Help with league prize fund

[jerseygirl]

Hi. I am serving as co-treasurer this year. We are working on our prize fund. We are more of a fun league and I came up with two suggested lists using a %-per-team system, one trying to be very close and the other more front loaded. Just when I got them both to equal 100%, I remembered that we have 3 (of 13) teams with fewer than 4 bowlers. One has only 2, the other two have 3 each. ARGH. Regardless of where these teams end up it will throw off the math and we will have money left over.
Question: Anyone else deal with this and have a good solution?
I am thinking we could take the money left over from those 3 teams and divide it evenly among all the bowlers.
Or, do I have to try to rejigger my spreadsheet to calculate by person, rather than by team? That seems like it would be impossible, as I have no idea where each team will end up.
Thanks for any suggestions.

[scottymoney]

My league and I think a majority of leagues do a per point system. No matter what the point system you use, assign a dollar amount for 1 point. Our league is $4 per point and then it is up to the team to split it among those who bowled. Our team uses the subs don't pay method and whoever missed pays for the week they missed allowing for the 4 normal members at the end to split the winnings evenly. So much easier to deal with then trying to figure out on a per game basis what the subs would get. So for example if a team gets 30 points x $4 a point the team gets $120 to split amongst the team. In the case of my team it is split between the 4 regulars being $30 per guy.

As far as the uneven teams I am not sure what to tell you there. And it seems kind of weird to have teams with less people than that of other teams. How do you do the scoring/point system?

[10-in-the-pit]

When a team is short a bowler, they should still pay for the missing bowler. If you don't do it that way, the prizes get messed up and some people will get ticked off.

[J Anderson]

Any chance of splitting the two person team and giving one bowler to each of the 3 person teams. You would then have twelve teams of four.

[billf]

We have that issue every year. We don't require pay for the missing bowler. Instead we use that money on our "fun" night the last day of league and put it towards awards earned that night. Like first and second place for scotch doubles and things of that nature. It works for us because as you're finding out, the money comes out funky and gets worse as these teams climb up and down the standings.

[jerseygirl]

Thanks everyone for replying so quickly.

We do use points and could apportion prize money by points, thanks for that suggestion. I will work that up to present to the bowlers as an option as opposed to places.

We have been struggling with the partial teams. It would be so easy and make perfect sense to split the 2 and put one on one of the teams with 3 and the other on the other team with 3. This sounds so high school, but I am told one of the teams with only 3 does not want to take either of the 2 who are on the team with only 2. The other wouldn't care, I'm sure. The 2 joined because the lanes proprietor promised he'd find them 2 more to add to their team and that didn't work out. They 2 are unhappy because they really don't have a chance at coming in first, bowling with 2 blinds.

Anyway, I also like the idea of using the money from the partial teams for special prizes

[Mike White]

Hi. I am serving as co-treasurer this year. We are working on our prize fund. We are more of a fun league and I came up with two suggested lists using a %-per-team system, one trying to be very close and the other more front loaded. Just when I got them both to equal 100%, I remembered that we have 3 (of 13) teams with fewer than 4 bowlers. One has only 2, the other two have 3 each. ARGH. Regardless of where these teams end up it will throw off the math and we will have money left over.
Question: Anyone else deal with this and have a good solution?
I am thinking we could take the money left over from those 3 teams and divide it evenly among all the bowlers.
Or, do I have to try to rejigger my spreadsheet to calculate by person, rather than by team? That seems like it would be impossible, as I have no idea where each team will end up.
Thanks for any suggestions.

Rather than try to give each team a % (which totals to 100%) give each member on the team a number of shares. (much like shares in the stock market) You may give the 1st place team members 13 shares each, 2nd place 12 shares each, etc down to last place 1 share each. Finally total all of the shares given, and divide the prize fund by the number of shares.

Depends on which place team is missing what number of people, the number of shares will vary. Easily calculated with a spread sheet.

Divide the prize money by the number of shares to find the value of each share.

For each person ( or team ) multiply the value of each share times the number of shares the person ( or team ) has been awarded to determine the amount of money from the prize fund to be awarded.

On an individual basis, players on the 2nd place team will get less than those on the 1st place team, and more than those on the 3rd place team.