipts. Many people who have been USBC ‘loyalists’ since 2006 have hung on to the feeble premise that USBC can be ‘trusted’, is ‘stable’, etc. Are you going to continue to put your trust into an organization so incompetent that it, at BEST, took 3 years- THREE YEARS- to fix its most laughably backwards situation, and at worst simply lied to you? Do you WANT to be a part of an organization with a problem like that if you don’t HAVE to? Do you HAVE to?
**************************** And, finally, rule number four, again stuck in a tiny one word sentence at the end of the announcement: 20 year olds, you’re adults now! The short response: WHY ARE YOU FIXING SOMETHING THAT ISN’T BROKE? WHY ARE YOU MANDATING SOMETHING THAT SHOULD BE OPTIONAL??? WHY ARE YOU INSTITUTING SOMETHING BEFORE FEEDBACK FROM THE AFFECTED BOWLERS???? The following gets even more emotional. It is close to my heart. I cannot help the emotion. Hey, USBC, guess what? Bowlers that are “ready for the transition to adult bowling” are going to go adult before they are 20 anyway, often well before. Why would you want to force those that are not? Hey, USBC, guess what? There are things around like JBT, certified groups like MJMA, heck even Junior Gold, that award SCHOLARSHIPS. Is bowling unique among junior sports in how it goes about this? Darned right it is. It should be PROUD of it, instead of apologizing to USOC and NCAA for it. You are telling 20 year olds that they no longer need scholarships. Obviously, you’re wrong. Hey, USBC, your form letter response says that “athletes generally reach full maturity near the age of 20”, and that 22 year olds have an “inappropriate… advantage”. WRONG on two counts. Why do Walter Ray, Earl, Pete Weber, Duke, all still dominate PBA? Bowlers do not have the same linear maturing process the more physical sports have. Stop deluding yourself. Secondly, our Tour proves over and over again that age is one of the LEAST relevant factors to success. The current champ of our most prestigious event is FIFTEEN. Our leading scholarship winner is SIXTEEN. Our younger bowlers beat our oldest bowlers regularly. Much more importantly- our younger scratch level bowlers nearly unanimously LOVE bowling the older bowlers. OUR MEMBERS LIKE IT THAT WAY. There’s a concept, huh? Why do you think many of the better youth bowlers are trying PBA events, etc.? Because they want to test their skills against older, better competition. But, only the very best will try that more than once or twice, and even fewer will actually do well. Why the heck would you deny 99.99% of your membership the chance to succeed at a lower scratch level for a vastly cheaper entry fee, in a vastly more wholesome environment? It makes no sense at all. Hey, USBC, maybe a 21 year-old who is barely able to pay for college NEEDS an inexpensive tournament to hone their skills in, as opposed to extremely expensive, generally short format adult tournaments, who are filled by the very best bowlers in the area or ‘career sandbaggers’ who are well documented. So, from all the research I’ve seen, people who are pro-age change rely on two arguments: 1) younger kids have no chance against the older bowlers, and 2) there’s no point in staying junior once you’re 20 (or 19 or 21 or whatever). Both of those are disproved BY THE BOWLERS THEMSELVES after about ten seconds at any JBT event, or at any other well-run junior event, I’ll wager. Hey, USBC, your form letter response is fixated by ‘social’ definitions of Youth. The word ‘youth’ in ‘Youth Bowler’ ONLY indicates that they’re not bowling for cash yet, and NOT their physical stature, hairline, marital status, ability to join the military, etc. Get it? “Legal and social standards” have nothing to do with it. Nothing. Golf and Tennis cap ‘youth’ at 18. And a bad pro golfer makes hundreds of thousands of dollars a year. STOP COMPARING BOWLING TO GOLF AND TENNIS just because they’re individual sports. GOLF AND TENNIS LAUGH AT US BECAUSE OF STUFF LIKE THIS. Australian bowling limits youth at 24, by the way, if the bowler chooses to not compete for cash that long. Hey, USBC, the point of staying Youth once you get ‘good’ is to win scholarships. Four years of college takes most people to about 21-22 years old. I thus find the current age limit completely fine. The form letter finally returns to the tired, flawed argument of complying with other organizations’ standards in paragraph four. It warns that bowlers may still be youth, win a spot on Junior Team USA, but not be able to compete in things like WTBA, which limits to 21 and under. I have two things to say about that: - THOSE VERY FEW JUNIORS ARE AWARE OF THAT. IF THE BOWLER DECIDES TO STAY JUNIOR FOR THE MANY OTHER REASONS HE/SHE MAY HAVE, WHY WOULD YOU DENY THEM THAT OPPORTUNITY?!?! - YOU ARE TALKINGABOUT SOMETHING THAT AFFECTS 1 OR 2 BOWLERS A YEAR, AND AS A RESULT CHANGING A RULE THAT THOUSANDS OF 20 AND 21 YEAR-OLDS WHO WILL NEVER COMPETE FOR TEAM USA WILL HATE!!!! Talk about the needs of the few over the needs of the many! I’m all for bowling in the Olympics. But USBC , you’re suffering a MASSIVE case of bowling myopia. For the sake of the very, very few elite players who will ever be involved in things like Team USA, you’re making yourself look ridiculous in the eyes of everyone else. This is suicidal!
The bottom line on this is simple. 95% of my BOWLERS are angry at the age change. My membership is a large enough statistical sample that sentiment must be similar nationwide. My contacts with other Tours seem to show similar numbers. So, for you to write to your angry members saying “USBC staff agrees” that it is for the best to do something virtually none of its membership wants, shows that USBC is completely out of touch with its membership.
Which brings up the question: WHO IS ON THE USBC YOUTH BOARD?! WHY IS THIS SHROUDED IN SEMI-SECRECY??? Please ask this at your Town Hall meetings. Fun fact: Go to bowl.com and look at the other press release- about the just-named youth leaders of the year. THE MALE RECIPIENT IS 21 YEARS OLD!!! What, does he get the title until August? Because USBC is shoving him out the Youth door after that!! Nice piece of irony there. Of course, I do (occasionally, hehe) allow for the possibility that I’m way off base. Maybe people only feel this way around JBT-land. Maybe folks in areas without large Tours, etc. feel the opposite. I doubt it though. And again, even if they do- nobody agrees with how this announcement was made. No matter how you feel about anything I’ve said that’s opinion- you’ve got to bristle as a bowler at your governing organization acting as dictator, not representative. DO NOT LET THEM GET AWAY WITH THIS. The response form letter concludes with this gem: “It should be noted that 1% of youth membership” is affected by this change. Guess what? If you’re reading this, and you happen to be in that 1%, they have just told you that they don’t care one little bit what you think. Nice. They’ve forgotten, of course, that a darned big chunk of the youth membership cares greatly and have friendships with that 1%... and they won’t stand for it either. The other 99% are upset, too,USBC, because they’re gonna be that 1% soon.
BUT JEFF, WHAT CAN I DO?? I hope you are as deeply offended as I am. I feel sick for all youth bowlers and parents. I do the best job I can with JBT, but I know that dealing with USBC in some form is a reality for almost all of you as well. You MUST show them that they cannot get away with the new rules, or announcing them in this fashion. What can you do? This: - Email USBC. You can frame that form letter response too! - Call USBC. Demand to hear it live. See if they can actually say this stuff with a straight face. - Write USBC. Use your own words. Be professional, but be angry if you are, too. - GO TO THE TOWN HALL MEETINGS. Ask them things I’ve brought up, or that you’ve thought of, and don’t sit back down until you get an answer, not a run-around. - Encourage your leagues, your state, your friends, your bowling center, TO NOT CERTIFY unless these issues are addressed. This is the big one. It will take guts. It must happen. - Run for USBC office, and change it from within. Good luck, though. If Chuck Pezzano, who has run over 2,500 JBT events over 35 years, who has watched AJBC, YABA, and ABC all come and go, and knows more about junior bowling in his pinky than we all know put together, can’t even get a SECOND INTERVIEW for a position on the Youth Committee, (a job that should have been CREATED for him), that shows you how hard it is to break into the good-old-boys (and girls) club from the outside, or when you know too much.
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I had so much hope for USBC when they started hiring so much new blood, bowlers that I know personally, many of whom have come through the JBT program. I know they are sick about what is going on. They can’t say anything, though, because they need that job, or might have even been drinking the USBC Kool-aid. We NEED a USBC- we need a national organization. Just not this one. This is not a “Congress”. This is an oligarchy. Look up that word and see if you can describe it better. I have no interest in being a ‘rebel’ for the sake of being rebellious. I’m waaaay too busy with the job of running the best tournaments I can. I’ve just been saddled with the genetic burden of not being able to remain silent when such egregious injustice is being done to people I care about. Two summers ago, USBC called me up to tell me I could no longer award plaques. They were now a threat to bowlers’ eligibility, just like rings. Furious directors from all over the country, including some who had thousands of dollars of plaque inventory, got hold of USBC and didn’t let go until USBC- gasp!- came to their senses and decided it was okay to award plaques after all. It’s been done before. It can be done again. It’s up to you. I hope to see you soon, and hope you’ll bring many new faces, to JBT events in the near future!
-Jeff Hemer, Junior Bowlers Tour www.bowljbt.com