October 12, 2007

By: Mark Martin

USBC SUMMIT

The United States Bowling Congress recently convened a summit of over 200 local and state association leaders to receive input from the field.

USBC’s national leadership invited state and local association leaders to attend an open exchange of ideas intended to develop a clearer picture of roles and responsibilities each level of leadership should assume in the future in an effort to support USBC’s vision of growing the sport.

“We’re not here to take a vote,” USBC Chief Operating Officer Kevin Dornberger told the group. “We’re going to gather all of the input and see what we can do to move our sport forward. What I can promise is that we’re note going to send an issue to a committee and wait a year and a half if we can take action now to address it.”

Some of the conclusions were that state associations should spend more time communicating with local associations, helping to develop coaching programs, offering training programs, and promoting high school and youth bowling programs.

State associations should spend less time working on awards programs that duplicate local and/or national awards, dealing with mandated “paperwork”, verifying the membership status of women bowlers and defending antiquated “the way we’ve always done it” mentality.

Improving relationships with proprietors, promoting bowling to the grassroots public, doing a better job of contacting bowlers who have given up the sport, working more closely with other community-based charity and civic organizations and developing mentoring programs for youth are items that local associations should be spending more time on.

What should locals devote less time to? Non-productive paperwork, holding non-productive meetings, processing awards, verifying averages for tournament bowlers, defending the past/resisting the future and relying on non-performing board members.

USBC President Jeff Bojé addressed the group and concluded, “We heard you say you don’t want to be stuck in all the bureaucracy and paperwork. You have said you want to be more involved in the sport, inside the centers, involved in coaching and working with the kids. We heard the states say they want to be more of a resource to the locals.”

“The next step is taking the information to the USBC Board in October. The USBC staff is going to consolidate all of the input and together we’re going to formulate a strategy. We’re not going to form a task force and this about it. We’re going to figure out what we can and should do immediately, and implement those things,” said Bojé.

“The Summit was a candid, productive project,” Bojé added. “It was clear to me that our associations understand our mission of growing the sport and they want to play a more active role in supporting that goal.”

------

HONOR SCORES

300 Games

Date, Name, Hometown, Center, League

Sept. 26, Keith Marchel, Bruce, Bowl One Lanes, Wednesday Night Men

Oct. 3, Jeffrey Grego, Waterford Twp., 300 Bowl, Pontiac Motor Inter Office

Oct. 3, Charles Mathews, Clarkston, Century Bowl, Barhoppers

Oct. 5, Edward Kaer, Waterford Twp., Airway Lanes, Westside Merchants

Oct. 5, Marcus Giles III, Madison Hts., Fairlanes, St. Cletus Men’s

Oct. 8, David Paull, Davisburg, Airway Lanes, Pop’s Comets

Oct. 8, Brock Heichel, Oxford , Cherry Hill Lanes North, Dixie All Stars

Oct. 8, Charles Turner, Farmington Hills , Cloverlanes, TCAC Mixed

Oct. 9, George Holt, Southfield , Plum Hollow Lanes, Tuesday Mixed Foursome

800 Series

Date, Name (Score), Hometown, Center, League

Oct. 5, Marcus Giles III (844), Madison Hts., Fairlanes, St. Cletus Men’s

Mark Martin writes a weekly bowling column on Fridays for The Daily Oakland Press and is the association manager of the Metro Detroit USBC Association. He can be reached at (248) 443-2695, faxed at (248) 443-2690 or e-mailed at mark.martin@mdusbc.com.