WHY DO TOURNIMENTS LACK ATMOSTPHERE

[Deadman Inc]

I was at the K & K tourniment watching the matchplay on Sunday and I must say for such a big and successful tourniment with Australia's best bowlers on show, I was pretty disappointed with the atmostphere in the centre. The bowlers were pretty quiet on the lanes and so were the spectators. Whenever a split was converted saw a couple of spectators clap and a half smile from the bowler and whenever there was a lucky strike bowled saw a few shakes of the head and a few giggles.

In my opinion it's the bowlers that create atmostphere. For that to happen I think bowlers need to let out their emotions for the spectators to react to, not including chucking tantrums because they're bowling bad. Do bowlers have fun while they're bowling tourniments? Or do they bowl tourniments simply because they can? Should bowlers sledge the opposition? Friendly sledging in sport can be entertaining and a useful tactic.

Where are all the characters gone in our sport? I use to love watching Andrew Frawley ride a strike and do a little dance then walk back with a huge grin on his face or watch Steve Lovell let the pins know what he thought of them. Watching Belmo on Sunday, his reaction after a rare strike run up and down the lanes was entertaining and hilarious. His matchplay round against George on lanes 1 and 2 watching him sledge and carry on was very entertaining and generated some spark into what was a quiet and dead atmostphere. Belmo is one of the few bowlers I'd pay to watch because he is entertaining.

I thought the end of the tourniment was dull also. It was 7 games of matchplay and that was it. No positional round, no stepladder. No emotion shown by the winners at the conclusion or during the last game. No victory speeches. It seemed like it was another day at the office, collect your trophey and cheque, pack up and go home.

In most sports entertaining supporters and fans is very important. Can a football team survive without supporters? Can a sport survive without supporters? Is this what Tenpin Bowling needs? To get people to come and watch Australia's top bowlers compete in tourniments there needs to be atmostphere and the spectators need to be entertained.

To see a bowling centre packed with spectators watching a stepladder final creates atmostphere. And wouldn't that be appealing for potential sponsors? Isn't that what a TV station would want if it was to air Tenpin Bowling on television?

I think its up to the bowlers on the lanes to make it happen. I know as a bowler if I'm bowling well in a tourniment I'm feeling pretty good inside. Why not let that out so the spectators can get involved. What is with bowlers needing complete silence so the can concentrate? You always see a footy or cricket team or a tennis player lift and play well when they got the crowed behind them. Bowlers need to get the spectators involed in tourniments to create atmostphere and make tourniment bowing and Tenpin Bowling in general more appealing

My two...maybe three cents worth

 

[luke]

a step ladder makes it good to watch always love watching one..

i wish we had more bowlers like belmo with his anntics on the lanes it would make things alot more fun..

having no speeches buy either of the winners was very odd and didnt look very good..

just my thoughts. apart from that the tournament was great best one in the country

 

[Ubby]

I totally agree. There always needs to be a level of entertainment, and its the bowlers that have to provide that.
Sports needs spectators, thats just the way it is.
If any sport wants recognition they have to have people there watching the tournament or competition unfold, otherwise who is there to recognise the eventual champion?

 

[Brenton_Davy]

Back in the "Good Old Days" tournament players scored well above what the league player could ever hope to achieve. However todays league player can go out and score almost as high as the tournament player with the advent of "THS" and super aggressive equipment. Most times tournament players are playing on tougher shots (but not always looking at this years scores) and the league player is not interested in coming to see players scoring at the same or lesser pace than they can in league.

I recall Stee Lovell averaging 229 in matchpay at Rockdale in the Invitational tournament they used to have there with a Yellow Dot and people raved about that for months afterwards. No longer so today as high scoring in league is so prevalent as to have become a little passe even. The PBA suffers from this type of attitude from league bowlers. They don't want to go along and see players struggling to average 220 when it is so easily achievable on league patterns. Joe Average either does not understand the difference in conditions and pressure or DOES NOT WANT to understand.

As far as players showing emotion or lack thereof, sports psychs all over the country advocate elite players maintaining an even emotional keel in order to maintain a high level of performance. As a result there are not as many of the "characters" that there used to be.

 

[Feral]

I watched the tournament all day Saturday and Sunday and thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it.

The great game in matchplay game 5 between George, Belmo and (I think) Ashley Clark was simply a spectators dream!! Belmo's antics were great - letting a screamer go and immediately lying down on the approach, getting up and urging the crowd to then applaud his strike, riding the lanes on several shots, letting go a screamer and turning back immediately to the crowd for applause before the ball hit the deck. Great stuff Belmo. The game scores of 248, 236 and 235 just added to the great block.

I took a different view on the atmosphere generally. Yes, it was rather quiet most times (you could hear the easily detectable "YEAH" from Hammo) but to watch the concentration of these great bowlers was, to me, something to be admired. Like watching a golfer lining up a 40 footer and putting it away. The crowd at golf is greeted by "QUIET PLEASE" signs so I didn't have a problem with the weekend's bowling.

I agree that a few bowler speeches would have been good. But if you heard some of the post tourney banter between these great bowlers (like "is that a helmet you're wearing" - referring to another bowler's hair style!!) you would go home with a smile on your face, waiting for the next big tourney.

To all who bowled, men and women, thanks for a great entertaining weekend.

 

[Nebster]

The great game in matchplay game 5 between George, Belmo and (I think) Ashley Clark was simply a spectators dream!!

Yer that was Ash in that match and like everyone else, i completely agree with what ur saying deadman. I honestly can't compete in tournaments where everyone is so quiet that you could drop a pin and could easily hear the noise it'd make when it hits the ground. I'm the type of bowler who if he gets a strike or a split spare, WILL celebrate it and make sure everyone saw or heard it (without making it look up myself or too over the top of course. These days whenever i go to any tournaments just walking back clapping myself, i sometimes get starred at as if i'v just walked down the approach swearing my head off. The good old days were truly the good old days because people enjoyed playing and watching, and at all times they showed this, not by sitting down and starrin at the lanes after they a got a strike or something, but by showing they feel good about what they had just done and it always seemed to rub on everyone, whether it be bowlers or spectators, for the better.