Tips on making youth league stronger

[CoachJosh]

Greetings everyone, Im Josh Jones, I coach USBC Youth and also High school Bowling here in Killeen, Texas.

At the present time, our youth league has dwindled quite a bit. The owners have offered a 1 time fee of 24.25 which covers sanction card, and first week fees, After the initial payment, the youth bowlers were offered free bowling until the end of the season. Even with the addition of 4 bowlers who also signed up from my local high school team, we only have 4-5 teams at most.

I see this as a radical yet great idea and incentive for youth bowlers to learn the sport, but this idea can only stretch for so long. Is there any form of other ideas we could incorporate to get the youth league back in full swing?

Any tips are appreciated.


Coach Josh

[billf]

Free bowling didn't work? Wow. I offer the kids free coaching, one on one, after league. They all know I'm there all day on Saturdays. I started that because there is only so much you can do during league especially in a small alley. Twelve kids from the high school team are the team captains and have been a big help in letting me know who needs to work on what.
Our athletic director talked to me during the summer about the school's coaching position. I was interested until he said I could only be an assistant because I wasn't an employee of the schools. Is this normal? The didn't renew the contract of the previous coach due to many issues with her. The new coach is a new teacher who has never bowled. He seems nice and is grateful I'm coaching the kids on the side.

[Davec13]

Killeen, TX huh? How's FT HOOD?

[CoachJosh]

Free bowling didn't work? Wow. I offer the kids free coaching, one on one, after league. They all know I'm there all day on Saturdays. I started that because there is only so much you can do during league especially in a small alley. Twelve kids from the high school team are the team captains and have been a big help in letting me know who needs to work on what.
Our athletic director talked to me during the summer about the school's coaching position. I was interested until he said I could only be an assistant because I wasn't an employee of the schools. Is this normal? The didn't renew the contract of the previous coach due to many issues with her. The new coach is a new teacher who has never bowled. He seems nice and is grateful I'm coaching the kids on the side.

The head coach of the youth league and I do offer free coaching if they request it, thats a given.

Generally as far as positions of the high school are concerned, you have a sponsor who is a school employee, they generally do the backgrounds of the coaches who want the job. I fell into it, my kid bowls for the school, and I offered to help out when Im there, which in turn, became an assistant coach spot lol.

Right now our main focus is getting the strength back in the youth league, as we once had before.

@Davec13

I dont know, Im only a civilian, I dont bowl up at Phantom lol

[Davec13]

Well if you could make it on post and put up some flyers it could help out. There is what around 50,000 active duty people stationed there. That's a lot of people and some of them have kids. Maybe even a mixed father son type league could draw in some players. I was always looking for things to do in the winter with my son and a two man bowling team would have been fun. You can't hang out at Belton all the time.

[CoachJosh]

Well if you could make it on post and put up some flyers it could help out. There is what around 50,000 active duty people stationed there. That's a lot of people and some of them have kids. Maybe even a mixed father son type league could draw in some players. I was always looking for things to do in the winter with my son and a two man bowling team would have been fun. You can't hang out at Belton all the time.

Unfortunatly we cannot just go on post and slap up flyers. That is Phantom Warrior's territory and we have that mutual respect

[Davec13]

I can understand not wanting to step on toes. A mixed junior league could be fun though. It would at least introduce some more people to the sport.

[Tampabaybob]

Our numbers dropped this year from last year. I think some of it is the economy, and then some is just a loss of interest. Kids today have so many other things to do, bowling many times will take second place. I have one youth bowler who is a great swimmer and "before" bowling on Saturdays, he's already been to the pool for a team workout. By the third game he's exhausted. But he's at least trying to hang in there and do both.

As far as recruiting goes, it's tough. I'm not sure what the answer is. As Bill said you would think the free bowling alone would bring them in. Unfortunally we have a lot of competition in today's world that we didn't have years ago. I can remember trying to figure out how to fit all of the kids in, in a 32 lane house. We used to be packed, but that was several years ago. Would love to find the answer and get more kids involved also.

Bob