What's New

August 25, 2009

21 Years And Legal!

Welcome back everyone! Once again, summer has flown by and we embark on our 21st season. Can you believe it! Where has the time gone? Each year we extend our record as the longest continuous running tournament organization in the history of the state of Wisconsin. As always, I hope that you and your families had a safe and enjoyable off-season. Summer was not what we expected and all too short. Let’s hope the 2009-10 season is as special for you as it will be for me.

Let’s Get Acquainted!

As most of you already know, the ABT is not for everyone. Again we will open with a “Get Acquainted” tournament open to anyone who wants to bowl without paying the membership fee.

This year we will open our 21st season at New Berlin Bowl August 29-30. Since its opening, this center has become so popular with bowlers that will may be one of the few opportunities for us to schedule a tournament.

This tournament will be open to all bowlers, members and non-members alike. Guests will pay the on-site entry fee of $37.00. Prepay for members will be $35.00.

Any bowler who has bowled the ABT within the past 5 years is not considered a guest and must rejoin.

All events this season will be Combination Singles events. Classic bowlers will qualify against Classic bowlers, and Masters bowlers will compete against Masters. Semi-finals will be one division. Handicap will be 70% of 225. Bowlers with a non-verifiable average will bowl at 225. Guests will not be eligible for only the Optional Single Game Pots. 1 in 5 entries will cash. No Progressive Pots will be offered. Bonus Bucks will be available for each division.

Non-members who cash will have the $30.00 membership fee deducted from their winnings and will receive $5.00 OFF every entry for the remainder of the season. If you bring in a bowler and they cash, you will receive credit toward your lifetime membership.

Remember, you can only receive credit if your name is on the application at the time it is submitted and the guest becomes a member. No credit is given until the bowler joins the ABT. No credit is given for bowlers who were former members and rejoin the ABT. Bring in as many friends as you’d like, the more, the merrier!

New Member Promotion

Bowlers who wish to join the ABT between now and Oct. 14, will receive $5.00 off each entry for the remainder of the season. This includes all re-entries. The more you bowl throughout the season, the more it will save. This promotion will run through October 18^th.

Big Money at AMF Bowlero

The Classic Progressive Pot has grown to offer in excess of $2,300 for full participation. Since the bigger money seems to attract those members who are not regular participants, the Board of Directors has authorized the following policy for people who show up only for these type of events.

Please read carefully.

In order to be eligible for the 80% amount, you must have bowled at least one Singles event since March 1.

If you bowled at least one Singles event between Jan. 1 and March 1, you may participate at the 60% level.

If you bowled at least one Singles event last season prior to Jan. 1 you will be allowed to enter at the 40% level.

New bowlers and those who did not participate last season will only be allowed to enter at the 20% level.

The Board does not feel it is fair to have someone who has invested little or nothing into the tournaments during the season to be eligible to win all the big money. Advance reservations for this event are highly recommended.

New Schedule Enclosed.

Check the enclosed schedule to see which tournaments fit your schedule. It is becoming increasingly difficult to schedule evening squads. The revenue generated by Moonlight, Extreme and Rock-N-Bowl is more than the ABT can replace.

You will notice no late squads. Until we can exceed our lane capacity during the day, will not have evening squads. To offset this loss, Sunday 1st time entry will be reduced to just $5.00 extra.

With reduced squad times, reservations will become more important. I will no longer put more than 5 per pair until the last squad.

Just because we may be at a bigger center, it doesn't mean that we get all the lanes. Don’t be surprised if you don’t reserve and there is no room. If you have a reservation, you must be present at least 15 minutes before the scheduled start time. If someone is holding a spot for you, it will be given away if you are not present 10 minutes ahead of time.

What's New?

With the economy in a slow down, I have once again resisted raising the entry fees. For the moment, there will be NO INCREASE in the entry fees.

The average cut-offs will remain at 199 and under for the Classic, 200 and above for the Masters.

Handicap for all bowlers will now be based on 70% of 225. This is being done for a couple of reasons.

The one handicap system has made events easier to run and faster to compile standings. It also allows running of one Pot Game system. Fees for all Optional Pot Games will remain the same.

The Classic 300 Pot was changed to a 305 Pot. The increase in handicap dictated this change.

Separate Bonus Bucks and Progressive Pots will remain the same.

Although the National Policy is 1 in 6 entries cash, we will remain at 1 in 5 entries cashing. We believe there is no reason to change at the present time. The number of qualifying games will also remain the same.

NSF (non-sufficient funds) fees will remain at $60.00 for each check, credit or debit card not honored by your financial institution at the time it is presented. Legal action will be taken against anyone failing to honor their obligation.

Check-in for the semi-finals will remain ½ hr. before the semi’s are scheduled to begin (normally 11:30 a.m.).

New and rejoin membership is $30.00 and membership renewals are $25.00. Lifetime members who have not bowled at least once in the past 3 years will be required to pay a $10.00 fee to reactivate their membership.

Last Season in Review

Membership continues to remain fairly consistent with new members and renewals. By combining divisions we have helped insure successful events. Our best event was King Pin Lanes in March where we had 137 entries.

We still rank in the top 5 of all ABT divisions. Only Chicagoland and Denver (two much larger markets) consistently draw more bowlers.

Remember, there are only 5 million residents in the state. Many divisions are located in markets bigger than that. And when you break down, entries vs. population, the Milwaukee division is at or near the top.

Board of Directors

Nominations for the new Board of Directors will be accepted now through the anniversary tournament Oct. 24-25.

The current Board consists of Frank Fisher, Richard Phillips, Curtis Rozanske and Steve Terlecki.

They represent you and have been instrumental in dealing with situations that arise each season. I can’t begin to tell you how much of a difference they have made in some difficult situations. They all know how I feel about their involvement, and I want you to know what an excellent job they have done.

Now That’s Support

Once again, I want to extend a special thanks to some special bowlers. These bowlers have supported the ABT above and beyond expectations. To be eligible, bowlers may not miss more than 1 event (including doubles). Since Doubles events are only two games, you must bowl at least twice to receive credit for an event bowled. Re-entries do no

doubles). Since Doubles events are only two games, you must bowl at least twice to receive credit for an event bowled. Re-entries do no count extra.

The following bowlers did not miss an event last year and will receive $10.00 off each entry this season. They are: Ray Bartman, Don Bergmann, Connie Kolp, Mike Kolp, Rick Maniaci, Steve Terlecki and Dawn Terlecki.

Missing just one event and receiving $5.00 off each entry were Tim Byron, Joe Jones and Todd Reiger.

Bowlers who bowled in 20 or more events will receive $5.00 off all re-entries. They are: Cory Mey, Bill Palmer and Curtis Rozanske and Lee Tiegs.

Thanks to all of our supporters, especially to those above.

National News

The sponsorship agreement with Storm Bowling Products has been renewed and enhanced with their Roto Grip line of products.

Information will be available for the National Tournament at our tournament sites soon.

Sanction Cards

As the new season begins you need to remember to sanction with your league or get an affiliate card from the ABT. As of this date, affiliate cards are now $21.00.

If you sanction through your league, remember to ask your secretary to give you a receipt. Last year’s cards will be honored until Oct.1 since all leagues do not start at the same time. After Oct. 1 no checks will be handed out without a 2009-10 sanction card.

ABT dues are not the same as USBC sanctioning!

Bowler Appreciation

Congratulations to our Bowler Appreciation winner Debbie Muehl. The title was her fourth.

The event drew 112 entries with 32 members receiving checks. That translates to 1 in 3.5 bowlers cashing. It doesn’t get much better than that.

Thanks to all participants.

Newsletter On-Line

It looks as if many of you are already accessing the web site for tournament information. This should help reach those bowlers who move and forget to tell me.

Well, I think I’ve rambled on long enough.

I don’t know what our 21st season has in store for us, but I am excited and hope you are too!

Thanks for your past support. The ABT wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you. I look forward to seeing you all soon.

February 27, 2009

Dear Bowlers,

After debating the pros and cons of the following decision, and by listening to your concerns over the past couple of years, I and your Board of Directors, have come up with an idea that we feel that could have a positive impact on our organization almost immediately.

The Problem?

I don’t have to tell you what has happened with the economy. Everyone across the country seems to have been affected by the down turn. And we are no exception. I am sure that you have noticed entries decreasing across the board for the past year. And I do not see a noticeable turn around in the near future.

The survival of the ABT in Milwaukee is my greatest concern. I have experienced cycles like this before and have weathered the storm. I, along with your support, will weather this one too. But in order to help insure this, some changes have become necessary. We do have a couple of options. One would be to increase the entry fees. Another would be to reduce the cashing ratio to 1 in 6, which would in turn increase the amount of money you receive back when you cash. However, if entries do not increase, this increase would be minimal. I do not wish to do either one at this time. I don’t feel this would have a positive effect on our organization. Some may not agree with the idea, but all we ask is that you give it a chance before making your final decision.

The Solution?

Effective Feb. 1, 2009, ALL singles events, unless otherwise noted, will be a Combination Singles with a minimum $500 1^st place paid at each event.

Entry Fee will be $45.00 prepaid and $47.00 on-site for all bowlers.

For the remainder of this season, there will continue to be separate qualifying for the Classic and Masters. This will be re-evaluated at the end of the season.

1 – 5 entries will cash.

Optional pot games and brackets will remain the same.

Optional Bonus Bucks will continue to be offered in both divisions.

Optional Progressive Pots will be offered in each division. I will add $500 to insure that the Masters full progressive pot will pay $400 at the first event. This pot will begin to grow once the original $500 has been recovered.

There will be only 1 Pre-paid game and series award. The award will be paid out regardless of which division the award comes from. It will be a minimum of $50 and increase based upon the number of late on-site entries.

The Logic?

All bowlers, regardless of average, who bowl regularly are just as important to our existence. The logic is that with a lower entry fee, we may attract more Masters entries. Keep in mind that just because a bowler is in the Masters, it doesn’t mean that their average is a higher (over 200) average. We have many bowlers averaging less than 200 that choose to bowl in the Masters and each week have no idea of what they could win but are paying a higher entry fee. For a variety of reasons, they choose to remain in that Division. Now everyone will know what they could win each week.

Separate qualifying will have little or no effect on how many Classic bowlers advance to the semi-finals. With only one winner each week, it is hoped that the Progressive Pots in both divisions will grow larger faster. This means more money to be won by everyone. In theory that would mean more bowlers. In theory that would translate into a higher base prize fund. And that, in theory, would mean more bowlers. Thus, the snowball could continue to grow.

The Results?

No one knows what the end result will be. I realize that this move may not be popular with all bowlers. But we feel it is worth a try, and I think a better option than the others I noted earlier. Once again, if you are among the skeptics, I ask that you give it a chance before making your decision. Our format has proven that on any given day, someone will bowl the best regardless of their average, handicap or scoring conditions. I thank all of you for your support over the years and look forward to many more years of success. Together we will weather the downturn and continue to prove that there is a market for the Amateur Bowlers Tour in Milwaukee.

Thank you for your continued support we and hope to see you soon.