CDE Software: From the desk of Lance Rasmussen

BPAA’s International Bowl Expo 2007 is around the bend and will begin next week.  If you are coming, please stop by our booth #448.  Our company has long supported BPAA and have been a part of Bowl Expo for many years.

According to BPAA, the booths have sold out and all of the rooms in three hotels that were reserved by BPAA have sold out.  So if you’re making last minute plans, be sure to check some of the neighboring hotels. This year, the host location is the Mandelay Hotel and Casino.  

Something new this year….  We’re giving away a free kiosk to a lucky center. This is valued at over $5000.00.  Simply stop by our booth and enter your center.  The drawing will be at the end of the Thursday’s exhbiting hours. 

Bowl Expo is a great opportunity to see different manufacturers and pick up some great specials.  There are usually many great ideas there at the exhibit.  Also along with this is some great seminars relating to your business of bowling.

Unless you have been out of bowling for a while, you know that the United States Bowling Congress is now the leading governing body for the sport of bowling in the USA.  Prior to USBC, the sport was governed by the ABC, WIBC and YABA. Are there alternatives or complementary options if you are looking to bowl in an organized league or looking for something different for your league?  I thought I would mention a couple organizations that you may not be aware of.

TNBA - The National Bowling Association, according to their website, organized in August 1939, in Detroit, Michigan, for the express purpose of encouraging Blacks to develop their skills in the game of Ten Pins. Originally known as the “National Negro Bowling Association” the organization was necessary due to ABC and WIBC restricted non-Caucasians from membership. As the membership grew to include a large number of Asians, Hispanics and people of color other than Black, the organization was renamed in 1944.  The organization was key in challenging ABC and WIBC for equality in the sport, to which in 1950, the non-Caucasian clauses were removed from ABC and WIBC constitutions. While a large percentage of TNBA’s membership is Black, the organization is open to all.

JANBA / JACL – The Japanese American Bowling Association is an organization that was formed for encouraging Americans of Japanese decent to hone their skills for the sport of bowling.  The Japanese American Citizens League has been around since 1929 and also found bowling as one if its organized sports.  In 1974, the National Advisory Board on Bowling voted to break away to form JANBA. Aside from leagues, JANBA hosts an annual tournament.

MAMBO – The Mexican-American Bowling Organization is an organization that also has an annual tournament and caters to Americans of Mexican descent.

ABBA – American Blind Bowling Association was formed in the 1940’s to enable blind and visually impaired youths and adults to bowl alongside sighted friends and family.

IGBO – International Gay Bowling Organization was formed in 1980 to provide a opportunity for organized league and tournament play in a completely non-discriminate manner.

There are several more organizations out there that I’ll follow up on in a later post.  With all of the mentioned organizations, they provide an opportunity to have an alternate means of organization within the sport of bowling as well as complementary with USBC as many leagues are “dual citizen” leagues.

As I was doing some browsing online, I came across an article written by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinal’s author Gary D’Amato.  In this article, D’Amote writes:

He predicts the continued erosion of a membership that has been in decline for 25 years but doesn’t stress about it, saying the USBC still needs to “thin the herd.” The organization has 2.5 million members and the number eventually could fall below 1 million, Dalkin said.

This is quite an interesting statement to say the least, if this is indeed what the USBC’s Chief Executive Officer truly believes.  The article does continue on explaining that USBC will be stressing the competitive side of the sport instead of the recreational side.

“We’ve in essence convinced the general population it’s a great, fun game. And it is,” he said. “But in doing so, we’ve totally negated the athletic skills necessary to be a top-level bowler. It’s a conundrum we have.” 

Over the past few years, the ABC and WIBC organizations created the Sports league program, which carried forward with the merger to USBC.  In the middle of the 2006/2007 bowling season, USBC’s Sports program introduced the PBA Experience, which further gives the challenge of bowling on conditions that the professionals are shooting.  This has been a positive move towards bringing up the skills and caliber of competitive bowling.

If the casual bowlers are left to other pastures, who’s going to lead them?  The BPAA, who focuses on the centers or some other organization, may need to look at creating a bowling organization or program that caters to the casual bowler.  Perhaps building up the fun in the sport and expanding to support no-tap casual leagues would be a good idea as well.  

The one solid fact is membership has been declining.  What are the reasons, though?  Is it the perceived value of the membership charged each year declining?  This year, the USBC recently dropped its 299/298 awards and are making them part of the 11-in-a-row award, although recipients can purchase rings.  The range of lower average awards is good, but can it be made better.

Is there any work being done by the center or equally important, the league secretary, working at building up their leagues?  Or does the league secretary just show up at the counter and ask “so… who’s bowling the league this year?”  While many youth are working, instead of bowling, many just ignored as nuisances instead of being cultivated to become your next generation cash revenue. 

How about prices of lineage? Lineage has gone up over the years.  That’s a fact.  Then again, electricity, labor, parts, maintenance, taxes, insurance and many other things have greatly increased.  So you can’t blame the centers for raising their lineages.  With a conversation with a few proprietors, the high costs involved with the special needs of setting up the shots needed for the PBA Experience / Sports leagues has caused the centers to give the league a choice.  Pay more for lineage for the above and beyond TLC required… or don’t certify as that type of league.

There are a lot of opportunities for bowlers who enjoy bowling for its casual nature, while still providing a competitive atmosphere.  But is USBC devotes the majority of its efforts to the elite bowlers, it will definitely open up a lot of greener pastures.