I like this topic very much, and am totally in favor of the idea of a minimun number of games.
I apologise right now for the length of what l write.
At the moment to make all star you need to bowl 2/3 of the games, and this then restricts the bolwers that dont get the chance to bowl that many games to be able to achive this personal feat.
From my own point of view, my other half has just competed in her second Rachuig, and l think it may have been her last. Yes she was in the team that finished second, but when the coaches and managers of the team, just leave you on the bench for the entire time, and wont even advise you why, then l feel this is wrong. She was happy to be part of the victory, but has this feeling that she really did not contribute to the team, as she only bowled 4 games for the event. I mean we were luckly this year, it was in our home state, and the costs were down, but with te cost normally around the $1500 mark, that is 4 very expensive games to bowl ($375 per game). At this point for her 2 representations in the team she has now bolwed a total of 7 out of 39 games. not exactly something to endure you to what to bowl again. It was 8 years between tryouts, and she has made it on both occasions.
By the time you look at time of work, travel, food, nationals, and everything else, this can really add up, and to think that you may not get a game at all, then it is no wonder that states are struggling for numbers in years that they need to travel some distance. I am sure that part of the reason Victoria had a good turn out for the trials was that it was in home state, and peope felt it would be cheaper, and it was by a long way from previous years.
If the bolwers are required to a bowl say a min 1/2 the number of games, then does this not mean that the best state will win. Meaning the team that is able to put perform the best, not only with the bowling, but the coaches, the managers, and all involved.
Brenton Davy, said that we may as well make 2 divisions, if this is the case, WHY l ask. It is not a pinfall tournament, it is head to head, and anything can, and usually does in this type of format.
This would make the coaches & mangers work harder at making sure that they had their line ups correct, and were aware of what other teams were doing, other bolwers, who was on fire, and who was not.
I mean Brenton, if you have a bolwer not doing so well, why not throw them in the deep end against the bowler that is leading the ALL STAR TEAM, as you never know they just may get up and win, and you shoudl know that a lower average bowler is very capple of beating a higher average, as for some reason a number of bowlers to what thier oponents are bowling at the time, and not thier own game.
I say bring in the rule of minimum number of games, and it may help prevent the need for the draft, as people maybe willing to bowl as they will be sure of getting games, unlike now, when you payout all this money and may get nothing.
My other thought is that everyone says this is a team effort, but l am hearing a lot of the best 5 bowlers being allowed to bowl, and the others can miss out, not really a team then, as it 5 & 2, not 7. Why bother taking the team of 7 at all, oh thats right the rules say so, but this way you dont really need them at all. If it is a team of seven then all members should be an equall go as this is truly a team. Maybe go as far as to say all members must bowl exactly the same numbre of games, but that is to far out thier for most people.
Just my thoughts.
