CONVENTION 2013

June 7-9, 2013

Doubletree by Hilton Ontario

CONGRATULATIONS

Bruce Callison
Coach of the Year Award


Top Three USBC Associations for BVL Donations
Citrus Belt USBC – BVL Donation $23,026.57
Orange County USBC– BVL Donation $9,000
San Diego USBC– BVL Donation $8,800


Local USBC Associations with the highest per member donations

Congratulations Steve Davis – Proprietor of the Year


Rock of Vets Entertainment


2013 CUSBC State Convention Weekend Recap

DoubleTree by Hilton, Ontario Airport
By: Bette Addington

Saturday, June 8

–Saturday A.M. Idea Share Workshop – Nancy Arvanitis/North County Assoc. shared their association’s success to promote youth bowling by having booths at Street Fairs where they passed out printed brochures and had posters made to post and handed out generic free game coupons to all their association’s centers to get kids to come and try a game of bowling.  They also gave a gift to all first-time bowlers at their City tournament this year and that was well received.

CUSBC Director Tom Leigh of Van Nuys discussed how his association has been having success with giving pins to their youth for their awards.  They have ordered these pins from C. Sanders and are encompassing USBC Youth awards as well as awards they want to recognize like 200, 225, and 250 games plus step-ladder and clean 30 awards.  Minimum order for these pins is 500 or 250 so they are possibly looking at offering these pins to other CA associations for their youth programs.

CUSBC President Linda Johnson expressed her concern on an audit of our state membership and concerns with bowlers who bowl in several different associations but only are a member of one.

Phyllis Bourque explained how she found out that when she went to bowl Nationals that she did not exist as an opted out box had been checked when she applied for her sanction card that she had no idea this is what it would do so she wanted all other league bowlers to be aware that bowl tournaments because if this box is checked, USBC cannot find your average information online!

Santa Barbara Association is offering reduced sanction fee for summer bowlers as well as giving a $5 voucher for summer bowlers to entice them to bowl in upcoming winter leagues.

One association expressed their problem with seven-week social leagues that rotate members and the problem arises that when the league is over these bowlers never establish an average.  Something to watch out for.

Averages to be reported to bowl.com on January 1?  Looking into May 31st for final average.  No more Average Books.

Problem with leagues starting after March 15 and ending in October.  These leagues don’t fit league parameters.  Are they a summer league?  A winter league??

One association shared their excellent success for their youth program to hold a Spaghetti Dinner fundraiser that is ran by the youth to work along with adult bowlers and hold this at a bowling center along with a silent auction.  They raised $6-7k!

CBW 2013 Media & Publicity Luncheon with keynote speaker, Len Nicholson

(Saturday at noon)

The luncheon featured a raffle and also celebrated the CBW’s (California Bowling Writers) 15th anniversary.  Keynote speaker, Len Nicholson, aka The Phantom (Phantom radio show), presentation was titled, “Behind the Scenes of the PBA” and attendees were treated to some great insight into several key PBA bowlers.  Nicholson, who has been involved with the sport of bowling for 57 years, had the most opportune position as he started out behind the scenes as a lane man.  This eventually led to his employment with Kegel.  Through the years he has had the unique experience to work with several bowlers on tour.  His advice to bowlers he was on tour with was to be their own best friend.

His first experience was in the early 1960’s when he met Billy Hardwick due to his employment at a bowling center in Louisville, KY.  Nicholson watched Hardwick go out on tour the first year and he went 0-18 and never cashed.  Hardwick persevered and went out the following year and ended up Bowler of the Year!  Hardwick then moved to Florida in 1970 and wanted Nicholson to move there to be a bouncer in a pool hall of all things!  Nicholson went and ended up going on tour with Hardwick and his buddies and became the “tour gopher”.  Along with Hardwick was Sam Baca.  He and Len started a lane maintenance program in 1971.

Nicholson mentioned his Phantom Internet Radio show that changes guests every week.  Tune in to hear their 25-minute interview program.  You’d be amazed at what you can learn as well as get to know some of bowling’s most interesting personalities!

Len also disclosed that he is working on writing a book that will include his personal recollection of many PBA players.  With his involvement over all these years, you can imagine it will have some really good tidbits of information!

Nicholson shared some insight into his times with the late Don Carter (the first man to sign a contract for $1 million in the 1950’s).  Nicholson said Carter was known for buying new Cadillacs but he never liked driving his cars to tournaments.  In fact, he would never drive his car more than 10 miles.  He would have someone that was traveling with him do the driving!  Dick Weber was one of these passengers.  Weber at the time was a postman and Carter let him drive his Cadillac to a tournament and Carter was not in the car for this trip.  Weber was thrilled to be driving this classy car and thought all the other cars on the road were admiring and waving at him because here he was cruising in this classic.  Come to find out, people on the highway were trying to stop him as a spark from a cigarette he had been smoking had caught all the clothes on the hanger in the back seat on fire and they were burning as he was cruising down the highway!!

Saturday afternoon Workshop/Jamboree—“What is National’s Role/What do I get for my $10?” – David Prange, USBC Western Regional Manager, Presenter

–The RVP (Registered Volunteer Program) has been very successful with lots of adults registering that work directly with the youth.  Cost is $21.25 for 2 years.

–BVL total CA donation to date is $8 million!

–YouTube.com USABAssoc (for webinars on bowl.com).

–WebLabs is on its way (this fall?) to replace WinLabs.

Awards:

’14-’15 season – no more special achievement awards.  People don’t like patches, magnets, key chains.

High bowlers don’t care about awards.  Awards are for first-time/new bowlers and youth.

Approximate 6% decline in bowlers each year for the last 30 years.

USBC pro for reducing number of awards offered to league bowlers.  Five or six awards are plenty to offer.

USBC encourages local associations to raise their local dues.

National/USBC no dues increase for eight years now (last one was $2 increase in 2005).

USBC now has 40% less staff; only two employees at National Tournament Dept.

Delegates at National Convention keep voting down dues increase.

Rule Books are being cut back.

Ideas for local associations to do in lieu of past awards – discount coupons from local restaurants like Jiffy Lube oil change or car washes to give for awards.  Maybe have your local Pro Shop sponsor an award.  Give Certificates out for 11-in-a-row, 800 series, and 300 games.  Give out a bottle or Purell for a clean game award.  Or, just do away with awards totally.

Think about giving each sanction card bowler a little something (gift) thanking them for joining and then don’t offer any other awards throughout the season.

USBC will offer awards associations can purchase, order by Nov. 15, 2013 for awards like key chains, patches, crystal awards.  They will have a 65-75 pg. order book available soon with awards offered.  If you group order by Nov. 15, awards will be out around May 15th.

63% of new bowlers quit after the first season.

Welcome to Bowling program – offer a new ball for $59 plus coaching clinics, PowerPoint presentation.  New partners AARP and Motel 6.

Recruiting Past Members – use MailChimp (an email marketing tool, www.mailchimp.com).  It’s free.

(David’s presentation was cut short because of time constraints so there was no Q & A session.)

–Saturday night entertainment

Got to catch the last half of the live band, “Rock for Vets”, that was presented on behalf of the State BVL Committee.    This 16-piece rock band was comprised all of Veterans, mostly guys but there were a couple gals, and they were great!  Had almost the entire room dancing!  It was a good way to end the day of meetings.  The “Rock for Vets” band is from Long Beach and this band provides Veterans a chance to learn a musical instrument and learn to play or sing as part of a musical group.  They practice twice a week and as they develop their skills, perform in public at a variety of locations both within a hospital and at community organizations and functions.  It is an effective therapy program.  This program began in May of 2010.

Sunday, June 9

CUSBC State Convention Annual Meeting Recap

The CUSBC (California United States Bowling Congress) held its Annual Meeting on Sunday, June 9, in Ontario, CA. There were only a total of 125 delegates attending this year’s Convention which is one if not the lowest number on record.

This year’s Convention also was a first with no Star of Tomorrow or Hall of Fame inductees.  With that being said, the Annual Meeting went through its agenda in record time.  New items of interest that were introduced were:

–The annual State Singles tournament (formerly the Prince and Princess Tournament) is now open to all bowlers.  Divisions are 175 and under and 176 and above and open to men, women and youth.  This is a handicapped tournament with the same handicap as the State Open (80% of 230).  This year’s event will be held the weekend of October 19-20 at AMF Bowl-O-Drome Lanes in Torrance.

–Starting with the 2014 State tournaments, multiple entries will be allowed for Team, Doubles & Singles (must change two members on team and different partner for doubles).  Walk-ins will now also be accepted.

–And, starting in 2015, the Open and Women’s tournaments will be combined into one tournament – one location with more weekends, 3-day event per week and a variety of squads.  Entry fees raised $5 per event with $1 of entry fee allocated to Hall of Fame per entry (Open) and $1 of entry fee allocated to Susan G. Komen (Women) since the Chicken Feed cans were not working.

–To help reduce state expenses, state board meeting will be held via email/teleconference and voting by board done via email instead of in-person meeting.  This type of meeting will be done once a year.

–Youth State Tournament.  New Divisions – Under 10 and Under 12.  In two years Youth State will be changed to scratch with divisions.

–Ways State Board will be reducing expenses:  Reduce salary of State Association Manager by $5k; eliminating position of Hotel Coordinator for State Convention; State Convention will be reduced to two-days; reduction in salary for State Tournament Director by $6k per year; Youth Promotion program will stay in place.

–State Board will be spending $10k for new tournament software program that will be able to service all State tournaments and make it so all of them are tied into this software which is not the way it is being done now.

–2014 State adult tournaments will have the Men/Open being held in San Diego (Kearny Mesa Bowl & Parkway Bowl; Apr. 26 – Jun. 22) and the Women in Stockton (Pacific Bowl & West Lane Bowl; Apr. 12 – Jun. 1) and Youth in Bakersfield (AMF Southwest Lanes & Regency Lanes; Jul. 12-Jul. 27).