League structure - schedule - makeup

[classygranny]

Just curious what everyone thinks. Does the house have the say in determining when a league bowls, for how many weeks, and if it is a regular league, nine-pin tap league, senior league? Or would this be totally up to the membership of the league.

Thoughts?

[J Anderson]

Just curious what everyone thinks. Does the house have the say in determining when a league bowls, for how many weeks, and if it is a regular league, nine-pin tap league, senior league? Or would this be totally up to the membership of the league.

Thoughts?

There are some leagues that are run by the center where all these decisions are made by the center and the membership is asked (told?) to ratify them. Other leagues are run in a more independent fashion. The house would definitely have a say about when the league bowls and possibly the number of weeks. Everything else would be up to the league board of directors.

[boomer]

As far as we go - it's up to us, UNLESS there is a scheduling issue with the center. For instance, we've been bumped for a tournament once (three day weekend - shoulda seen it coming) but otherwise the center should not care.

In fact, the longer the league, the less the center should care as it's guaranteed (nearly) business. . .

[boatman37]

Our center is pulling in leagues from another center that recently closed. I'm not privy to all the details but they did request that no leagues bowl during the week of X-Mas due to a busy open bowl week during that time.

[classygranny]

Maybe I should have just been a bit more specific. Our morning league is fairly competitive with 100% handicap. We have bowlers ranging in age of 22-92. Occasionally, we get a young team come in and bowl and do fairly well and then leave - usually, they don't like to get up early for morning leagues.

Some of our older bowlers are grumbing and there is rumor to have a push made to be a "senior" league. Depending on the "senior" age - we could stand to lose up to 20 bowlers that have bowled for multiple years.

Is it fair for me, as an officer, to ask the house to require the league to stay "adult" and not be "senior"?

[J Anderson]

Maybe I should have just been a bit more specific. Our morning league is fairly competitive with 100% handicap. We have bowlers ranging in age of 22-92. Occasionally, we get a young team come in and bowl and do fairly well and then leave - usually, they don't like to get up early for morning leagues.

Some of our older bowlers are grumbing and there is rumor to have a push made to be a "senior" league. Depending on the "senior" age - we could stand to lose up to 20 bowlers that have bowled for multiple years.

Is it fair for me, as an officer, to ask the house to require the league to stay "adult" and not be "senior"?

The house has an interest in keeping as many people as possible in your league. I do not believe the center has any authority to require your league to remain as it has been or to change to a senior league. That decision is strictly up to the league. The question you need to ask is are you going to lose more bowlers by becoming a senior league or will you lose the grumbling seniors by not changing.

In my opinion, this could be a very disruptive problem for your league. I suspect you may lose a few more bowlers than normal no matter what the ultimate decision is. All leagues eventually decline. The ones that do so most dramatically are the ones where it seems that a small clique runs the league for its own benefit. Even if the leadership is acting altruistically, if the average bowler feels that things aren’t quite fair the league will start to decline. If the house makes it a requirement to stay as an adult league this would also be perceived by many as unfair. I think the decision should be made by the entire league or at least a captains meeting with all teams represented.
I hope that your league does not split apart over this issue.

[Ryster]

It is ultimately a league decision, but should be done with the blessing of the center. The center has a financial interest in the league, and they are making room for your league, so they need to be involved.

The center will certainly, and rightly, discourage the league from changes that will reduce participation. It also hurts your league in the long run.

When I was in college (long ago), I bowled on a morning league that was a blend of all ages. It was fun and everyone had a good time. The league eventually ceased due to attrition as time and people moved on. As others have said, if the league goes senior only and shuts others out, it just looks really cold and cliquey. We have a league like that here, and they have quite a "reputation".

[boomer]

Remember, your younger bowlers are going to be more transient than your older bowlers.

Typically, younger bowlers have more unstable life arrangements - jobs, life partners (spouses . . . spice?), additional life members (kids popping in from nowhere, seemingly), etc. We lost a very fun, very raucous, very enthusiastic team because 3 of them had kids on the way. . . bummer/awesome all in one! :)

And this would be affected even more in a day league - I know my evenings are far more open than my days, even on the weekends (especially on the weekends? LOL)

[Aslan]

Yeah, I think it's generally up to leagues to set their own guidelines. The center only gets involved if:

1) A league is getting too big for the center/night. Most centers will limit league size...especially on Fridays and weekends...because they actually lose business if their center is full with leagues on Friday and Saturday nights.

2) A league is just a little too big...and it needs to cut teams to accommodate a 2nd league that is starting on the same night. Most centers will try to fill their weekday evenings with 1-3 leagues per night. If your league takes up 60% of the lanes and another league wants to bowl that night that could fill up > 45% of the center...they may limit the first league to accommodate.

3) Special "stuff". ex. a league that gets discounted food, or a league that uses colored pins, etc... Obviously you can't have "Half Price Pizza League" without making sure the kitchen can handle it on whatever night your league is.

Do I think you 'should' do it? Sure. You're a "senior" (I think...if not, Rob told me you were <------(that's a lie)). There's nothing wrong with having a "senior league". And you may have some sway as a league official...but it's not only your decision. Vote yes, vote no...at the end of the day, the league will vote one way or another.

I was once in a league with some kind of 26-point scoring system. Head-to-head + total head-to-head. And then team scoring. I thought it was awesome! I would have tweaked it to make sure that you're listed by average rather than letting teams make their own lineups...but other than that I thought it was fun and interesting! My team did not. They were quite "curmudgeney"...and wanted a straight 5-point system (team scoring, no head-to-head). My teammates didn't get their way and went to a nearby center. I missed the old league and the interesting scoring...but I had a good team and we all had fun...so I went with them.

You might have to start a new league though. I thought there was a USBC rule that it's the responsibility of the newly designated league (in your case changing designation to "senior") to rename...unless the other half of the league disbands, joins another league, or just doesn't want to keep the name.

[boomer]

sounds like you were in a match-point league - BOY do I miss that. SOOO much fun.

[Ryster]

My fall league is a head-to-head match point league. Sadly this upcoming season is seeing a 60% loss in participation, so it may end up being canceled.

Unfortunately, bowlers around here have lost interest in scratch leagues and head-to-head leagues. They want handicap leagues, and they want that handicap to be 100%. We still have a few leagues at 90%, but there is always someone trying to get them to vote on changing to 100%.

No-tap leagues are huge around here and fill up fast.

League participation has fallen off so much that both centers in town have had their traditionally men only leagues change to mixed leagues just to be able to fill teams.

25 years ago there were waiting lists to join leagues. Now centers are struggling to fill teams or even have enough teams to actually run the league. It's really kind of sad to see.

I fully expect at least one of the two centers in town to close in the next 5 years. It's just becoming unsustainable for these centers. Leagues are falling apart, and open bowling is becoming unaffordable for families to do more than 2-3 times per year.