It was fun reading the fine coverage of the World Championships and see how well Team USA did in taking home the bulk of the gold medals. If the PBA exempt players can repeat their dominance over and over in other events that draw teams and individuals from all over the world will that be good? Is the expense of supporting Team USA worth it.
It is my view that, along with so many other things, Team USA needs to have a near complete makeover even though it may now have in place the ability to dominate on the world bowling stage. It is my view at local levels the bowling community knows very little about Team USA, most adult and junior bowlers as they begin their new season will not talk much about how well Team USA did in the World Championships because they will not know they took place until they get their magazine from USBC and take the time to read it. Members of Team USA are not heroes at local levels, their accomplishments not well known.
Many years ago I served on an adhoc committee to discuss ways to improve Team USA. One of my suggestions got lots of support but went nowhere, that being to seek corporate support and place eight sided kiosks in every bowling center. One or two sides of that kiosk would be devoted to Team USA with pictures of the present team members, ongoing reports on events like the recently concluded World Championships, an historical record of past team members and their accomplishments.
Other sides would be devoted to PBA/PWBA, high school, collegiate, local adult, junior men/women/youth accomplishments on local, state and national association run events and others of importance with historical records of past champions.
It is my view Team USA should be used to encourage entry level boys and girls to become good enough to join them, an impossible goal for many but not all. If there was a completely revamped way to do things with the seed corn for adult bowling that has a consistent something or other franchised from national down to local levels that has consistency that can be marketed, regionals in place to coordinate local programs, my way 'out of the box' junior program would have a series of steps that begin with good coaching of the basics to every entry level bowler than additional good coaching for smaller and smaller groups as many reach their goals and a few strive to become really good, coaching in groups with better and better coaching rather than each center doing it all.
At the very top where gold level coachs work with very good junior boys and girls who may still be on high school or collegiate teams they become auxiliary Team USA members and receive expense paid trips to annual team USA Adult and Junior team trials where those who make the team also bowl on the team with no selections by coaches, no carryovers for more than one year. For juniors and adults who have not gone through the ranks but still want to try out for the team they first have to apply to be auxiliary team members and pass very strict tests of their bowling abilities, nobody at the trials who is not a very good, well trained bowler. The auxiliary members would help pay the bills by appearing in charitable exhibitions partnered with other charities.
This kind of program would produce candidates for high school/collegiate teams, PBA/PWBA careers as well as Team USA candidates and I think with the size of our country it should not be any big problem to produce very good men, women and youth bowlers to compete on the world stage and do very well with no need to use invited exempt PBA or PWBA players. The potential value for nurturing the seed corn to become adult bowlers well worth the costs while I think that same value might not be there now but the costs certainly are.
Don Gates
Don !
I know you don't care for the the idea of PBA members being on TEAM USA. I'll have to agree to disagree with you on that topic. When it comes to representing your country then the very best in our country should be doing the representing. There are many out there that would say the the best bowlers aren't necessarily PBA members. They are wrong............ If one just looks at the results of the first two tournaments that PBA members have been able to participate in they have done rather well.
I believe that the younger bowlers should be setting their goals at the highest level of the sport of bowling and that is becoming a Pro. I agree that young people should start in the youth leagues with good coachs and work their way up the ladder, and the top of the ladder in bowling is the PBA.
I also believe that in order to become a member of Team USA they should have to qualify in a open tournament. No free passes just because you are a PBA member. Bowl your way onto the team. Period.............
E. Chase
Don looks at team USA the same way that he looks at league bowling. He thinks that the best players should be restricted by rules from entering the competition.
skullpants/Earl, didn't say pros should not be on the team. What I said was there should be trials where only those who are well qualified compete and those who make the team at the trials bowl, no choosing by coaches or anyone else for particular events.
The youngsters who gain enough skills to become auxiliary members of Team USA compete at the trials and other adults, including pros, who want to compete on Team USA can apply, qualify to become auxiliary members themselves with demonstrated talents to compete on world wide tournment conditions team members will be bowlling on, and also get a free ride to the team adult and youth team usa trials that will have only blue chippers comepting against othr blue chippers.
Having seen it succeed many times, I think auxiliary team usa members could and should earn a great deal of money to help pay the bills for the trials by tying in with other charities who use bowling centers as venues to raise money, bowling challenge matches against local hotshots and accomplish a lot more to gain notariety and respect for team usa at local levels and desires to follow the major national events and their players; the coordination of such things one of the roles of regionals if they ever come about as they should.
I'm sorry young man, but you live in a dream world. Nothing wrong with having dreams, but in the bowling world of today dreams alone won't make you a living.
PS . I belive if you look back when they first talked about the PBA players being able bowl on Team USA this did not set well with you.
Earl, you are right on, not in favor of PBA exempt bowlers or anyone else being selected to bowl on Team USA adult or junior teams, not in favor of two or three year terms for members, either.
While there are many good bowlers in Europe, Asia , South America, Australia, etal if you look at the scores and standings in the World Championships and Tournment of the Americas you will find the majority of the countries send teams that are not at all competitive. I think it would be better for bowling if there was a continuance of well trained coaches from the USA training men and women to coach in other countries to try and bring more competitive balance into the prestigious events.
I don't think it serves bowling well if USBC chooses the top PBA players for the major world wide events, maybe become dominant, win most of the gold medals, few at local levels even know about it; no program at local levels that offers athletic boys and girls an opportunity goal to become an associate Team USA member and compete, not hope to be chosen, for a spot on the national junior and adult national teams and if they make it actually bowl in the major tournaments.
You are also right that I am a dreamer but do not share your view that dreams cannot come true as many of my previous dreams have come true even though many said they never would or should.
I would venture to say that in bowling, and everything else, progess came and will come from dreamers and it never came or will come easily with the vast majority opposing changes verbally and sometimes physically. My hope is that BPAA/USBC will seek out dreamers and turn them loose.
Perhaps the WTBA will hold their championships in London in 2012 and televise them on ESPN. Include a womens and mixed division. It could be billed as the Olympics for Bowling and held at the same time as the olympics. I would also suggest a world special olympics.
echase: Don ! I know you don't care for the the idea of PBA members being on TEAM USA. . E. Chase
I know you don't care for the the idea of PBA members being on TEAM USA. .
I don't care for it either.
RJN825 !
Could you share with us the reason you don't believe that PBA members should beable to bowl on TEAM USA..
prunenow:It was fun reading the fine coverage of the World Championships and see how well Team USA did in taking home the bulk of the gold medals. If the PBA exempt players can repeat their dominance over and over in other events that draw teams and individuals from all over the world will that be good? Is the expense of supporting Team USA worth it. It is my view that, along with so many other things, Team USA needs to have a near complete makeover even though it may now have in place the ability to dominate on the world bowling stage. It is my view at local levels the bowling community knows very little about Team USA, most adult and junior bowlers as they begin their new season will not talk much about how well Team USA did in the World Championships because they will not know they took place until they get their magazine from USBC and take the time to read it. Members of Team USA are not heroes at local levels, their accomplishments not well known. Many years ago I served on an adhoc committee to discuss ways to improve Team USA. One of my suggestions got lots of support but went nowhere, that being to seek corporate support and place eight sided kiosks in every bowling center. One or two sides of that kiosk would be devoted to Team USA with pictures of the present team members, ongoing reports on events like the recently concluded World Championships, an historical record of past team members and their accomplishments. Other sides would be devoted to PBA/PWBA, high school, collegiate, local adult, junior men/women/youth accomplishments on local, state and national association run events and others of importance with historical records of past champions. It is my view Team USA should be used to encourage entry level boys and girls to become good enough to join them, an impossible goal for many but not all. If there was a completely revamped way to do things with the seed corn for adult bowling that has a consistent something or other franchised from national down to local levels that has consistency that can be marketed, regionals in place to coordinate local programs, my way 'out of the box' junior program would have a series of steps that begin with good coaching of the basics to every entry level bowler than additional good coaching for smaller and smaller groups as many reach their goals and a few strive to become really good, coaching in groups with better and better coaching rather than each center doing it all. At the very top where gold level coachs work with very good junior boys and girls who may still be on high school or collegiate teams they become auxiliary Team USA members and receive expense paid trips to annual team USA Adult and Junior team trials where those who make the team also bowl on the team with no selections by coaches, no carryovers for more than one year. For juniors and adults who have not gone through the ranks but still want to try out for the team they first have to apply to be auxiliary team members and pass very strict tests of their bowling abilities, nobody at the trials who is not a very good, well trained bowler. The auxiliary members would help pay the bills by appearing in charitable exhibitions partnered with other charities. This kind of program would produce candidates for high school/collegiate teams, PBA/PWBA careers as well as Team USA candidates and I think with the size of our country it should not be any big problem to produce very good men, women and youth bowlers to compete on the world stage and do very well with no need to use invited exempt PBA or PWBA players. The potential value for nurturing the seed corn to become adult bowlers well worth the costs while I think that same value might not be there now but the costs certainly are. Don Gates
echase: RJN825 ! Could you share with us the reason you don't believe that PBA members should beable to bowl on TEAM USA.. E. Chase
E.Chase!
I believe the exempt pro's that are now on the Team USA sqaud basically got a free pass by filling out an application form. They were voted in. They didn't have to earn those spots in a competition like past Team USA members had to.
RJN825: echase: RJN825 ! Could you share with us the reason you don't believe that PBA members should beable to bowl on TEAM USA.. E. Chase E.Chase! I believe the exempt pro's that are now on the Team USA sqaud basically got a free pass by filling out an application form. They were voted in. They didn't have to earn those spots in a competition like past Team USA members had to.
Doctor Doom: RJN825: echase: RJN825 ! Could you share with us the reason you don't believe that PBA members should beable to bowl on TEAM USA.. E. Chase E.Chase! I believe the exempt pro's that are now on the Team USA sqaud basically got a free pass by filling out an application form. They were voted in. They didn't have to earn those spots in a competition like past Team USA members had to. Randy I completely agree with you. Those spots should be earned , not awarded. What does the good amature have to strive for, 2 men's, and 2 women's spots on the team. Kind of takes the desire out of trying at all.
Yep, it's just a slap in the face to all the amatuer bowlers to see they don't really stand a chance to make Team USA when those spots were handed out like an Honorary Degree.
Doom, I was referring to the coverage on Bowl.com which was very good, very complete and timely. All this was available for every single local, every single bowling center to download and distribute to their members within bowling centers. If there was a good top to bottom system there would be people at regional and local levels who have developed relationships with the media and able to get coverage thanks to that personal relationship and the worthiness of the material they want covered.
Doom, bowling has only itself to blame for not developing those relationships at all levels. You can bet it was developing those relationships responsible, just as much as the sports themselves, that enabled the premier sports to get the coverage they get today that had very humble beginnings for all of them.
When Tom Clark got on board he made great strides in developing relationships, taking bowling's top stars along on personal visits to the movers and shakers in newspaper, tv and radio to show them just what they were missing out on by not giving bowling more respect than it gets and he had some success. The same needs to be done at local levels, work for it rather than just expect it and be disappointed when bowling does not get it.
With a good system in place the upcoming women's series on ESPN and the upcoming PBA and women's series would be getting all kinds of publicity at local levels within and outside the bowling community but that good system just does not exist for bowling. Doom, it is very evident to me and everyone else that getting much coverage in the national and local media for bowling is a tough sell but I think it is a tough sell mainly because it has not been sold.
Doom, next time you go to a local bowling center look around and see how much effort has been made to let your bowlers know about the upcoming Women's Open tv series, about the world championships where the PBA exempt players did so well. If there is not much where do you place the blame? On national for not personally tacking things up, including pictures available for the asking, on every center's bulletin board?
Is it the fault of national for local centers and associations not meeting with local outlets of companies that support bowling to get the major events in bowling some presense in those retail outlets encouraging non bowlers to tune in on some very good bowling competition?
prunenow: Doom, I was referring to the coverage on Bowl.com which was very good, very complete and timely. All this was available for every single local, every single bowling center to download and distribute to their members within bowling centers. If there was a good top to bottom system there would be people at regional and local levels who have developed relationships with the media and able to get coverage thanks to that personal relationship and the worthiness of the material they want covered. Doom, bowling has only itself to blame for not developing those relationships at all levels. You can bet it was developing those relationships responsible, just as much as the sports themselves, that enabled the premier sports to get the coverage they get today that had very humble beginnings for all of them. When Tom Clark got on board he made great strides in developing relationships, taking bowling's top stars along on personal visits to the movers and shakers in newspaper, tv and radio to show them just what they were missing out on by not giving bowling more respect than it gets and he had some success. The same needs to be done at local levels, work for it rather than just expect it and be disappointed when bowling does not get it. With a good system in place the upcoming women's series on ESPN and the upcoming PBA and women's series would be getting all kinds of publicity at local levels within and outside the bowling community but that good system just does not exist for bowling. Doom, it is very evident to me and everyone else that getting much coverage in the national and local media for bowling is a tough sell but I think it is a tough sell mainly because it has not been sold. Doom, next time you go to a local bowling center look around and see how much effort has been made to let your bowlers know about the upcoming Women's Open tv series, about the world championships where the PBA exempt players did so well. If there is not much where do you place the blame? On national for not personally tacking things up, including pictures available for the asking, on every center's bulletin board? Is it the fault of national for local centers and associations not meeting with local outlets of companies that support bowling to get the major events in bowling some presense in those retail outlets encouraging non bowlers to tune in on some very good bowling competition? Don Gates
