Prize Fund Situation

[classygranny]

As secretary, I have a possible interesting scenario that could happen. Need ideas on what you bowlers would deem as fair & equitable.

We have a league of 22 teams - currently with 2 vacancies. Two team members have just given notice to quit. There is discussion of the remaining two members splitting and filling the vacancies. Ideal timing of this would be at the half of the season, but that means the remaining two members bowl another 8 weeks & position round with 2 vacancies.

The issue is in the prize fund distribution as we have monies allotted per place as well as point money. If the team splits and we go to 20 teams, how say you go about the prize fund distribution if the change happens immediately, or the change happens at the half?

[boomer]

I would think that point funds would go first and the prize fund would take place after that.

The moneys would all go into a lump fund and at the end of the season, the teams that still exist would get what they get based on who is there.

By that I mean, it's not something that's earned week by week and accrued to their "account" . . . it's put into a large pool and divvied up at the end of the season, points first, then prizes.

Isn't that the way?

[classygranny]

I may not have been clear in my explanation.

Let's say team 2 has 2 members quit. The remaining two members join team 17 and 20, thus eliminating team 2.

Our prize fund distributes so much per place, so the first place team gets $x. and it goes on down the line in fixed amounts. That takes about 1/2 our prize fund.

Then the other half is distributed on points.

So what happens to the placement money? Team 2 is no longer around, but the members are.

[J Anderson]

I may not have been clear in my explanation.

Let's say team 2 has 2 members quit. The remaining two members join team 17 and 20, thus eliminating team 2.

Our prize fund distributes so much per place, so the first place team gets $x. and it goes on down the line in fixed amounts. That takes about 1/2 our prize fund.

Then the other half is distributed on points.

So what happens to the placement money? Team 2 is no longer around, but the members are.

I think this is one of those cases where life is unfair. As far as I know, when a team drops out any points they have earned disappear as well. The two members of that team lose their share of that point money. However they gain a share of the points money earned by their new teams even though they did not bowl for the the first weeks of the season. Position money would be adjusted to account for one less team.

[boomer]

that's my understanding as well.

The points moneys are distributed as teams are at the end of the season. So if a team drops out (which we recently had to do in a second league) and the remaining members move to other teams, that team is just "gone" . . .

[Timmyb]

We had a team drop after 2 weeks this year. One person was absorbed by another team, and any money they had accrued towards prize fund just get folded in. No refunds.....

[Ryster]

USBC says that any team members that resign in good standing are still entitled to a prorated share of any prize money earned by the team, based on how many weeks those resigning members paid to bowl. While I have personally never seen that happen, it is encouraged by the USBC.

However in this case their team is going away totally, so there is really no way to prorate at the end of the season for a non-existent team. That being said, I would just adjust the prize fund to account for 2 fewer bowlers/one less team and pay out at the end of the season as originally planned.

https://www.bowlgr.com/cmsAdmin/uploads/howtoadjustprizelist-(1).pdf

[TheBearAK]

I agree with Ryster. Plus, since you have point money, the "extra" from the team that quit should be just rolled into point money