National Ranked Tournaments and boosting the numbers

[Cam S]

I recently bowled in my regions on national ranked tournament the Knk now being a 190 average bowler ( on house shots) I thought i would give it ago this year to see if my game had improved any on the harder shots and to have the chance to bowl alongside some the sports best in this country knowing full well the chances of me cashing were slim.



Prior to the event i made a comment talk to George that $170 for 10 games is fair wack of cash for someone at my level to pay. George at the time made the comment to me that $170 isn't that bad to bowl along side and see some of the best bowlers in the country and when thinking about it i agree.

But then I placed my eyes on another nationally ranked tournament i thought i wouldnt mind bowling in the NSW Open and found it was $270 for 10 games i then sat down with the bank account and budget and worked out how much it would cost me

Airfares $200 approx
accomadation $350 min for two nites
Car Hire or Tax $100
$270 entry fee
So you are looking at almost a grand to bowl 10 games when realisitcally a bowler at my level wont cut or cash.

The purpose of me posting this isnt to put crap on AMF or TBA but i guess to give insight on why the lower end of bowlers wont travel to these tournaments.

What i would suggest would be a more fairer way and produce more Revenue for the prize fund would be to go 6 games quailfying with mutliply re-enteries allowed.

Even if they made the entry fee $150 and - $65 to re-enter
surely the most linage for 6 games would cost is $30. Based on the NSW entry fee
A bowler could bowl and re-enter twice for similar money and bowl 18 games and if they still didnt cut would get almost twice the games and twice the experience.

Another bonus is the lanes would hold up better having to last only 6 games instead of 10?

What do people think?

 

[James Mc]

I agree with your format idea.

Which is why the Northern NSW Open at Coffs Harbour is almost exactly what you mentioned. It is on September 2nd if your interested.

I do understand why some tournament directors don't risk changing the format though. Say they do change and it does not atract any new players. They just get the same 70 players that they would have had anyway. The ussual higher skilled players make the top 30 and don't need to have another attempt, and just 20 of the remaining 40 have another go. This scenario would leave the tournament short of both a lot of prize money and down on game rate.

There is no simple answer to this, and after speaking with a few people last week I think the only answer is that we need more people bowling. How we do this is another really hard question. Hopefully the NTPA and the TBA can work together and come up with something that over the coming years will foster tournament play.

In the interim bowl in as many local tournaments as you can and travel where possible.

Regards
James

 

[Easy Tiger]

Airfares $200 approx
accomadation $350 min for two nites
Car Hire or Tax $100
$270 entry fee
So you are looking at almost a grand to bowl 10 games when realisitcally a bowler at my level wont cut or cash.
Even if they made the entry fee $150 and - $65 to re-enter
surely the most linage for 6 games would cost is $30. Based on the NSW entry fee
A bowler could bowl and re-enter twice for similar money and bowl 18 games and if they still didnt cut would get almost twice the games and twice the experience.
Another bonus is the lanes would hold up better having to last only 6 games instead of 10?
What do people think?

The main issue is still going to be the costs to go to these events. If you drop the entry fee from $270 to $150, is it really going to matter when overall, it still is going to cost you between $600 and $1000 to get there and back?

It's all well and good for people on here to say "if you love the game enough you'll find a way to afford it and make it happen". I've just bought a house and I can tell you, it doesn't matter how much I love the game or not, it's just not going to happen. This is where bowling loses it's junior and youth - when they can't afford to bowl anymore. This is where I believe bowling is losing its numbers and strength. The top bowlers can afford to keep going at that level because they have established themselves, but the sport can't survive without the younger players coming up through the ranks.

Therefore I think it's the cost of living, not the cost of bowling tournaments, that is killing off the game.

 

[CHIN]

This is where bowling loses it's junior and youth -when they can't afford to bowl anymore.

I think the reason we are losing these bowlers is that Mum & Dad stop paying for there bowling & they have to start paying for it themselves.

 

[Easy Tiger]

In some cases I know that's true. But I know from my own experience, I paid my way, and now I can't afford to. I think the same thing applies to many others that have stopped bowling tournaments as well.

 

[Brenton_Davy]

A payout like the Melbourne Cup would bring the players back I think. $1000for the last place in the final is a great payout and the only reason the field was ONLY 87 was the late release of the entry forms.

 

[Jez]

Ninja, you are right about the cost of tournaments and it is affecting people at all levels of the game..it does cost close to 1000 for a weekend (700-900)..it is a huge problem for the game as bowlers need to run top 5 at most tournaments just to cover the cost..

It is hard to justify going..risk if spending approx $800 and if bowl bad lose most of it..if you bowl good (top 5) might make $300 if ur lucky unless u win the event.

 

[jockey]

Ninja299
Take it from someone who has been out there and bowled on the circuit for a while that you have to be willing to put in the hard yards to make it work.
You mentioned that you were acheiving around 190 averages on your house condition. That is great but you must be prepared to put in some time on the lanes if you want to be able to consistently maintain just that level on the tournament conditions let alone average around the card in order to have a chance to cash in an event.
Be prepared to think outside the square when it comes to travel and accomodation costs. See if you can find someone to share these costs. Be prepared to pay for travel (airfares) along way from tournament time in order to take advantage of discounting.
You don't need to stay in four or five star accommodation to bowl well, look for something that you can feel comfortable and secure in and try to get someone to share with you. After all you will more than likely only spend the time you sleep in the room anyway. See if you can get a room with a microwave or a place with communal cooking facitilities if possible.
Eating while your away can also be cheap and healthy if you put in a bit of time. Don't go for fast food but go to the supermarket (microwave) and buy for the duration of your stay in one hit. That includes drinks and confectionary etc for when you will be at the bowl. You need to be prudent but not stingy.
By putting in some time and effort you can drastically cut the amount of money that bowling in the event will cost you.
But yes tournament organisers need to explore avenues to make it easier on all to bowl in events. They should take the lead of Mary Flower and co at the K & K where you can get a ride from and to the airport to the bowl or your accommodation which can save travelling bowlers an enormous amount of time and money. It also allows bowlers travelling to a destination to be more comnfortable.