Getting Sponsored...

[Michelle]

what do you gotta do to get sponsored these days???

Seems like every man and his dog are getting sponsored.

With the tournaments on a downer at the moment, makes you wonder if its viable for the manufacturers giving away all these bowling balls. theres no way ball sales could be up at this point in time in Aus.

 

[Ducati 851]

To get sponsered...easier said than done..Just enter every tournament you can and finish well.Go for State Teams. Get your name out.

As for your second comment. My opinion is you find there are a lot of bowlers getting sponsered because sales are down.Especially with brands like Circle AMF and Visionary...not so much Visionary as the others.Who have recently sponsered bowlers to get their name out and to let people see what their gear is made of.

After all..Sponserships are designed to get more business. Simply an elaborate " I scratch your back...You scratch mine"

You get gear...They get sales.

Pretty Straight forward.

 

[Michelle]

Mr Ducati,

I think you have me all wrong - I don't want to get sponsored, I don't even bowl. But, I do spend most of my life in bowling centres.

My point was, that I think some of the people that are being sponsored or who are sponsored aren't the guys who are performing consistantly.

If you look at tournaments over the past years you will notice that there are only a handful of bowlers that should actually be sponsored.

I personally know a handful of guys who absolutely busted their "balls" over the last 5 or more years to get contracts and now contracts are being handed out willy nilly.

Theres one thing to turn up to a tournament, theres another thing to actually perform in a tournament.

 

[Ducati 851]

Fair enough...

I cant say I can think of many bowlers who are sponsered that dont desevere to be.

But you also have to look at peoples attitude on the lanes and towards bowlers aswell. I dunno guess you have to ask the pplwho sponser these guys.

 

[Bowling Balls Australia]

In conjunction with Visionary Bowling Products, Bowling Balls Australia is proud to sponsor a number of bowlers.

Reasons we sponsor are several:
Not totally due to a bowlers ability, although that is obviously an important criteria, but as much as anything, fantastic people who earn their sponsorship through
a) competitiveness
b) willingness to travel to compete
c) support of the sponsor and the sponsor's product
d) willingness to be available to other bowlers to assist their needs
e) results

Bowling Balls Australia has a team the envy of every other manufacturer, names like Kate Wilton, Rebecca Simpson, Tracey Madden, Carl Bottomley, Michael Muir, Jason Pearson and Brian Pilkington all ably supported by the likes of Dale Stewart, Greg Kelly, Tim Kelly, Steve Hampson, Andrew Phillips, Ashley Riley, Andrew Tonkin, Alan Shephard, Leigh Murray, Gary Hillard, Shane Czerkasow, Gavin Anderson, the entire AMF Richlands Proshop/Bowling Balls Australia Youth Development Squad and all our regional agents - who would not be proud of such an outstanding array of fantastic people?

Ball sales down - not in our neck of the woods, why is that you may ask? Simple - the best product on the market today, along with the support of the fantastic people mentioned above. We are an astonishing 350% in sales above our contract terms with Visionary Bowling Products, again the reasons are simple - great product, great people.

We are proud to have each and every one of the aforementioned people in our Team.

Max

 

[Nighteyes300]

hey Max where's my sponsership??? lol

BTW the G3 is a great looking ball and hits like an 18 wheeler.

 

[Easy Tiger]

The biggest thing is working hard off your own back first. By that, I mean don't expect that because you have talent you will have people or companies falling over themselves to sponsor you. Work hard, save money, practice, and bowl events, lots of them. Start locally, and then as your skills and experience (and confidence) improve, start travelling interstate to tournaments to try yourself out against the best Australia has to offer.

If you are successful there, you have a much better chance of gaining sponsorship.

Other factors include integrity, respect, a hard-work/reward personal attitude, a competitive drive, but probably most of all good sportsmanship, not just when you win, but when you lose - because you're not going to win all of the time.

Follow those things, get your name out there, and prove that you can provide something of value back to the potential sponsor, and you stand yourself a good chance over time.

And no, I'm not sponsored.

 

[Bowling Balls Australia]

Nobody could have said that any better Tim.

Well done..........Max

 

[Michelle]

Bowling Balls Australia has a team the envy of every other manufacturer, names like ......

Yeah i'm sure they envy Bowling Balls Aus.....

 

[Bowling Balls Australia]

Yeah i'm sure they envy Bowling Balls Aus.....

And why wouldn't they Michelle? At least we get out there and back our bowlers who support us. Maybe if some other bowlers got off their backsides and did something for their manufacturers like ours do, they would reap the rewards too.

Glamour boys who have all the talent but don't support their manufacturers get what they deserve - ZILCH.

 

[Coconut]

Michelle I'd give it up some people just don't get where you are coming from..if you read what Michelle is saying she has hit the nail on the head...many of the players out there with sponsorships are simply not performing at a level worthy of earning it (or keeping it)...some of them are not even making cuts let alone actually consistently making top 5 finishes. Before you criticise her she knows exactly what she is talking about as she see's the work it takes first hand to be at the top and maintain it. I think she is merely pointing out that it is unfair that sponsorships can be given away so easily now days with what seems very little effort.....some people have even gained 12 month contracts for their performance in one tournament how do you think it makes the guys who had to work their arses off for years badgering ball companies for a sniff at a sponsorship,that is the point she is making.

Hey Michelle hope to see you in Melb for AO

 

[kaijun]

if a manufacter wants to support a bowler and give them a sponsorship then good for them !!!. Sponsorship in this sport is no different to the others, it's about getting your product out there in the public eye. Seems you just want to tear people down who have been graced enuff to be sponsored over those who haven't. Do they deserve there sponsors ?? well that's for the manufacters to decide who they want to promote their company and equipment.

 

[Ducati 851]

Glamour boys? hey come on....thats a bit steep....that mascara and foundation had nothing to do with my bowling!!!!!!

 

[Bowling Balls Australia]

Michelle I'd give it up some people just don't get where you are coming from..if you read what Michelle is saying she has hit the nail on the head...many of the players out there with sponsorships are simply not performing at a level worthy of earning it (or keeping it)...some of them are not even making cuts let alone actually consistently making top 5 finishes. Before you criticise her she knows exactly what she is talking about as she see's the work it takes first hand to be at the top and maintain it. I think she is merely pointing out that it is unfair that sponsorships can be given away so easily now days with what seems very little effort.....some people have even gained 12 month contracts for their performance in one tournament how do you think it makes the guys who had to work their arses off for years badgering ball companies for a sniff at a sponsorship,that is the point she is making.
Hey Michelle hope to see you in Melb for AO

Coconut, obviously you have not read my post of yesterday.

NO SPONSORSHIPS ARE GIVEN AWAY - THAT IS MY POINT. Success on the lanes is nice, but it is not the "be all and end all".

My point is that everyone in our team has earnt their sponsorship, not necessarily by winning every tournament, and yes, sometimes not even making the cut. However, they support us and support our product.

There are a lot of good or even great bowlers out there who won't get off their arses and ask for sponsorship or do anything other than throw some nice scores, yet they sit there and bitch because they have to buy their own gear.

Australia does not hero worship our bowlers, therefore great scores are not going to have hordes of bowlers changing their brand simply because someone won a tournament, UNLESS the public know what brand they are throwing & etc. This is where it comes back to bowlers promoting their brand & EARNING their sponsorship.

Some people have this stupid idea that you ask for a sponsorship because you are a great bowler and that alone entitles you to one. WRONG, WRONG, WRONG
As you can imagine, I have seen several sponsorship requests of late and you know the funny thing, NOT ONE has put in their application what they can do for us, that's right - NOT ONE. What chance do you think they have?

Then we have a group of top quality successful bowlers who back our product 100% with gear they have purchased themselves. If an opportunity comes up, it is those types of fantastic people who are going to get first crack at it.

I know which Jason I would rather have, the one we've got.............

 

[Stuart Little]

Back in the day, i remember someone asking on here what it takes to get sponsored, and George told us exactly what we needed. And from other people i talked too over the years, its not all about scores, its about what you can potentially do.
These bowlers who arent proforming well, but are still getting contracts, are doing there job, you might be talking about how crap they are bowling, but while your doing that, youd be mentionin what brand they are sponsored by. Just like when Visionary took over, a lot of people hated it soo much, and people where getting sick of hearing about it. This was nothing but advertisement for Visionary, and help make it a prominent brand in Australia.
What im basicly trying to say, is that your job of being sponsored, is to try and promote the brand, whether it be by winning tonnes of tournaments, or just getting the word out there.

 

[Coconut]

Im sorry Max.....where exactly did I mention Bowling Balls Australia???
I was merely explaining the point you and many others were missing in Michelle's post.....perhaps it is you that should read a little more carefully before jumping down someones throat!
And I doubt many will quite match up to the other two Jason's I assume you are referring....both I believe great ambassadors for this sport and their respective ball companies both on and off the lanes....sponsorships well earned and deserved....I don't believe this should become a personal attack on anybody as this only becomes detrimental to the sport and particularly where it is unwaranted.

 

[Bowling Balls Australia]

I didn't miss any point in Michelle's post Cheryl, I read it several times and digested it very well.

I think my points of who should get sponsorship have been vindicated by several other replies on this topic.

As far as it getting personal, that is EXACTLY how this thread started in the first place.

 

[Coconut]

I'm sorry Max but I did not mention you, your products or your team of bowlers, this did not begin personal but it certainly ended that way....I don't disagree with what you are saying about why you may or may not offer sponsorships, but there are still several bowlers out there who do nothing more then wear a shirt and use a particular brand....not necessarily your team..... but I'm sure it is frustrating to the players who do work hard to watch someone have a sponsorship for far less effort. That is all I am saying, so please do not attack people just for having an opinion, one who did not actually attack you in the first place. Things like this in such an open forum are what brings this sport down, we need to move this sport forward if we want it to continue as a sport and not just a social activity to die like it did before.

 

[Gary]

Over promoting dose not make any one want to by a product

Your brand has hardly any US market on the site's i visit.
Great you support bowler's but you can not force your product down our throat's that what it feel's like some time's with Visonary this Visonary that ok.

Surpose i'll be banned now

350% increace on little sale's mean's nothing lol
Gary...........................................................

 

[Nighteyes300]

Over promoting dose not make any one want to by a product
Your brand has hardly any US market on the site's i visit.
Great you support bowler's but you can not force your product down our throat's that what it feel's like some time's with Visonary this Visonary that ok.
Surpose i'll be banned now
350% increace on little sale's mean's nothing lol
Gary...........................................................

Firstly, visionary hardly has a market in the US because it's rarely talked about over there in comparrison to here, i swore i'd never use visionary because of one perticular person here in victoria was pushing it so hard, but i talked to max and bought a G3, one of the best investments i'v ever made, i'll buy more visionary and i'll promote the product, i may not make many cuts or win any tourniments but i throw a shot that people like to look at and i always get asked what i'm using.

secondly, 350% increace on little sale's mean's nothing??? better than a 350%decrease in sales