Your Bylaws

[J Anderson]

Have you ever read you league bylaws?
Do you have a copy in your bag.
If you were the league "TRUMP" what rules would you change?
Would you change it to help make the league fair for everyone or to gain an advantage for your self or team?

I have read them in the past.

Wednesday league the secretary has not yet distributed this years rules. I have never seen written rules for my Thursday league, a non sanctioned league.

I would change the rule for bowling against the "vacant" team when there are an odd number of teams. Currently both my league have an odd number of teams. One league uses the traditional Average minus ten system; add the individual averages and subtract 10 pins per bowler to get the vacant team score. The other uses a draw system; a different team is used each week to provide the scores for the vacant team. I would change to you must beat the sum of your averages. While the Average minus ten is fine when bowling against a team that failed to show up, rewarding the team that did show up with what should be an easy win, it seems to easy for use every week against the vacant team. I dislike the draw system for two reasons. First is that it is not fair in the sense that your scores are being compared to scores from a different pair of lanes that could be playing harder or easier than your pair. The second is that you will have to hang around for quite a while to find out if you won or lost.

I think this would make the league fair for every one, but then again I am prejudiced.

[J Anderson]

Actually, the league president cannot add a rule to the By Laws. Only the membership of the league can do that by a proposal and vote.

I believe that once the League Bylaws have been accepted by the membership on the first day of bowling, it takes a 100% acceptance vote by all of the team captains to change any rule or add anything new.

The original poster asked, "If you were the league "TRUMP" what rules would you change?" I assume,(yes I know what it means when...), that Fordman1 meant if USBC rules allowed changing the by-laws by executive order.

[fordman1]

Actually what I meant was if you had the opportunity and could write all the rules on your own which ones would you change.

USBC has rules on their website. There are many that can be altered and others that must be followed as written.

Just curious which ones you don't like.

They recommend for a five bowler team you must bowl within 50 pins of your average to win a game and points. You are allowed to change this rule.

Each team in a certified league should get a copy of the bylaws the first night of bowling. If you have your meeting the first night they should be passed out the next scheduled time you bowl.

[Mike White]

The original poster asked, "If you were the league "TRUMP" what rules would you change?" I assume,(yes I know what it means when...), that Fordman1 meant if USBC rules allowed changing the by-laws by executive order.

Before I used an executive order to change rules, I think I'd want to know how many "2nd amendment" bowlers were in the league.

[1VegasBowler]

Before I used an executive order to change rules, I think I'd want to know how many "2nd amendment" bowlers were in the league.

Funny, but very true.

Using an executive order for bowling is a sure fire way of not being league president again.

[Amyers]

If you can't go 3 hours without smoking, you have a problem. You might want to see an addiction specialist.

Dr I'm a smoker I try to be accommodative to others with it by only smoking during breaks between games but your being ridiculous and unfair to others with this. I'm sure it's annoying somewhat when you have to wait for smokers to come back. It's also annoying when I bowl with women who take to long in the bathroom, parent's that bring their children, guys who drink and I have to wait for them to come back from the bar, and of course the people that wander off to have a conversation. We get rid of all of those we will really have a good time in an empty alley.

If you dislike being in the bowling alley so much why do you even go? Maybe you should just look into open bowling where it's just you maybe rent the lanes on each side of you so you can really focus.

[1VegasBowler]

Dr I'm a smoker I try to be accommodative to others with it by only smoking during breaks between games but your being ridiculous and unfair to others with this. I'm sure it's annoying somewhat when you have to wait for smokers to come back. It's also annoying when I bowl with women who take to long in the bathroom, parent's that bring their children, guys who drink and I have to wait for them to come back from the bar, and of course the people that wander off to have a conversation. We get rid of all of those we will really have a good time in an empty alley.

If you dislike being in the bowling alley so much why do you even go? Maybe you should just look into open bowling where it's just you maybe rent the lanes on each side of you so you can really focus.

I'm on the same page here with you.

As a smoker, I'll walk away to the lounge where I can see my team mates and keep a very close eye as to what is going on so that I don't slow the pace of the game.

And to be honest, as I am far from the socialite, there are people who come to me and ask questions because I'm on the USBC BoD and that takes up more time than walking away for my smoke.

You also make a great point about the other things that slow things down, but it is hardly mentioned. Why is that?

Maybe because going to the can or getting the drink(s) or watching the kids, etc., is more acceptable than smoking. But it is annoying to have to wait for those things as well.

If somebody wants to take this to the extreme, why not implement the, what is it, 25 or 30 second rule that the PBA has? That will certainly go over like a lead balloon.

[JJKinGA]

If I had executive order privileges, I would do away with pre-bowling, post-bowling and subs. These are all abused to take advantage of another team. They are in place to try and help everyone who pays to get to bowl. But I would say, you pay for team membership - not for bowling. If you aren't there then too bad - your team suffers with your absentee score. If I am not there then too bad for me.

But since that is not open to executive order, I just ry and enforce the rules as written and adopted by the league. (Which right now is wide open - but it doesn't have a huge impact and isn't so inconvenient or annoying).

For the most part, the rules are just fine.

[fordman1]

drlawsonini said the bowlers on his league went outside between games and stayed 15 minutes is that acceptable?
For as long as it takes to finish the 10th frame each bowler should have time to go out and smoke for 4-5 minutes and still be back for their turn in the next game.

We stopped a most of pre and post bowling with rules changes.
We don't have subs we have 8 man teams for our 5 man league.
You only have to have "2" bowlers to make up a team.
If you can't get 2 out of 8 there better be a really good or bad reason.

[Amyers]

drlawsonini said the bowlers on his league went outside between games and stayed 15 minutes is that acceptable?
For as long as it takes to finish the 10th frame each bowler should have time to go out and smoke for 4-5 minutes and still be back for their turn in the next game.

We stopped a most of pre and post bowling with rules changes.
We don't have subs we have 8 man teams for our 5 man league.
You only have to have "2" bowlers to make up a team.
If you can't get 2 out of 8 there better be a really good or bad reason.

Actually Ford that's not what he said here's the Quote.

I would probably ban smoking. More because it's an annoyance to wait on people. In a 5 person team league if an entire team goes out to smoke you can be waiting on them for 15 minutes as they're BSing with other smokers. That and the fact that we have to smell the stale cigarette and smoke smell when they come back in the alley.

In WV about 40% of the populations smokes probably more like 60% if your looking at middle aged men with disposable income which is the primary bowling demographic. What usually happens is after the last shot the leadoff goes out you see the 4th guy come out you know its time to go back in. 15 minutes is a long time but if its between games it might annoy me but enough to single 1 group out probably not. I've often enough waiting that long for someone getting drinks from the bar, food, bathroom, getting another ball out of the car and I even bowled on a team with the lane mechanic for a couple of seasons. Something broke the game picked back up after he fixed it. Such is life I don't go to the bowling alley to stress over time I've got work for that. Really what difference does it make? I get to sit around with my friends for an extra 30 minutes, drink my drink of choice, and enjoy life. If I get home a few minutes late for my favorite show that's why they invented the DVR.

I think the part I found the most offensive is complaining about the smoke smell. If it offends you my apologies but it's my life and I'll do what I want with it. What's next? How about we ban people who only wear cheap cologne? I find that smell much worse. Maybe the guy that comes bowling directly from work and maybe isn't lily fresh? Maybe you don't like the smell of liquor or beer on peoples breath let's get rid of them. We start singling out groups of people who have something about them that you personally don't like it won't be long before theirs a rule against something you do too.