What Happened to Trophies, and Bowling for Glory

[MICHAEL]

What happened to Trophies??

What happened to the good old days of bowling for the sport of bowling, not money! Money is the root of all evil, as most of you know.
Those cool trophies that you see in the thrift stores for sale real cheap! Beautiful, some 4 feet high!! HUMMMM beautiful!! I have a weak spot, for some of the more ornate ones, and purchase them for Christmas gifts!!

Why has it gone out of style to have a banquet, and trophies given out instead of cold cash!!

In the long run doesn’t the little you get back actually cost you in the long run, due to HIGHER fees to bowl each week?

The seniors league I was on last year had over 20 teams, and the bowling cost was $7.25, and only .50 cents if you couldn’t bowl for whatever reason!
MONEY leagues around here are about 15.00 on average, that’s for a husband and wife, $120,00 or more a month vs no prize money, but trophies ect… only $58.00 a month! Do the math lol!!

Could it be that part of the reason for low turn outs is the cost of bowling each week? YOU don't get back the money unless your one of the top teams, and even then it doesn't come close to paying for itself.

My wife and me were on a league that had a nice number of teams last year, and we won first place, 5 person teams,,, all we received was $179.45 a piece
That league cost 15 dollars a person.

Give me those good old days.... State fairs, demo derby, and trophy bowling.... hummmmm

[e-tank]

My dad has a ton of those glorious bowling trophies you described. The team that won first place in my last league got a dinky plaque that basically just said first prize on it haha. In my league we pay $20 a week but that includes a trip to vegas with alcohol, a charter bus, and a room. Not to mention we have a sweeper at the end in which the top guy last year won $175 i believe. Imo its worth it

[J Anderson]

I still bowl in one league that isn't a money league. The money leagues around here are $20 - $30 per week, the Welcome league, formerly known as the Church League, is only $16 per week. For that $16/week you get a banquet at season's end where trophies are handed out 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, High game, high series etc. Of the $16, $11.40 is the lineage.

Why the disappearance of bowling for trophies? Part is due to the fact that many of those leagues were company leagues or industrial leagues where teams were sponsored by company personnel departments. Now that we are no longer persons employed by a company, but 'human resources' to be managed, those leagues have disappeared. Part may be that no one wants to dust trophies, but that doesn't explain why cruise nights, which used to be a bunch of gear heads hanging out in the parking lot at a fast food joint swapping lies about how fast their car was back in the day, have turned into mini car shows complete with dozens of trophies. Lastly, if you give some one a choice between a cheap third place trophy or $50 in cold hard cash, many will go for the cash not thinking about the extra money they'll be parting with for a chance at the cash.

[dnhoffman]

I'm with ya. I like cash, don't get me wrong, but I'm bowling against myself and for a better average, nothing else

[MICHAEL]

THEM GOOD OLD DAYS!!! Remember I was not even bowling in them days, before even my time, but I look at movies, and U Tube's about that glorious time in bowling... It wasn't about money,,, it was all about those 6 ft tall decked out First place keepsakes, memorials called TROPHIES!! Just a guy that missed out on the era, and would like to time travel back!!

[Stormed1]

There are many reasons why things have changed. Juat for an example my Friday senior league has a breakfast banquet that we pay for ourselves. The cost of the banquet is $2000.00. You now need to budget $400-500.00 if you're going to give away trophies. Our Monday leagues does a pot luck combined with the womens league, They bring goodies and we buy about 15 pizzas. I have given away all of my trophies to youth leagues so they can re-plaque them and save money. The only 3 I kept were 2 for winning a major local area tourney and the one the local association gave me for my 800 in 1991 I kept it because it has a clock in it. At least around here most league champions get jackets instead of trophies and it saves the league money to keep costs down, In my friday league we finished 30th and got $1700.00 back as a team (we pay 18.00/wk x 40 teams of 5 but our lineage is only 7.00). My Monday league we pay the same amount,finished 4th and got $800.00. Lineage is $10.25/night we have 14 teams of 4First place was $900.00 +$100 rolloff money. 2nd place $850+$50, 3rd $825.00, from 5th place down it drops 20.00/team

[30 Clean]

Trophy = dust collector.

[MICHAEL]

Trophy = dust collector.

A Trophy is a snap shot of a wonderful MOMENT in your life.... MONEY is just that ,,,, something you spend,,,, and forget all about! Sorry,,, call me sentimental, now I did it ,,, I am starting to melt.... damn,,, I HATE THAT!! I got to go,,,, ICEMAN

[DrOcktagon]

I'll take the money every time.

I bowl because I love bowling, it's my favorite thing to do, I am very passionate about it and it consumes my thoughts for much of every day, but I don't have any desire for trophies, I don't need trophies, I DO need money, as much as I can get. I want to bowl on the league that has the best competition with the highest potential payout at the end of the season; luckily those two things go hand-in-hand.

I had a bunch of trophies from my YABA days, but I honestly have no idea what happened to them, and that's fine with me. If I still had them they would be stuffed in a box in the closet, all but forgotten anyways.

[Hampe]

I get where Iceman is coming from......I also love getting trophies or medals. It's a nice reminder every time I walk by them that for that weekend or season or whatever, I was the best or one of the best bowlers on the lanes.

That said, I also like cash prizes just as much :). Most tournaments here have both....cash for the top 10-15 places and trophies or medals for the top 3 (or just the winner). The company league I bowl in gives out a trophy to the top three teams of each division, and instead of cash you get an envelope of free bowling game coupons.

[GeoLes]

I was wondering about that myself. My coach was saying that he was beginning to bowl again in preparationg for upcoming leagues. He bowls two leagues but was considering particiapting in only one this year because the other did not produce a lot of money. I asked how much the winning team gets, he says it is not the prize money he is after, rather the wagering. Sucess depends on who participates and how well they bowl against each other.

I thought tournaments were about overall winners. I am aware it exiists among billiard players and the, but this concept is new to me in the context of bowling. side wagering a common occurance among the more serious bowlers.

[MICHAEL]

Ok, I guess I am the exception, rather than the rule! How about this for a happy compromise!

What a great business this could be in my humble Iceman opinion!

How about The lanes taking pictures, (using digital no film images, in a Small office/trophy room that has a HUGE first place trophy, a Second place trophy, and third place smaller yet! You get my drift here?

It would only take a few minutes for you team to walk into the room that could be set up for that occasion just prior to the handing out of THE MONEY! Then you have your MONEY,,, lol,,,, and also a digital picture of your teammates, and the date, time, place, and name of league, along with any other information you would like in that Snap Shot in time!

It doesn’t gather dust, but is stored in binary numbers in a microscopic amount of space on your memory card, or hard drive?

I think it would be a GREAT IDEA for a Bowling Establishment to use, and it wouldn’t cost them any money at all, Just go to any Good Will Store, buy 3 trophies for hardly anything, then use your digital camera, (no film to buy), and give Iceman what he REALLY wants, A picture of the team, with the trophy!

What are your thoughts; maybe this would be the best of both worlds!!

It would satisfy the greedy bowlers, who lust, itch, desire have a passion for money, and at the same time bowlers like ICEMAN would have their Moment in Glory saved on a VERY SMALL SD card for remembrance!!

http://i1243.photobucket.com/albums/gg546/imagine686868/aaasdcard_zpse95640d0.jpg (http://s1243.photobucket.com/user/imagine686868/media/aaasdcard_zpse95640d0.jpg.html) vs http://i1243.photobucket.com/albums/gg546/imagine686868/aaabowlingtrophy_zpsff213025.jpg (http://s1243.photobucket.com/user/imagine686868/media/aaabowlingtrophy_zpsff213025.jpg.html)

[J Anderson]

Ok, I guess I am the exception, rather than the rule! How about this for a happy compromise!

What a great business this could be in my humble Iceman opinion!

How about The lanes taking pictures, (using digital no film images, in a Small office/trophy room that has a HUGE first place trophy, a Second place trophy, and third place smaller yet! You get my drift here?

It would only take a few minutes for you team to walk into the room that could be set up for that occasion just prior to the handing out of THE MONEY! Then you have your MONEY,,, lol,,,, and also a digital picture of your teammates, and the date, time, place, and name of league, along with any other information you would like in that Snap Shot in time!

It doesn’t gather dust, but is stored in binary numbers in a microscopic amount of space on your memory card, or hard drive?

I think it would be a GREAT IDEA for a Bowling Establishment to use, and it wouldn’t cost them any money at all, Just go to any Good Will Store, buy 3 trophies for hardly anything, then use your digital camera, (no film to buy), and give Iceman what he REALLY wants, A picture of the team, with the trophy!

What are your thoughts; maybe this would be the best of both worlds!!

It would satisfy the greedy bowlers, who lust, itch, desire have a passion for money, and at the same time bowlers like ICEMAN would have their Moment in Glory saved on a VERY SMALL SD card for remembrance!!

http://i1243.photobucket.com/albums/gg546/imagine686868/aaasdcard_zpse95640d0.jpg (http://s1243.photobucket.com/user/imagine686868/media/aaasdcard_zpse95640d0.jpg.html) vs http://i1243.photobucket.com/albums/gg546/imagine686868/aaabowlingtrophy_zpsff213025.jpg (http://s1243.photobucket.com/user/imagine686868/media/aaabowlingtrophy_zpsff213025.jpg.html)

Great Idea!

One of the suggestions that professional organizers make to people who are sentimentally attached to things that they don't really need, use, or have room for is to take photos of the items to remember them.

[austin]

For the singles league I bowl in, we have cash paid out for all places. But we also have a perpetual trophy which has a little plaque with year and name on it so the winner can take it home for the year and then bring it back for the next winner to take home. First place is around $1200.

[MICHAEL]

For the singles league I bowl in, we have cash paid out for all places. But we also have a perpetual trophy which has a little plaque with year and name on it so the winner can take it home for the year and then bring it back for the next winner to take home. First place is around $1200.

That's cool,,, (Iceamn likes), but I would not bring it back!! The trophy that is! How much, and how many weeks of bowling? I wonder at what point you actually lose money, and how much? Some leagues distribute the money pretty evenly all the way to last place! Others heavy in the top end, and very little on down the line!
To clarify a statement above, I would bring back the original trophy, after I shot a picture of the team, and myself gathered around it, and save it as mentioned earlier on a SD card!! Nothing to gather dust, or even take up room on the walls! But,,,, always there to look at when the mood hits!!

You seem to always PAY more for money leagues, and bowling for the love of it would be half as much if not less! Its an allusion that your making money in most cases.

Example I gave earlier we won first on a 5 person team! Won by almost 10 games.... pay off was 178.00 I believe, each, and we paid in more then we won.
It was 15.00 each! Would have been just as much fun to me paying linage, and just the glory of winning!

Like if you play on a softball team, its not a money sport, but thousands of people are on teams playing for nothing but the GLORY!!

But then I am a multimillionaire, form bowling Jason with side bets,,, (me vs Michael early days)!! LOL

[Aslan]

Trophy = dust collector.

NO WAY MAN!!

I'm with MICHAEL on this. I have trophies on display in my apartment that I won playing minor league baseball in 5th grade..and I'm OLD!! I have trophies I won playing hockey and golf...they all have stories. Where's the cash you won in 2010 Winter League? Do you even remember what you bought with it? Groceries? A couple tanks of gas?

As far as I'm concerned, if people want to bowl for money...go play in tournaments. You can win enough to actually do something memorable like take a vacation or buy a car. But for house leagues?? Its just not enough money for it to be worth it. Play 50/50, play poker for strikes...ya can make $50 each week to cover the cost of playing and eating and drinking. And ya know what...if there wasn't money involved...no sandbaggers. Because nobody is going to sandbag so they can have a trophy...which they know they only got because they sandbag. At that point, it's just a reminder that they're a low life cheater.

[MICHAEL]

NO WAY MAN!!

I'm with MICHAEL on this. I have trophies on display in my apartment that I won playing minor league baseball in 5th grade..and I'm OLD!! I have trophies I won playing hockey and golf...they all have stories. Where's the cash you won in 2010 Winter League? Do you even remember what you bought with it? Groceries? A couple tanks of gas?

As far as I'm concerned, if people want to bowl for money...go play in tournaments. You can win enough to actually do something memorable like take a vacation or buy a car. But for house leagues?? Its just not enough money for it to be worth it. Play 50/50, play poker for strikes...ya can make $50 each week to cover the cost of playing and eating and drinking. And ya know what...if there wasn't money involved...no sandbaggers. Because nobody is going to sandbag so they can have a trophy...which they know they only got because they sandbag. At that point, it's just a reminder that they're a low life cheater.

THANKS Asian!!! You are right ON!! I guess,,, I just love the sport, the hell with the money! Your also right, and I thought the same, it might get rid of those damn sandbagger!!!

I would never step so low as to sandbag for money!! My two son's just started bowling, league for the first time, and I told them to bowl their BEST! Let the chips fall where they may!!

Call me sentimental, but I don't bowl for money, My motivation is goals, achievements glory, and memories!! Did you like my idea? Setting up a trophy room at the end of the season and take pictures with the team around a huge trophy two stories trophy!! It could be put on a SD card, and that SD card could hold your whole life, from beginning to end with 1000's of memories related to bowling!!

One day when you do get old, and we all do if we are lucky,,,,, you will pull out that SD card and reminisce, back to teams, and events you forgot long ago! Frozen in time just like it was yesterday, but maybe 40 years ago.... I bowl for the shear joy, and love of the sport! Almost all leagues now are for $$$$$!
Money long forgotten..... ICEMAN

[Aslan]

THANKS Asian!!!

It's an "L"...I'm not Asian. <-----I use that username on multiple forums...trust me, I'd bet money that people call me Asian at one point or another. It happens a LOT. Lol.

I LOVE your idea of adding a digital photograph or even just a regular photograph to the trophy. I mean, imagine a trophy you got in 1984 when you (the collective "you", not MICHAEL per se) had a full set of hair and were wearing a Miami Vice t-shirt holding up an old solid black Hammer. Wouldn't that be awesome!! I think so. I'd love to see an old trophy that my dad or grandpa won where my grandpa still had hair and my dad had a handlebar mustache. Am I right?

[MICHAEL]

It's an "L"...I'm not Asian. <-----I use that username on multiple forums...trust me, I'd bet money that people call me Asian at one point or another. It happens a LOT. Lol.

I LOVE your idea of adding a digital photograph or even just a regular photograph to the trophy. I mean, imagine a trophy you got in 1984 when you (the collective "you", not MICHAEL per se) had a full set of hair and were wearing a Miami Vice t-shirt holding up an old solid black Hammer. Wouldn't that be awesome!! I think so. I'd love to see an old trophy that my dad or grandpa won where my grandpa still had hair and my dad had a handlebar mustache. Am I right?

Well I guess we are a dying breed!! We live in a world where people will do anything for MONEY! Look at TV, stupid reality shows! Asian,,, I don't get it!!!
Asian, are you from the eastern hemisphere?

There use to be an old saying, A Picture Is Worth a Million bucks, but not any more! Your so right on about the pictures,,,, GOLDEN MOMENTS, that money can't buy!!
HOW HARD would it be on the last night of all leagues for the manager to set up a temporary trophy room and take pictures! I think it should be FREE, a benefit of bowling at a given alley!!

Then he could either email the pictures or you could bring you own disk and have him download!

I know I will be taking pictures of my two boys that started bowling with me for the First time this last Monday!!

I will have pictures of my youngest son getting his Birthday present tomorrow,,, A New bowling bag, DV8 ball, and bowling shoes.... Now all my boys are
decked out with bowling equipment!!
Do you bowl with your grandfather, and dad??

[Aslan]

Asian,,, I don't get it!!!
Asian, are you from the eastern hemisphere?

It's "AsLan". He's the King of the whole wood...the god-like Lion from the Narnia series. Nevermind, it doesn't matter...and it sounds dorkier the more I explain it. It's just the name I've always used.


Do you bowl with your grandfather, and dad??
No. My dad bowled in a league when I was very small. But the bowling alley burned down. And after that, my dad bowled for a season or 2 at an alley in a bordering town, but then stopped bowling.

My Grandfather and uncle (both on my mom's side) both bowled pretty much their entire lives. My grandpa was older, had health difficulties with arthritis and bursitis and a bad rotator cuff...so he eventually could no longer play. But my uncle and aunt (his wife)...they both play regularly and are quite good. My uncle carries over a 200 average...bowls in about three leagues each season.

My family all live in Michigan and I'm in California...so I don't bowl with them. I'm gonna try to get my daughter into it...but thats the best I can do. BUT...my fondest bowling memories are the occasions when I was up north visiting around the holidays...and my grandpa and uncle would bring me to the alley on their league night. I couldn't be happier than see all these guys with bowling shirts with their names on them...all laughing and carrying on...drinking beer, playing cards...hootin and hollering. And they treated me like I was a celebrity. Other than the guys having to try not to swear to much, they loved having me there.

My grandpa has passed away...about 4-5 years now. But there's not a day that I bowl that I don't think about him. Up until this month, I still used his ball and his old retro one-ball carrying bag with the wood on the bottom and the wire ring. I still carry his ball in my 2-ball bag. I don't use it...my coach wants me to practice using my new ball with the new grip...and not get lazy and use the other ball to pick up spares. But I still carry it. And I bought a US Navy towel to use to clean my new ball...so even if I retire his ball from my bag in the future...the towel will still keep him in the forefront of my mind. Someday, if I can get good enough, I'd love to bowl with my uncle in a tournament doubles match in Vegas or something. That would be a real treat.

[MICHAEL]

http://i1243.photobucket.com/albums/gg546/imagine686868/8d6d6580-b3b7-4d30-8b82-93864a23b137_zps19d894e8.jpg (http://s1243.photobucket.com/user/imagine686868/media/8d6d6580-b3b7-4d30-8b82-93864a23b137_zps19d894e8.jpg.html)

This my friend should be your avatar!!! I was just messing with you about the name... LOL.... (:)

I noticed you live in CA!! I just moved back 4 years ago FROM Modesto CA 95350!!! We lived there for 6 years, job related, my wife railroad, Trainmaster.
We had a Blast in California, camping, motorcycle trips, the ocean you name it!!

YOU my friend know the true meaning of happiness!! Its not in wealth, or things you own, its in Family, and Friends! What you said about your grandfather and uncle was heart warming, (not a good thing for iceman, but I will endure)!

I think this song says it all,,, a gift from a good friend of mine, Barbara,,,, I think she lives in CA, also.

[MICHAEL]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9pNiBlXV_I

Yes memories, of bowling, with my wife, her being there when I bowled the 300 at 64, bowling with friends and family.... that is the TRUE Riches of life!! Memories!!! This song says it like it is!! Thanks Barabra!!! Dman it ,,, I am staring to drip Ice cycles ,,,,, Iceman

I had a GREAT Grandfater also.... will never forget him!!

[Aslan]

I had a GREAT Grandfater also.... will never forget him!!

Great...on the site for 1 week and I melted it's primary member.

Yes, it's hard to have a Grandfather that isn't great. I think fathers have to do the necessary work of being stern and tough and raising "men"....but then by the time they get to be grandfathers...they get to truly enjoy their role and leave the pressure of "raising men" to their sons/son-in-laws. But that's just my theory.

[MICHAEL]

A good theory, I would say!! In fact, I would say you need a Hammer ball,,,, because you hit the NAIL, right on the head!! We were lucky,,, believe it or not, not all grandparents are great ones like we had!! One of mine was, and the other NOT! ((I always try to work bowling into all my threads,,,WHY???? I haven't a clue!! Is this a bowling site?? (:)

[Aslan]

In fact, I would say you need a Hammer ball,,,, because you hit the NAIL, right on the head!!

Well....I am hoping to find a used Hammer Big Block Diesel for cheap one of these days...but other than that I'm not overly impressed with their products. My wish list has a couple Brunswick and a couple Storm balls on it.