may be teamless

[boatman37]

So everyone left my team but me so went to the league meeting last week and the league decided to eliminate my team and put me on another team. Problem is so far seems the only team that may need a person is one that has about 8 people and they rotate so I'd only bowl once, maybe twice a month. Not what I'm looking for. I told them I wanted to bowl full-time. Don't mind sitting out occasionally but only bowling once or twice a month isn't what I'm looking for. Will see in a couple of weeks when I show up that first night but not looking good. May just show up on league night and practice all year and just do tournaments all year? No idea but not looking like it will be a good year

[Phonetek]

Did you tell them there is no "I" in team? There is a "me" though if you jumble it up.

Man that sucks when there are people that WANT to bowl but get the ol screwgy and aren't able to participate. I have leagues like that here. They tell me they can't fill the house they are short on teams but they don't want anyone new.

Fortunately, I can tell them tough patooty. On my end, leagues are my profit and they don't get that choice to tell me I can't make money. That's not in their contract.

[J Anderson]

So everyone left my team but me so went to the league meeting last week and the league decided to eliminate my team and put me on another team. Problem is so far seems the only team that may need a person is one that has about 8 people and they rotate so I'd only bowl once, maybe twice a month. Not what I'm looking for. I told them I wanted to bowl full-time. Don't mind sitting out occasionally but only bowling once or twice a month isn't what I'm looking for. Will see in a couple of weeks when I show up that first night but not looking good. May just show up on league night and practice all year and just do tournaments all year? No idea but not looking like it will be a good year

Is this the only league that fits in your schedule?

[RobLV1]

Is this the only center in your area?

[boatman37]

Our center has leagues almost every night but the only ones that fit my schedule would be the Tuesday (the one I'm in now), Wednesday, and Thursday. One of them I believe is a pretty small league and the other is a larger co-ed league.

There aren't many decent centers within about a 1 hour drive. There is one about 20 minutes the other direction but it has a reputation as being pretty bad and I heard they oil with a mop (literally). Those are the only 2 that are reasonably close. I may consider moving to a Wednesday or Thursday league if I have to though. I'll show up on our first night (August 31st) and see what happens. If I get put on a team with 20 guys then I'll see about showing up Wednesday and/or Thursday and trying to get on a team.
There are a few teams in my league that are only there for fun and don't care about how well they do or if they win or lose so have a bunch of extra bowlers so they don't have to show up every week and it seems those are the only teams that might need a bowler. Will see how it goes.

[Ryster]

Honestly, this concept of having a team roster double the size of the team strength just makes no sense to me. Either someone wants to bowl or they don't. This is literally unheard of around here. We have a hard enough time filling a full team, let alone having so many people that want to be on a team that they need to create a rotating schedule. 25 years ago we had waiting lists for leagues. Now you can literally walk in to the center and find a "full-time" position on a team on any night of the week you want to bowl.

Sounds like you may need to find something on one of your other available nights. You may want to do this before the league meeting for this other league with the possible rotating bowling schedules. Personally, that would annoy the daylights out of me and I wouldn't go anywhere near that. Especially if you already know that the team you might be on is not as serious about bowling as you are.

Our fall league starts in 3 weeks, and we are trying to find another member for our team. The league is trying to fill in spots on several other teams as well. This is a scratch league in our center that is the most competitive and has the highest payout. Yet we simply cannot find people that want to bowl on it. People would rather bowl in handicap leagues that are "fun", "relaxed", and more "social". In other words, they want to drink all night and whoop it up. That isn't what this league is about, so it is tough filling spots.

I bowled in my usual handicap league over the summer and I literally cannot wait for it to be over. I also have no intention of returning to it next summer. The "drinking and whooping it up" scene is just not for me and ruins the experience. My teammates on this league are also very competitive and we are all having a hard time wading through all of the tomfoolery on this league. We have all declared this to be the last summer we are bowling this league (and we have been bowling on it now for 6 straight years.) Next summer we are going to try to find something more serious, or faster paced (maybe split the team and go to a doubles league on another night.)

[boatman37]

Honestly, this concept of having a team roster double the size of the team strength just makes no sense to me. Either someone wants to bowl or they don't. This is literally unheard of around here. We have a hard enough time filling a full team, let alone having so many people that want to be on a team that they need to create a rotating schedule. 25 years ago we had waiting lists for leagues. Now you can literally walk in to the center and find a "full-time" position on a team on any night of the week you want to bowl.

Sounds like you may need to find something on one of your other available nights. You may want to do this before the league meeting for this other league with the possible rotating bowling schedules. Personally, that would annoy the daylights out of me and I wouldn't go anywhere near that. Especially if you already know that the team you might be on is not as serious about bowling as you are.

Our fall league starts in 3 weeks, and we are trying to find another member for our team. The league is trying to fill in spots on several other teams as well. This is a scratch league in our center that is the most competitive and has the highest payout. Yet we simply cannot find people that want to bowl on it. People would rather bowl in handicap leagues that are "fun", "relaxed", and more "social". In other words, they want to drink all night and whoop it up. That isn't what this league is about, so it is tough filling spots.

I bowled in my usual handicap league over the summer and I literally cannot wait for it to be over. I also have no intention of returning to it next summer. The "drinking and whooping it up" scene is just not for me and ruins the experience. My teammates on this league are also very competitive and we are all having a hard time wading through all of the tomfoolery on this league. We have all declared this to be the last summer we are bowling this league (and we have been bowling on it now for 6 straight years.) Next summer we are going to try to find something more serious, or faster paced (maybe split the team and go to a doubles league on another night.)

Yep. Seems many just aren't serious and want the 8 man rosters so they can stay home if they feel like it. I'm too serious and competitive. Not just at bowling. At anything I do. I hate to lose and go all in when I decide to do something. I don't drink so that has nothing to do with my league nights for me. Looks like we will have 14 teams this year but if we evened out the teams to maybe 6 per team max we could probably have 18-20 teams with all the extra 'subs' we have

[Ryster]

I would personally love to see 5 person teams abolished, in favor of 2, 3, and 4 person teams. It will never happen, because centers want the business. However maybe more people would be willing to join a league if it wasn't such a time suck. It simply takes way too long these days for 5 person teams to bowl 3 games. At our center, the 5 person teams take about 3 hours to get through their 3 games. My 4 man league during the summer takes 2.5 hours, which still seems too long. My fall league is 3 person teams, and it takes 2 hours which is just about right.

[Phonetek]

I would personally love to see 5 person teams abolished, in favor of 2, 3, and 4 person teams. It will never happen, because centers want the business. However maybe more people would be willing to join a league if it wasn't such a time suck. It simply takes way too long these days for 5 person teams to bowl 3 games. At our center, the 5 person teams take about 3 hours to get through their 3 games. My 4 man league during the summer takes 2.5 hours, which still seems too long. My fall league is 3 person teams, and it takes 2 hours which is just about right.

If they are seriously hard core bowlers then 3 hours is an eternity. If it's a drinking league where they are trying to get out of the house? 3 hours is a good amount of time to get a very effective buzz going.

[Aslan]

I actually prefer 4-man and 5-man teams.

3-man teams I don't have time to even sit down and suddenly it's my turn again.

I've found the ideal leagues to be 5-person teams with at least 1 female bowler and where you could have a 6th bowler as a permanent sub. It was nice being in a mixed league that was still competitive. At the same time, the 6th bowler was a sub...but they could only sub for your team. And, since that was a sweeps league...that sub was eligible to replace any bowler that couldn't make the trip at the end of the season....as long as they bowled a minimum of 18 games throughout the season.

I mean, yes, it does take 3-3.5 hours for 5-man leagues. But, I never really looked at bowling as something I was anxious to "get over with". It's only annoying if you're in brackets or something and you're done and you gotta wait for other people to finish.

[boatman37]

Our league typically takes about 2.5 hours to finish up with 5 man teams. We start at 6:45 and are usually done by 9:15 or 9:30. Sometimes if 2 good teams are up against each other they are done before 9:00 since they, more times than not, only have to throw1 ball per frame...lol. We have 2 teams that have about 215 team averages so not nearly as many spares are thrown at. Our team is typically done by 9:30 or on a slow night 9:45.
Our summer league is 2 man teams but we bowl 4 games. We start at 8:00 and are done by 10:00 usually. 2 man are tough cause you rarely get to sit or even take a sip from your water bottle in that 2 hours. And by the end of the night I'm soaked with sweat usually....lol

[Phonetek]

I don't mind 5 man teams when everyone is actually bowling, I personally prefer it. They only suck when you get a team with "That guy" or "Those guys" who are everywhere in the bowling alley except at their lanes when it's their turn.

Otherwise if the action is constant, you and your team are involved rooting for each other then 3 hours goes by in a snap. Like Aslan said, I don't go bowling because it's something I can't wait to be over with. More times than not I usually wished there was another game to go when it is over.

[Phonetek]

I blame cell phones.... Before cell phones were in everyone's pocket, everyone came to bowl. Nobody was worried about what they had to do next. Nobody was on the phone between turns, looking at videos and playing pop cap games not paying any attention. When you were at the alley if you got a phone call they had to call the Bowl to find you. Otherwise everyone just bowled, competed and had a great time. Death to cell phones!

[SRB57]

I blame cell phones.... Before cell phones were in everyone's pocket, everyone came to bowl. Nobody was worried about what they had to do next. Nobody was on the phone between turns, looking at videos and playing pop cap games not paying any attention. When you were at the alley if you got a phone call they had to call the Bowl to find you. Otherwise everyone just bowled, competed and had a great time. Death to cell phones!

The phones are bad. People will take calls just before they have to bowl or disappear all together. Very annoying! Steve

[boatman37]

We were usually one of the last teams done but not because of phones. It was 2 teammates taking smoke breaks after each game and running up to the bar every 5 frames

[J Anderson]

We were usually one of the last teams done but not because of phones. It was 2 teammates taking smoke breaks after each game and running up to the bar every 5 frames
The bar doesn’t send a waiter or waitress to the lanes?

[boatman37]

The bar doesn’t send a waiter or waitress to the lanes?

They do but sometimes she wasn't fast enough for them. They 'needed' a refill before their glasses were empty. The 2 of them would typically go through at least 3 pitchers a night and usually 4 and sometimes 5. They were the only 2 on our team that drank. By game 3 he was slurring his words pretty bad and a few times lost his balance on the approach.
They usually had their first pitcher finished off before we threw the first frame

[RobLV1]

"They do but sometimes she wasn't fast enough for them. They 'needed' a refill before their glasses were empty. The 2 of them would typically go through at least 3 pitchers a night and usually 4 and sometimes 5. They were the only 2 on our team that drank. By game 3 he was slurring his words pretty bad and a few times lost his balance on the approach.
They usually had their first pitcher finished off before we threw the first frame"

Boy, am I glad I bowl morning leagues!

[Phonetek]

They do but sometimes she wasn't fast enough for them. They 'needed' a refill before their glasses were empty. The 2 of them would typically go through at least 3 pitchers a night and usually 4 and sometimes 5. They were the only 2 on our team that drank. By game 3 he was slurring his words pretty bad and a few times lost his balance on the approach.
They usually had their first pitcher finished off before we threw the first frame

And THIS is the league you're bummed not to be a part of? I hope there's better out there for you.

[boatman37]

Rob...I bowled a doubles tournament with him one Sunday and figured he wouldn't be drinking that early. We got there at 9:30 and by 9:35 he had a beer in his hand...lol

Phoney...most of our league isn't like that. There are a few drinkers but not to that extent. He is the only one I have ever seen drunk there. Nice people but just not the kind that I want to have on my team. My goal is to have fun and bowl good. Their goal is to get drunk

[RobLV1]

A sad commentary about a person whose goal is to get drunk!

[Ryster]

2 man are tough cause you rarely get to sit or even take a sip from your water bottle in that 2 hours. And by the end of the night I'm soaked with sweat usually....lol

This doesn't bother me at all as I don't eat or drink while bowling, and I would rather keep bowling than have to sit between frames.

When I am bowling, that's what I want to do. Not throw a frame and then sit and wait 5 minutes to go again...which is what happens on 5 man teams around here.

[boatman37]

So looks like I got picked up by a pretty good team with a group of good guys. I always enjoyed bowling against these guys as they were fun and just a bunch of nice people. Went through my list last night and sent out some messages and got a response from a couple but this team was the first to say they could use me so it worked out. They will have 7 on the roster now but if you show up you are guaranteed 2 games but I guess they have a few that run into work schedule conflicts occasionally so should work out good. Let's hope for a good year and I have a feeling I'll get my first 300 this year

[Ryster]

So if all 7 of you show up, how do they decide which bowler bowls 3 games and which bowlers bowl 2 games? Do you pay full the full league fee, or do the bowlers that will be sitting changing places split the fees? This seems like too much to deal with...

[boatman37]

So if all 7 of you show up, how do they decide which bowler bowls 3 games and which bowlers bowl 2 games? Do you pay full the full league fee, or do the bowlers that will be sitting changing places split the fees? This seems like too much to deal with...

Haven't had experience with it in this league but in the past we 'pro-rated' our nightly fees. And we used to do low score sits out but you are still guaranteed 2 games so if a bowler sits out game 1 and is low game 2 then next low sits game 3. But no idea how this team works it or how they determine who sits out game 1. They did say that the 1 bowler will sometimes sit out just so others can bowl. I will play it by ear and find out as we go. I only talked to the 1 guy via text a few times. Their top average guy (the one I was texting) is about a 214 average and 2nd highest having a 204 average. Their lowest average was 173. All 6 of their guys had similar number of games with low man having 67 games and high man having 90 games out of a possible 93 games. I would likely be close to tied for 3rd high average of the 7 on the team. There is another guy at about 195 (I ended last year at 192 but moved up about 5 pins in the last 2 months). I should probably be pretty even with him.
Actually looking forward to bowling with them. They are usually about a mid standings team but above the cutoff of the lower tier teams like we were....lol. I think we will have a legitimate shot at at least 3rd place in our league. Feeling confident and like I said earlier, these guys are all cool guys that I have always got along with and enjoyed bowling against them (well except when they beat us...lol).