AMF GOING HANDICAPPED?!?!?!

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PoSsUm

Vegimite
So i have heard on the "grape vine" that AMF Junior shield has been changed to HANDICAPPED for THIS YEARS event!

Most of Vics top Youth and Young adults came through AMF Junior Shield, and look where they are now, the likes of Bec Whiting, Em Robertson, Tracey Madden James Bowles, Nathan Parlby, Chris Castle, Andrew Tonkin...

Earlier in the year this was discussed about being changed but the decision was made to keep it a SCRATCH tournament for this year at least.

All the teams have had their roll offs for this year. And i along with ALOT of other bowlers would not have even considered rolling off for our home centres if i had of known this tournament was going to be made HANDICAPPED!

How its is going to encourage the juniors to improve when it shows that having a higher handicap improves your chances of winning, and therefore, Sandbagging could develop in teams.

If i wanted to bowl in a handicapped tournament i would have happily joined my Local Intercentre team!

Chrissy
 
I agree 100%, I do not believe it is a good idea to change this to a handicapped event.
The tournament is aimed at having juniors want to improve and get better so they can be one of the top bowlers at the tournament in the following years.
So they can work towards making their team the best team.
The scratch systems encourages juniors to improve.

Laura.
 
oh and just another thing...

Are they even allowed to change the tournament rules after teams have had their roll offs?
I thought every decision about the tournament had to be finalised before any team could roll off...

chrissy
 
Couldn't have put it any better guys...
Junior shield, like Goldpin, is a massive stepping stone for kids between league, and higher competitive bowling, even the transition into adults.
I for one can guarantee that without competing in this as a young'en, that I would not have had the drive and determination to become a developed bowler and strive for bigger and better things.
A decision such as this should have been discussed between all centres after last year's event, not once each centre has decided teams off a scratch basis, let alone 3 DAYS before the competition!
The shield is designed to determine the champion centre, with each represented by their best bowlers. Why wreck such a tradition with such prestige amongst AMF, let alone the development of juniors in our state.
I strongly plead that the higher powers seriously reconsider this drastic move, as I can see a very heated manager's meeting on the cards come Saturday morning..

Emily Robertson
Junior Shield has-been and now 'disappointed' Boronia Girls Manager.
 
They couldn't change it this late last year because everyone cracked it.
So they shouldn't be allowed to this year, especially 3 days from the tournament.
& also last year they said that if it was going handicapped it had to be announced when they were doing the presentations, but it wasn't.
 
STRIKE! as in go on strike till they change it. No bowlers no Shield. Simple.

you've got bowlers with a 110 avg bowling against a person with a 200+? what if the persons with the 110 avg went to bowl 200+ with a hdcp pinfall of 300+ and their opponenet rolled a 300 and still lost that match? To me AMF's just getting worst off every year..
 
I agree with everyone's points in this discussion,
but after managing a team at junior gold pin can also see where the concerns come in.
My girls team had a strong team the whole way through even if we did have a couple of 120 average bowlers, in that competition it is still reasonable.
I think rather than having to force a handicap system on the bowlers maybe look at other ways to strengthen the tournament.
Generally centers will have a few stronger bowlers in a line up and then the weaker bowlers... Some teams are generally strong through out such as we have seen dominance from Keon Park, Boronia and Forrest Hill in the last few years.
Rather than hurting the competition of the best bowlers in the state why not simply alter it? Maybe a slight change from 7 man to 6 man teams. With 4 bowlers per game could help? It could eliminate the extremely weak links out there, and also stop demoralizing younger bowlers.
During gold pin a girl bowled 32 against our team, with about a 180 shot against her, sitting back watching I felt terrible and honestly hoped it wouldn't hurt her and we would see her back next year but it can be hard on these kids.
We need to develop the younger ones out there to become as good as our pres shield kids, but at the same time, they deserve a fair go in the competition too.

Just my say from someone who bowled the tournament for 8 years and loved it every time!
 
I thought they got the message before, might as well have it glow too and win some teddy bears for a color pin strike
 
Fair call Tarsh, but I would class the AMF Junior Intercentre as a suitable stepping stone up into Shield. It gives the kids experience in unknown centres.
From experience the buzz, adrenaline, and team support generated at shield is usually substantial to pull a bowler through a struggle, and give them enough experience to want to come back the following year, and not the reverse by deterring them.

Even at a national level, Youth was designed as bridging the rather daunting move from Juniors to Adults, achieving great success in younger bowlers continuing into Adult bowling.
I simply fear the massive gaping hole that is going to develop between mid-range juniors, to a more developed individual.

But.. In saying that, I think the biggest question here is why leave a decision so late?
 
I also agree with the posts above :)

This will be my third junior shield this weekend, and to be honest i WAS excited, but not anymore, after hearing that Junior Shield is handicapped this weekend i am considering whether or not i even want to put a ball onto the lane, this event has been around for many years and obviously seen the days of many good bowlers in Victoria, that us Juniors now look up to!

As posted before there has been many bowlers pass threw this event, one of those people that stands out to me is Emily Robertson, Emily got me into my first junior shield, As well know today Emily is one of the Best Youth bowlers in Australia, how do you think she got there? On Handicap? I dont think so.

What about the bowlers that bowl this tournament for SCRATCH competition.
This event has always been Scratch, and should remain Scratch.

AMF bowling is making a wrong decision, and unfortunately it will show on the weekend, and what are they going to do with the handicapp's? Everyone is from different centres? They bowl on different condition's? it's not equal!

And also with the roll-off's?
Every AMF centre rolled-off specifically for a SCRATCH event.
There is going to be some Boys/Girls bowling with no handicapp's!
AMF cant turn around to these Juniors and say 'well that was your choice to bowl!'
THEY OBVIOUSLY THOUGHT THEY WERE BOWLING A SCRATCH EVENT!

There were many Junior bowlers tonight that were left completely 'pissed off' with the choice AMF has made, Did they even run it by the centre's that actually make the teams to bowl this event? or do the bowler's get a say? No they didnt! Managers were left with no clue what was going on? after having Junior's ring them and tell them what was going on, AMF needs to really open there eyes and see what this is doing to the Junior competition. it's simply just pushing us away from this event.

Sarah.
 
I think it's a sign of the times, there are less higher average juniors going around and more lower average juniors.

AMF need to look after there future and not with just junior shield.

It's the lower average bowlers that make alot of tournments go ahead as well.

Alan Notman
 
I understand what your saying Alan BUT....

I dont understand how giving someone a handicap is going to make they want to strive to be a great bowler.
It gives someone the impression that they dont need to bowl well to do well cause they have their handicap to back them up.
I want to see people succeed and do well just like every other person but i just dont think there is any need for this change.

Chrissy
 
noddy said:
I think it's a sign of the times, there are less higher average juniors going around and more lower average juniors.

AMF need to look after there future and not with just junior shield.

It's the lower average bowlers that make alot of tournments go ahead as well.

Alan Notman
Click to expand...

Totally agree with your comments Alan.

This change will make for a very interesting shield. Every team will have an opportunity to be competitive.

The higher average bowlers will need to work harder to win their game.

The decision could have been communicated earlier however the writing has been on the wall.
 
So Glen if Bec was still bowling this year, you would happily see her bowl in the tournament with ZERO handicap??

Just a question?

Funny how they want to change it to a handicap tournament yet not everyone would even have a handicap...

Chrissy
 
PoSsUm said:
So Glen if Bec was still bowling this year, you would happily see her bowl in the tournament with ZERO handicap??

Just a question?

Funny how they want to change it to a handicap tournament yet not everyone would even have a handicap...

Chrissy
Click to expand...

In a word yes.

Every week in league bowlers have to bowl against bowlers with high handicaps. Just because you have to give a bowler 30 or more pins doesn't mean that you are going to lose.

Chris you are a good enough bowler to rise up and meet this challenge. If you get up there and play your own game and not worry about the handicap you will win more games than you lose.

As I said earlier this should have been communicated better.
 
AMF is a business and is looking at it's own pockets. Handicapped will get more bowlers - simple, straight out business decision.

Until people start realising that this one simple fact is the reasoning behind many of AMF's decisions we will continue to have threads like this.
 
Instead of making a major decision at the last minute to totally change the system, if something had to be changed, an idea could have been to keep it scratch, for this year anyway given the time left, but introduce average points, whether it be individual, and/or team average points. That way everyone is still rewarded for bowling well...and the centres with the more than capable bowlers to bowl scratch, and met the original format following the 'official handbook' (which I might add was actually revised only a couple of weeks ago - surely they would have had an idea then that handicap was a possibility!) aren't at a somewhat defecit before bowling a ball..
 
Can l tell you all this has not be changed. please check before posting.
Just spoke to Evelyn from amf and no it has not been changed.
 
Guys,
I've also had a call from Evelyn, the shield is remaining the same, with separate incentives for the younger bowlers.
Once explained it is a logical move, and no major change has happened. The tradition will remain.
If anyone's got any queries, to please contact Ev directly, at her office at Moorabbin.
 
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