A ThoughT AbouT JnR CountrY ChampS!?!

[pRiNcEsSnOoF]

here's a lil thing i have noticed in the past few years of jnr country champs and i was just wondering what other ppls thoughts were!

this is my first year out of jnr country champs but i was unable to attend last year due to another bowling commitment although in the past few years the numbers have dropped greatly from when i first started bowling country champs back in colac in 97 i think it may have been. i know our centre used to send away a fairly large group each year but as we have lost a number of bowlers we have been unable to do so the past few years and ppl have had to find their own way and organize events themselves.
the girls masters last year also had a low number of bowlers with only 2 girls in the open division i think. sonja would know how many though.

i know i used to love goin away to bowl country champs to bowl at a different centre, meet new ppl and catch up with old friends. it was a great tournie but i think it has fallen away in the past few years. i myself chose to bowl in another bowling thing held at the same time last year which i found to be more important for me and the year before i didnt bowl masters because of the same thing!

i know money is a big issue and therefore ppl have to choose which events they would rather bowl and may benifit them more. which is what i chose to do!


i was just wondering what ppls thoughts were on why the numbers have dropped the past few years! whether it be the centre it is being held at and costs getting there, the time of the year, whether ppl find other tournies more important or even the lack of bowlers that each centre may have now!

be great to hear other ppls opinions

 

[Crawf]

Well its a difficult question. I've been bowling country champs since 99, and i gotta say for a young bowler just starting out, i found country champs was a great step up in competition from within your own centre to various centres. And yea i remember a lot more people bowling in it back then than there are now. Unfortunately, as people get older, money becomes a big issue. As Dan said, he can't sell the medals can he? Seems to me like Junior champs has become the starting point for young country bowlers, who then move on the state champs or more 'profitable' events.

On the other side of the coin, that's why the junior and senior Country Cups are so good, because theres a great rivalry amongst the centres, and so all centres will do their best to field a strong team regardless of cost. This means that all the best bowlers will be there, with lots of opportunities to catch up with people. Junior champs has little of this inter-centre rivalry, as it is more an individual event and no one is ever sure how many people will actually bother to turn up. What is the position of senior country champs? From what i hear it is still pretty strong, so i find it puzzling that the junior counterpart struggles to get as many numbers.

Just my thoughts...

 

[sqeaks]

Hey.
well last year there wasnt two girls in the open masters. just one. which was me! and it was not fun at all!
I agree that the numbers at country champs as dropped off exspecially last year. But the numbers have only dropped off more in the open grade i think.
LAst year there was alot of younger and upcoming juniors that bowled.
I agree with Crawf that it is a good stepping stone for juniors into competitions.
I think the reason that the numbers were last year was because alot of the junior open female bowlers had been bowling for a long time and found that bowling Sydney Cup was a much better opportunity for them rather than bowling Country Champs.
I think that Country champs is a much more rewarding competition when your a younger bowler. Recieving a medal for bowling would be great highlight for young bowlers. but as people get older a medal is not enough to draw someone to a competition.

Bowlers dont bowl for many reasons in this competition such as money and its too far to travel (i wouldnt travel to Sale to bowl )

I still think that country champs is a great tourny for juniors to meet and get to know other juniors in country victoria.

 

[Eraser]

Spot on guys, couldnt have put it better myself...taken the words straight outta my mouth...
At the moment, Country Champs is a step up for the intermeadiate level bowlers...helping them move along to open grade competition (Never used to be this way). Because of the format of championships, it doesnt just attract the good bowlers, but also the lower grade bowlers, because they are given the opportunity to compete against "their own".
Last year, i bowled Country Champs for the sole reason that it was in Ballarat, and it would seem silly not to bowl. A grand total of 1 female contested the open girls masters and champs(or didnt contest as it so happened, and still had to pay the 30 bucks entry fee for the masters even though she wasnt bowling, so she could take home the trophy, the title and glory that goes with it!)
8 boys contested the boys open division, which im sad to say will be more than they're going to get this year.
Think of it from a bowlers point of view. Take myself as an example. Championships this year are in Sale, a 4-4 1/2 hour drive from Ballarat. So lets say $80 bucks for petrol there and back. Accomodation, 1 night for few, 2 for most of us because its such a long drive...Lets say $70 to $100 each there. Bowling...16 bucks per event, so thats $48 for bowling, $5 masters qualifying and $5 all events....around $60...then masters the next day which is another 30. Add on top of that food and drink etc, and you're looking at around $250-$300 per bowler. And to win what...medals? (Dont get me wrong, im not saying medals are a total bad thing, put a medal round the neck of a young b to d grade bowler and you wont get the smile off their face!, just not really incentive for the open grade bowlers!) With $300, i could buy a new ball!
This year i have decided not to go to champs because of these reasons. I've figured it will be much mroe worth my while bowling events like Warrnambool cup against the big guys, and getting my chance to get some of my money back as a reward if i bowl well. Not medals that sit in my room and collect dust. Im not saying Country Championships are a bad thing, because for the lower to intermeadiate grade players, they're great. But The champs just dont cater for the open grade bowlers any longer, and until you find a way to combat this, the people that are in my shoes just wont be able to see over the financial burden.
As much as i'd love to look after and support the country associations, sometimes you really gotta look after yourself first...
Sorry guys but thats the way i see it...
Anyone like to point out my wrongs, please voice your opinion, we all learn from these things...
DaN

 

[Eraser]

Sorry guys....1 other thing
as Sarah stated, last year, Junior Country Champs masters weekend was held on exactly the same weekend as Junior Sydney cup...Thats where your open grade bowlers went! Why? Do i really need to state....

DaN