Is it time to redesign the Nationals?

[wchester]

This year the Nationals drew a paltry 196 bowlers on the male side and only 135 ladies made the trip to Altona to compete in what should be a PRESTIGE EVENT for Australian bowlers.

I believe the time is right for the entire Nationals event to be revamped with a number of classifications dropped.

A grand total of 48 seniors entered, and were spread amongst four different average classifications in both the men's and the women's all-events side. That meant there were eight championship titles awarded for just 48 bowlers. I'm all for the seniors being recognised for their bowling, but the numbers don't justify a separate division.

On the younger side of the championships, there were twelve all-events champions crowned with only 291 bowlers competing. In one extreme case, the only entry in men's "D" classification was awarded a championship title. This same thing happened TWICE in the senior division.

What I'm proposing is a major change to the event. Do away with the current classifications and pare it down to just two, OPEN AND CLASSIFIED and allow bowlers to have only one entry per event.

This will result in more prestige and recognition for the tournament itself, which in time will lead to increased participation numbers and will come to be regarded as more than just another multiple entry event.

 

[wchester]

Please post any suggestions, which you feel may improve the Nationals tournament. Looking at the names of this years entrants, I was hard pressed to find to find more than just a few bowlers from anywhere outside of the metropolitan centres.....We need all bowlers to be made aware of the Australian National Championships, after all it's the sport for everyone, not just the elite.

 

[Shoey]

one event restriction NO!!!!!!

Getting all organisations to bowl the one national event YES!!!!!!!

shoey

 

[Andrew S.]

Change the Rachuig format to mirror the Seniors, and combine the Junior Nationals and the Adult Nationals.

Re-introduce De Veer with State selected teams. There are lots of ways to fix the confusion problem. If its handled properly no-one need think a lower average bowler is a true State rep.
(Blaming the ASC for its demise is no excuse for abandoning a successful concept.)

And if you're reading this TBA, what ever happened to my suggestion of ranking points for State Masters events?

 

[Jasonguru]

I believe that if you want to attract more bowlers to the sports' main event, then this is how:

1. Reset the gradings to reduce by 1 grade only. Not feasible to have only 2 divisions, as this doesnt encompass the average bowler in the country. It is unreasonable to expect a 120 avg bowler to bowl 600 series each and every squad to be competitive.

2. From what i have read about DeVeer, it MUST return to a restricted, state selected format. Nobody should have any influence over this format whatsoever. Rachuig bowlers have their event, and the average bowler MUST have something to aspire to. If you have that in place, i mean a purpose, then entries for the sports' showcase event will increase dramatically. Just because i have a 210 avg doesnt mean i can say well, you can have this and cant have that. The nats is supposed to be for all bowlers.

3. The COST!!!!! The reason why numbers declined so much over the years is all due to cost. It is very expensive to bowl at a state chanps, let alone an event in another state. It would cost the average bowler around $1500 per person, by the time you add up plane and accom, entry fees, which are way too high IMO, and other expenses.

4. The fees. From what i have heard, the cost to bowl in 1 event is around $25 - $30 (am unsure exactly, somebody please confirm for me), if this is accurate then this ridiculous. The TBA should be running the event at a line cost that the centre that has successfully tendered at, and a very small margin placed onto that so that the cost would be around 25% less than the above figure approx. The fees for the masters are way too high and the prize pool should be supplemented with sponsorship, especially being a flagship event. This is where the marketing dept is cruelly letting the sport down in a BIG way.

5. Market the event. Actually advertise the event by at least making colourful A2 or A3 posters that are sent out to every centre in Australia. Advertise it to the bowling community so they know 1st hand, when and where it is on!!!! Most bowlers dont know until it is too late where and when. Make a BIGGER deal or the MAIN EVENT!!!


That is how you structure the flagship event. Make it more affordable to the average bowler, give them incentive (ie something alike to deveer or as it was), make it more affordable to the elite bowler (ie rachuig) as then you will have truly the best of the best representing their state, as all bowlers at the end of the day, spend the bulk of their cost on the travel and accom to get there just to compete.

And for christ sake, tell everyone way in advance when and where it is and how much it will be for ALL entries. TBA, make people informed and you will get the return you are looking for. Bowlers, support your flagship event and then you will get the return from the governing body you are looking for.

It's that simple guys

 

[grumpie]

I agree with the one attempt per event idea - like it used to be.

Not sure that the grading should be just open and classic(??) not sure Wayne what you meant by Classified.

I agree that it may need revamping though as I believe (and correct me if I am wrong) that the gradings were done many years ago when the averages were not as high in the country.

Need to look at what grades are getting small entries and either redesign the gradings or promote the event more to those bowlers who fall in those categories?

I must admit that when I have bowled the Nationals I looked to see what events I can enter. I personally wouldn't travel interstate to bowl just an all events.

Liz

 

[Shoey]

why one attempt per event????

we travelled by car from tamworth to Melbourne to play and i can tell you now a 2400km road trip for a one attempt per event regime would have meant no road trip.

its seem ridiculous to be trying to get people to come up with ideas to increase participation and get people to travel to the nationals as our premier event yet to restrict the number of entries a person can make in their grade just doesn't seem right to me if you want participation.

as i said before, get all factions under the one umberella and all attending the one place and i reckon participation problem solved.

cheers
Shoey

 

[JWhitty]

To add a little more balance to this thread, uninformed guesses don't help.

I agree with jasonguru in that it's expensive, I didn't make the trip myself mainly due to cost, but there's no real profit margin built in there. I don't believe nationals ran much in the black until recent years under Mr Coburn's guidance - I could be wrong - but to be fair to TBA it isn't just a matter of paying for lineage. Anybody seen the sums this year? My guess is it was red again - too few entries to support it...

I don't think it's the cost, as much as the value, that is at issue. I would pay the $100 for all events without real qualms, it's the other $1000 to get down there that's my problem - where's the cross selling? Other events that I could participate in? My average is too high for the classic cup, masters has so few qualifying spots, there's nothing else to do.

I like the idea of the holiday package, but I don't see how that'd happen without a lot of support from the local tourism organisation. I might be more inclined to have gone to Melbourne for a weeks holiday and bowl for 3 squads during that.

 

[mannah]

I agree with Grumpie. This is the first year we have not travelled to Nationals in 7 years instead going over to Holt & ATBSO and bowling an All events in Holt, Restricted Skins event, ATBSO all events, ATBSO Restricted Cup, ATBSO restricted challenge. All up about 48 games over the two and a bit weeks we were there. Won some money, bowled lots of different events and this is what we want to do - not just an All events.
Cost for 19 days was over $4500 for two of us which included a hire car(for 8 days), ATBSO team for 10 days etc. Normal squad entry fee was $28 per squad.
We looked at going to the Nationals to do the Restricted Cup and All Events. As the last team squad to qualify for Restricted Cup was 4 days prior (although apparently this was able to be changed once you were there and could do your team events at other times I did not know this was able to be done). Squad entry fee at $30 per event. Just over $2,800 for two of us for a week or $3672 if we entered DeVeer.
As we could not field teams of 5 men or 5 women from our Centre we could not enter the DeVeer Challenge (even if we wanted to) Maybe mixed team
but again did not know this was available even though it appears to have happened. Also appears that changes were made that bowlers did not have to be from the same Centre or Association. Why weren't we told-appears changes made at last minute to try to get enough to run Challenge.
Suggestion for Nationals:
* TBA be reasonable and listen to bowlers. Ensure squad times match events ie at least one team squad the day before or even the morning of the last day for qualifying to Masters events to reduced wasted days waiting around with no events to bowl in.
* Let bowlers know of changes to entry requirements ie not from same Centre, mixed teams etc.
* Large posters advertising Nationals. We personally put notices up on the Notice Board at our Centre saying entry forms available at front desk but were lost among all the other centre promotional materials (which are brightly coloured and attractive).
* Reclassify grades - lots in A grade and Classic but few in lower levels.
* Return DeVeer (or Holt) as a Zone vs Zone challenge
* Return Intercentre Cup challenge
* Replace some not-so-popular squad times with other various events ie Skins and Restricted Skins
* Advertise and Market this event.
Like others have said the main costs are travel and accommodation.

 

[Shadows Fall]

Personally I would like to see Rachuig return to the petersen points system, that way it places much more emphasis on sparing etc.

Instead of the current system where you can bowl a 280 and lose and get diddly squat for it, as opposed to the petersen points system where even though you wouldn;t get the head to head point you would still earn your team 5.4 points approx.

I think this rewards the most consistently peforming teams and places more importance on team work and never giving in right to the last shot as an extra spare, strike or pin could be enough to earn another point and perhaps place in a medal position.

I really think this should be seriously considered.

Cheers

Steve

 

[JWhitty]

I don't believe nationals ran much in the black until recent years under Mr Coburn's guidance - I could be wrong - but to be fair to TBA it isn't just a matter of paying for lineage.

CLARIFY: That was a plug for Peter, read it as "I don't believe nationals ran much in the black until recent years, when Mr Coburn turned it around out of the red"

Peter took a pretty ugly ledger and made it balance