Just a reminder to the New Jersey forum members the closing date for entries in the NJ State Tournament is March 22. The team, singles, and doubles events are being held at Howell Lanes in Howell NJ. Located on route 9 South. Dates are Saturdays and Sundays starting March 29 through April 27th. Singles and doubles are at 9AM and 4PM and teams are at 12:30PM.

Applications should be in all bowling centers. You can also download an application from the state website www.njbowling.com or the Monmouth County website at www.monmouthcountybowling.com. For information or questions you can contact Steve Stein at 718-983-1474 or Mike Lee at 735-757-1905 or 732-495-3549. 

Just another reminder the March 22 entry deadline will be here soon. Any forum members eligible to bowl you can download the application form from www.njbowling.com or www.monmouthcountybowling.com. 

Will be bowling team March 30

are you working then rvbowler?

 I will be there everyday, mostly running the brackets. Stop by and say hi. Make sure you let your bowling friends know the entries close this weekend if they haven't sent in their applications yet.

rusbersuks:

 

Will be bowling team March 30

are you working then rvbowler?

rusbersuks,

I was nice meeting you this weekend. I meant to continue our conversation further but with running the brackets getting ready for the opening ceremonies and bowling the team squad I never got the chance to get back to you. If you are bowling any other days we talk again.

This past weekend opened the New Jersey State Tournament at Howell Lanes in NJ. Saturday was a double eventful day. Not only did our state tournament start, but if you read the bowl.com headlines about the Denny's High School Challenge, their first qualifier was being held at the same time as our tournament. We shared half the center. ESPN had a camera crew interviewing some of the kids and their parents. The finals were held at Carolier Lanes where the US Open finals were being televised. The kids finals were taped and will air next week on ESPN.

We have a total of 244 teams and 1150 singles, and 575 doubles. We have already had an 800, 2 300's, a 299, and a 290. Unfortunately none of those scores were mine.

Parker Bohn III, one of our local and state Hall of Famers, was gracious enough to take the time out from a hectic weekend of qualifying at the Open and endorsement committments to come down and participate in our opening ceremonies. Parker and Howell Lanes owner Neil Feingold's father, Morris who is 90 years old and who opened the center 50 years ago, threw out the first balls. Also making an appearance during the weekend were Johnny Petraglia, one of our area bowlers, and Carolyn Dorin Ballard. We thank them for adding to our event.

We will posting standings and pictures on the state website as we progress. You can find them at www.njbowling.com. 

Hay

RVbowler Was also nice talking with you Sunday Good luck with the rest of the tournament

See you around the state

Well weekend number 2 is complete only 3 more to go. We had another 300 bowled this weekend. I had hoped the pictures from last weekend would have been posted on the www.njbowling.com website by Friday but I was told they would be up today. So far not there. The standings from last weekend are up there and may even be updated from this weekend. If not they will be up by Wednesday.

Hi RVBowler,

I bowled in the 4pm squad on April 6th and I must say that I was EXTREMELY disappointed with the tournament on many levels.  First, the lane conditions were comparable to Saturday midnight cosmic bowling rather than a USBC tournament condition.  I had assumed that the lanes would be stripped and re-oiled prior to each squad like other USBC tournaments to create an equal playing field for the participants, but this was definitely not the case.  The lanes were beyond "burned up" - I started the day at 5th arrow and finished with launching a high-speed straight ball off the gutter.  

When I nicely asked the tournament official (did not get his name) how we could all pay the same entry fee and not get equal playing conditions to earlier squads, his answer was very arrogant.  He said and I quote, "Many people enter this tournament thinking they are bowlers, but really are not.  Bowling is a game of adjustment, and house bowlers do not know how to do that."  I argued that there is a big difference between a tough pattern which requires consistency and reading the lanes, and no pattern at all.  His response (again arrogant) was, "I could bring the biggest hooking ball I own onto these lanes and throw strikes all day long."  I had to walk away before I said something really rude to him.  

Then the other tournament official came over and said "If you want oil you should be here at 9am, or else the lanes are burned up.  We don't oil between squads in Monmouth County.  Sorry..."

Had I known I would be dealing with this level of arrogance and incompetence, I would have never entered the tournament.  There are obviously going to be bowlers of varying levels in a handicap tournament and while I do not consider myself a pro, I am quite better than average (was a 230 average Middlesex County high school bowler and top ranked in the County, State and Northeast tournaments).  A USBC tournament, regardless of time of day, should have some form of an oil pattern ready for the bowlers to compete on and it is not ethical to hold later squads just to pump up the prize fund.

I will be writing Kevin Dornberger and Tom Clark at the USBC this week to let them know how their organization is being represented in Monmouth County, NJ.  I will post their response on the board when I hear back.

Any bowlers entering a future 4pm squad this month should either ask for an early refund or just bring a plastic ball with them.

Sorry for the negative feedback but the truth must be told...

-T.J. Stevens
Howell, NJ

Just heard back from Kevin (COO of the USBC) - 4pm bowlers be advised:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

T.J.,

I like to consider myself a competitive bowler also, and I wouldn't be very pleased with what you encounter.  If the customer isn't happy, our events will become irrelevant.  I have referred your inquiry to our Rules team to determine whether there is anything we can do to help avoid future occurrences.  Thanks.

Kevin Dornberger
Chief Operating Officer

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

tjstevens:

Hi RVBowler,

I bowled in the 4pm squad on April 6th and I must say that I was EXTREMELY disappointed with the tournament on many levels.  First, the lane conditions were comparable to Saturday midnight cosmic bowling rather than a USBC tournament condition.  I had assumed that the lanes would be stripped and re-oiled prior to each squad like other USBC tournaments to create an equal playing field for the participants, but this was definitely not the case.  The lanes were beyond "burned up" - I started the day at 5th arrow and finished with launching a high-speed straight ball off the gutter.  

When I nicely asked the tournament official (did not get his name) how we could all pay the same entry fee and not get equal playing conditions to earlier squads, his answer was very arrogant.  He said and I quote, "Many people enter this tournament thinking they are bowlers, but really are not.  Bowling is a game of adjustment, and house bowlers do not know how to do that."  I argued that there is a big difference between a tough pattern which requires consistency and reading the lanes, and no pattern at all.  His response (again arrogant) was, "I could bring the biggest hooking ball I own onto these lanes and throw strikes all day long."  I had to walk away before I said something really rude to him.  

Then the other tournament official came over and said "If you want oil you should be here at 9am, or else the lanes are burned up.  We don't oil between squads in Monmouth County.  Sorry..."

Had I known I would be dealing with this level of arrogance and incompetence, I would have never entered the tournament.  There are obviously going to be bowlers of varying levels in a handicap tournament and while I do not consider myself a pro, I am quite better than average (was a 230 average Middlesex County high school bowler and top ranked in the County, State and Northeast tournaments).  A USBC tournament, regardless of time of day, should have some form of an oil pattern ready for the bowlers to compete on and it is not ethical to hold later squads just to pump up the prize fund.

I will be writing Kevin Dornberger and Tom Clark at the USBC this week to let them know how their organization is being represented in Monmouth County, NJ.  I will post their response on the board when I hear back.

Any bowlers entering a future 4pm squad this month should either ask for an early refund or just bring a plastic ball with them.

Sorry for the negative feedback but the truth must be told...

-T.J. Stevens
Howell, NJ

Oh Great TJ could you please tell me where you averaged 230 don't see it any where under your ID

Second you say for all national tournament they re-oil after every squad  WRONG

if you are so great how come you have not gone to USBC open in the last 4 years.

I have meet RVbowler and he a customer service driven person

and I have a feeling you were most lkely riping the gusy and going off on them becasue you are  A 230 BOWLER.

let me know whne you are bowling team so that I can sned some chesse with that  WINE of yours

and by the way NICE 428

get a leason and leaqrn to bowl and shut up till you learn

rusbersuks,

The purpose of my thread is not to get into a pissing contest with you (heaven knows there are enough egos in the sport of bowling).  My prior 230 average was with YABA several years ago - again I am not flaunting myself as the best bowler in the state of N.J.  (that spot is already taken by your ego).

I am simply stating that a level of lane condition fairness needs to be established in these tournaments to create an equal playing field.  I am sure that many people in that 4pm squad would agree with me - I was 3rd in line to complain to the tournament official.  Whether you are a 230 bowler or a 150 bowler, the point is simple - tournaments should put oil on the lanes.

And just to get it out on the table - I currently average 186.  Obviously not great - I am very aware of that - but I am getting back into the game after taking several years off.  Do you feel better about yourself now knowing that you have a higher average with me?

 By the way, please learn how to spell - it's difficult to make out your points among the 5th grade grammer.  Thanks!

 -T.J.

Oh and by the way, I was not trashing RVBowler - I have no idea who he is to be honest with you.  I was just letting the people on this board know what they are in for in the 4pm squad.

-T.J. 

tjstevens:

Just heard back from Kevin (COO of the USBC) - 4pm bowlers be advised:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

T.J.,

I like to consider myself a competitive bowler also, and I wouldn't be very pleased with what you encounter.  If the customer isn't happy, our events will become irrelevant.  I have referred your inquiry to our Rules team to determine whether there is anything we can do to help avoid future occurrences.  Thanks.

Kevin Dornberger
Chief Operating Officer

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I can see the Rules Department now.....Scratching their head and saying....What's he want us to do.....There were no rules broken.

cicada49:

tjstevens:

Just heard back from Kevin (COO of the USBC) - 4pm bowlers be advised:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

T.J.,

I like to consider myself a competitive bowler also, and I wouldn't be very pleased with what you encounter.  If the customer isn't happy, our events will become irrelevant.  I have referred your inquiry to our Rules team to determine whether there is anything we can do to help avoid future occurrences.  Thanks.

Kevin Dornberger
Chief Operating Officer

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I can see the Rules Department now.....Scratching their head and saying....What's he want us to do.....There were no rules broken.

 Rus,DrD,and cicada,

I asked on our state website's forum for comments on the tournament. Mr Stevens posted what he posted here.  We have no problem with his post. It would have been better handled had he approached the tournament chairman with his complaint before sending it to USBC. If USBC thinks we acted improperly we will certainly take whatever corrective action is necessary. He was replied to by the tournament chairman already. That post can be found on the njbowling website's forum. Mr Stevens was not satisfied with his experience and he has the right to let us know that.