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Post by guest on Nov 2, 2007 20:12:19 GMT -8
I know everyone has talked about increasing membership but from what I see it is just talk, nothing is being done. I looked at Lava Lanes for flyers and there was nothing and the tournament was there. Now we are 2 weeks away from the Eugene tournament and I still don't have my entry. I would think that people are making plans and if the tournament isn't part of that participation is going to do nothing but drop. I just can't figure it out something so simple and it cant even be done.
Now so I don't get accused of bashing I will also give the SOAS the fixes to the problems.
Problem: Participation Fix: 1. Mail out entries as soon as possible like the week after a tournament to ensure we give people enough notice to fit it in their schedules. 2. Have banners made for each center we bowl at so that we could be visible for the whole year. On the banner have the dates and the tour sponsors. This would give our sponsors much more visiblity and maybe we could get more companies to advertise with us. 3. Have flyers sent to EVERY center in the SOAS boundries to attract NEW bowlers to partcipate in our tournament. 4. Write public service announcements that can be sent to the radio stations, T.V. and newspapers in the area that we are going to be bowling at. There is nothing like having your organization being mentioned in the media for nothing, I'm sure the sponsors would like this.
These are just a few things off the top of my head that the SOAS could do but now lets see if these thoughts are bashed or honestly looked at to increase participation.
SOAS Member
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Post by meltdown on Nov 3, 2007 8:00:40 GMT -8
Sometimes it is hard to see the forest through the trees. We as an organization have looked into just about every problem or possible reasons why numbers are down. I have talked to many bowlers who used to bowl allstars that do not participate any longer to see what the reason might be. I have also talked to individuals in the Medford area to get thier take as well. Very surprisingly the same explanation came up......Many mid level bowlers have realized that they do not have the skills to compete on the tougher shots and do not wish to travel to bowl 5 games of frustration and head back home humbled and broke. This is a very sensitive area for myself for a couple of reasons.
I used to bowl or practice 6 days a week and I made cuts in 70% of the tournaments that I went to. My business began to grow and grow as to where I barely have time for my family and as a result my practice time is down to 3 games of league a week. The reason I am saying this is because I feel as though I have become a consistent donator like many others that the SOAS depend on and the view changes dramatically in reguards to having fun bowling or grinding it out to make the cut. I will be the first to say that I was really pissed when a house shot was put out for Grand Finals or the cut at a stop was 149 over but I have finally seen the view from the other side. Most People want to strike and be in the pocket...That can only happen on a house shot!!!
I know that this is a catch22...I know that this is not the reason for quality bowlers like Steffen.Bieghler,Taylor,Henley,Bauman (to name a few ) for not attending all stops. I am just stating that the larger % of bowlers who make up the SOAS (210 house bowler) would prefer to miss the cut averaging 212 instaed of 188.
Please don't kill the messenger on this theory. I have done a lot of work trying to figure out what the main problem might be. In doing so it opened my eyes a bit, I was surprised at some of the bowlers who would prefer a house shot over a PBA shot.
As a board member I feel that I had to do something. i will not defend any comments to this thread based on the fact that I am only stating what I have come to learn in talking to people. I have had the pleasure of feeling the ultimate high in winning and the constant low of losing so I am on the fence with this one.
Dave G
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Post by castaway on Nov 3, 2007 13:47:14 GMT -8
First to the guest, We would love the help!! Since you have some good ideas are you interested in helping? Or are we just stating the ovious! If you want to get involved contact Jason or any other board member and help put your words into action. Wynn Dave, great post and i have also been in touch with previous members to find out why they have stoped. Your anyalze is very accurate. I feel another reason is comradere is not the same as in past years,not with everyone,but the consant state of unrest has taken a toll. We bowl for fun and to be competitive. Win some lose some but at the end of the day we laugh at tirades(Jim Brockbank at epicenter G.F)and at personal melt downs to pick each other up for the next go round. Always remember with out a group of friends there will never be priceless stories!! Example, 24 games in G.F without shooting 200 and trying!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Wynn
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Post by guest2 on Nov 3, 2007 15:07:25 GMT -8
(reply to guest) golly gee mister, you mean someone actually has to put out an effort to advertise and notify ahead of time to get people to come bowl? boy have i had the wrong idea all this time, ;D
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Post by bionicbowler on Nov 4, 2007 21:28:16 GMT -8
I notice you guy's seem to be quick to criticize and slow to participate. I mean like become a board member and help to change what you don't like. I also mean to talk to fellow bowlers and bring them along to a few tournaments and help to get entries up that way. I really believe if everyone would quit b*tching and start helping things would get better. As to conditions I heard in previous years when all the houses put up house shots that the people you call mid-level players were not bowling because they could average 210 and never cash. Now we hear we don't like averaging 185 and never cash. Seems as though no matter what is done it is wrong. In my opinion i think we the board or the bowlers should have no say in what the shot will be. I say leave it up to the house manager or owner and he/she should tell no one what the shot will be. Keep everyone in the dark till the tournament starts and may the best man/woman win that day. This takes this one bone of contention off the board. I don't know what everyone else is thinking but I for one do not bowl in these tournaments to make a living. It is for the camaraderie and the competition and bragging rights for a month or so. So as a charter member of this group I say shut up and bowl. Also I see Dave g. and Wynn signed their posts but others haven't please let us know who you are so we can have a dialog with you. It's easy to spout off when no one knows who you are. Bob K.
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Post by cookiemonster on Nov 4, 2007 21:48:26 GMT -8
I think we have turned this rock over and looked at it from most every angle and now we must move on and bowl. The cord that ties and unites us is the camaraderie. The more we publicly air this out the more that camaraderie risks being eroded. I believe that if someone has anything that smells looks or feels like a criticism should speak directly to Jason and the board in private. Refer to my post about counseling in private and praising in public- it truly was worth all the crap that comes with 20 years in the military and the bad lessons of leadership from people who did otherwise and never realized their true talent as leaders. I firmly believe that Jason and the board want what is best for the SOAS organization. That said there are constraints-advertising cost money and only comes from bowler's being charged more or more advertiser's stepping up with larger wallets. Tom Cook
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Post by mccleary on Nov 5, 2007 11:23:13 GMT -8
Thank you Mike for your concern with SOAS. I think you have some very valid points, however not every idea is as easy to implement as it seems when the idea is just being talked about with a few bowlers from one area. Entry forms for this tournament were available at the last stop and have already been mailed out for the upcoming tournament to over a dozen centers and to those SOAS members who had not either signed up or who picked one up at the last stop.
It is my belief (and one that is shared by others on the board and other soas members) that lower participation in SOAS is due to a variety of reasons that generally come back to two points - They either aren't enjoying themselves or they are unwilling to spend the amount of money it takes to travel & bowl. I think that generally, most of the scratch bowlers who live in Southern Oregon know about SOAS and are aware of the schedule and how to contact another bowler, host center, board member or myself to get added to the mailing list or to get information regarding SOAS through the website.
Spending $1500 to $2000 of our added money to make 8-10 banners and then trying to convince every host center to display them throughout the year (no guarentee by the way) might increase exposure, but might have a very small impact on entries and could end up being a negative to the rest of our bowlers if they considered it a waste of resources. IF we could raise enough sponsorship money, there are plenty ways we could increase exposure (color poster-sized schedules for the centers, t-shirts, pocket-sized tri-fold schedules for all Southern Oregon scratch bowlers, etc...). However, with energy costs way up and the housing market in the dumps, there are not exactly a long line of sponsors beating our door down to hand us money and currently there aren't very many volunteers within SOAS to go out and spend a healthy portion of their free time to chase down sponsors for the good of an organization that has been spending way too much of it's time constantly defending its position on just about every topic imaginable.
I have spoken with alot of bowlers regarding SOAS, comparing what is working at some touranments and what is going wrong with SOAS and there just aren't any easy answers or any quick fixes. I will continue to speak with the SOAS board and we will continue to do what we feel is best for the organization.
Lastly, I will get ahold of the Register Guard's sports department and see if we can't get some kind of publicity for the upcoming tournament.
Jason
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Post by beavuck on Nov 7, 2007 8:55:02 GMT -8
Being a Charter member of SOAS I thought I could respond to "participation". One reason for lack of participation could be trying to change something that wasn't broken, ie participation for gathering points to bowl Grand Finals. It used to be almost a must to bowl all tournaments to accumulate enough points to make a GF appearence. I don't wanna say I told you so but, "I told you so." To have to bowl only a few tournaments to make GF's took the incentive out of participation. Some of the bowlers pushing that idea were ones who could make it to GF's without bowling all the tournaments. The Klamath falls stops are going to be the biggest affected as They require a trip over the hill.
I no longer bowl but I still have an affection for the game and the competiton. The SOAS was and still is a great oufit. Bowl for the fun and competition.
My thought of a possible fix... Open the SOAS to all bowlers and go back to a points system that would require participation or some d**n good bowling. Even if it was expanded to allow all bowlers who entered every tournament to bowl in the grand finals. Or, a mixture of high points and participation. Something along these lines would require participation.
Lonnie Sanborn
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Post by twoeightyone on Nov 13, 2007 16:24:20 GMT -8
"Non-Bowling Conduct: Any player who publicly discusses the sponsor, host establishment, lane conditions or pins, employees of the host establishment, fellow players, or SOAS officers in an unfavorable manner, including posts on the SOAS website message board, or who otherwise engages in actions unbecoming a member of the Southern Oregon All Stars will incur a Conduct Violation. For each Conduct Violation, a fine will be assessed by the Tournament Director, Sergeant-at-Arms, or Board of Directors. Any bowler receiving two Conduct Violations in one season must appear before the Board of Directors for possible disciplinary action. This also includes Bowling Conduct Violations, discussed below."
This quote from the new rules could be an attorney's nightmare. Suggestion for increasing participation: Allow people to 'walk-in' & bowl on sunday morning without signing up so early. All other local scratch tourneys allow this. The small amount of extra work would more than justify for the added entries. Try it, you'll like it!
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Post by mccleary on Nov 13, 2007 22:19:54 GMT -8
We do allow bowlers to "walk in and bowl". We just prefer that if bowlers know that they are going to bowl in advance, that they let us know - this makes things easier for the tournament directors and check in will take less time.
In regards to the rule regarding non-bowling conduct, our rule is very similiar to the rule in the PBA handbook for PBA members. It would not be a legal nightmare at all, we are a private club and can make and enforce our rules as such. Asking our members to act in a professional manner is not an overly complicated or unreasonable request - many sports organizations have rules regarding acceptable and non-acceptable behavior.
Jason
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Post by twoeightyone on Nov 15, 2007 10:02:26 GMT -8
I'm well aware of what you 'allow' & 'permit'. I was trying to make a suggestion to improve participation. I did not suggest anything that all of the other NW bowling associations do not practice.
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Post by mccleary on Nov 15, 2007 10:59:49 GMT -8
Frank,
I am confused. If you say you already knew that we allow bowlers to sign up on the day of the tournament, why did you post that we should allow it? Any eligible bowler may sign up for the tournament on Sunday morning, but as I stated above we just prefer if someone knows in advance that they are going to bowl that they let us know, it is just a common courtesy - one that most bowling organizations prefer.
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Post by twoeightyone on Nov 16, 2007 11:58:51 GMT -8
As 'Global Moderator' can I assume you have access to ALL the information I asked to be hidden?
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snead
Junior Member
I hope they're dry.........cause I need them to be!
Posts: 65
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Post by snead on Nov 16, 2007 12:21:45 GMT -8
He also gets the commander dice for taking territories in all five continents on a single turn (And yes I realize there seven continents, but it's a RISK thing Can we be done with littering the participation post with random thoughts about playing rules/code of conduct and board moderator acces to the message board? Does this have anything to do with bowling? Please let someone b*tch about the blue background on the website being discriminatory against people with certain types of color-blindness. There opportunities to compete in a scratch bowling events has been on the decline over the past decade- If you would like to come and compete/learn to get better and spend the day with your friends/make new friends...............do so, and encourage others to do the same- activities are always more fun with people you know/are friends with- (Hylton: ready for a rematch ?) SIGNED: RICK ALLEN SNEAD 541-740-7470 (2007 Bulwinkles mini-golf doubles champion- special thanks to Micheal Breshears for making dreams come true )
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Post by breshears24 on Nov 17, 2007 8:36:11 GMT -8
snead you got lucky at bullwinkles in 2007 you towin because i broke my putter on the bridge on hole number 6 and I had to use it the rest of the match so there will be a re-match
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