where have all the juniors gone
- Thread starter the_Tank
- Start date
T
terry parsalidis
my opinion mite be either they gone to queensland or victoria or they stop playing the game due to the rising cost of tenpin bowling
Potter
lost
I think centres need to have someone to coach juniors and promote the game and the competition at the same time. Here in Newcastle we have a couple of centres where this is done & people who do a lot of hard work organizing the juniors for local champs BUT it is still hard to get juniors who are so keen that parents are willing to spend the amount of $$ it costs to bowl a lot of competitions and Shield.
Bowling need to be promoted - many kids bowl in leagues here but really have no idea of how comps run or anything else about bowling.Bowling is fun for everyone and every now & then a kid will come along who really loves it & will keep going & spending all their parents $$$ and then their own $$ & then it becomes an obsession & then it becomes their life - but the hard part is getting the kids into the bowl first of all - then the bowling will take over - promotion is the key!!
Bowling need to be promoted - many kids bowl in leagues here but really have no idea of how comps run or anything else about bowling.Bowling is fun for everyone and every now & then a kid will come along who really loves it & will keep going & spending all their parents $$$ and then their own $$ & then it becomes an obsession & then it becomes their life - but the hard part is getting the kids into the bowl first of all - then the bowling will take over - promotion is the key!!
I agree with u potter, but u see, little things that they have done i think have affected juniors in the Sydney region as well, just last year they cut the Junior Intercentre Shield age limit back to 18, after it was raised to 23, now there is only 2 divisions and the standards have dropped quite a bit. I remember when i first started playing as a junior, i would strive to become a better player to make the higher divisions, as the older players reach the age limit and leave, there's not enough incentive for the younger players to stick around because they don't see the older players performing. It's just one of the things that came into my mind when i saw the question asked so i thought i'd share it...
R
R
I totally agree with Dean on this. Promotion is the key. Graeme at Newcastle Superstrike spent the money and hired someone to just take care and promote junior bowling. Maralyn is in 5 days a week and has built a very solid academy. 4 or 5 bowlers from the Northern Shield team has come either directly or indirectly from Newcastle Superstrike. Maralyn and Sharon also took a squad of almost 30 down to last years Nationals, and are on course to send the same amount this year.
It is a combination of the centres spending a bit of money promoting, and the promoter that is hired seeing and promoting the value of competition bowling onto the parents of the children bowling. That is the real secret. I believe a lot can be learned from the Newcastle model.
Sydney has the most bowling centres in a concentrated area in NSW. Yet there is minimal if any, promotion of the sport, and the value of competition bowling. This problem with junior bowling starts at centre level, and can be fixed again, at centre level. The true problem is that perhaps proprietors don't see the value in their players actually going to other centres to compete.
For this sport to grow, we all have to have an honest look at what we are doing to this sport. Championships are graded, which means they are open to anyone. President Shield for the juniors, is an opportunity for ANY child that meets the prerequisites, to roll-off for the chance to represent. It is not a club, and it is definately not a right. You want players, get the proprietors excited about it. They are excited if there is benefits for them and their players.
These are just my thoughts. I love this sport, and I hate seeing what is happening, actually happening. Bowling has played a part on becoming who I am. there are a lot of kids that deserve to grow from the game and have that opportunity, like I did.
Regards,
Dennis Rigney
It is a combination of the centres spending a bit of money promoting, and the promoter that is hired seeing and promoting the value of competition bowling onto the parents of the children bowling. That is the real secret. I believe a lot can be learned from the Newcastle model.
Sydney has the most bowling centres in a concentrated area in NSW. Yet there is minimal if any, promotion of the sport, and the value of competition bowling. This problem with junior bowling starts at centre level, and can be fixed again, at centre level. The true problem is that perhaps proprietors don't see the value in their players actually going to other centres to compete.
For this sport to grow, we all have to have an honest look at what we are doing to this sport. Championships are graded, which means they are open to anyone. President Shield for the juniors, is an opportunity for ANY child that meets the prerequisites, to roll-off for the chance to represent. It is not a club, and it is definately not a right. You want players, get the proprietors excited about it. They are excited if there is benefits for them and their players.
These are just my thoughts. I love this sport, and I hate seeing what is happening, actually happening. Bowling has played a part on becoming who I am. there are a lot of kids that deserve to grow from the game and have that opportunity, like I did.
Regards,
Dennis Rigney
