Major announcement regarding a National Sport Series Tournament

[Jase]

Total Bowling has secured a Significant Major sponsor for a Tournament to be held on the Gold Coast in the Early New year…Maybe mid February…

The sponsor is a member of the site and has asked to remain anonymous for now…We are going to run a SPORT SERIES Tournament …“Sport Series National Final” or something to that effect…We would like it to be some kind of finale to the States that are running sport pattern events at the moment…In no way shape or form would it be closed off to just those competitors but the idea behind it is to invite or for the top 10 ten on points from each of the competing states, to get spots in this event…the rest of the positions can be taken up by other bowlers throughout Australia and New Zealand…

Perhaps each of those states can try and fund away to get the top ten entries paid into this event, (anyway that’s more food for thought)…

What we are looking for is suggestion of formats and costing’s for not just the top end Bowlers but also for the lower average or “fringe” type of bowler…We want them to compete in such events also…

There is no reason that Entries to this cannot hit over 100 if it’s something that you would be interested in please leave us your thought’s here and also ideas on how you would like it to be played out…

This Event will go ahead and looks like it has the possibility to becoming a Major event to be held on the Gold Coast every year if made a success early…

 

[ratty133]

FANTASTIC IDEA JASE!

I am sorting out a way to send our top 10 from WA over to this event. Would be a fantastic experience. How long are you looking at having it run over? A weekend? A week? and how many patterns etc?

You could have a teams, doubles, singles and masters events as well. The possibilities for this event are endless. If you need any help with it, give me ayell and ill be happy to help out.

Matt Watson

 

[C.Carney]

One suggestion if you are thinking that there may be over 100 entry’s you could have 12 games qualifying cut to the top 40 play 5 more games on the 2nd day then cut to the to 24 or 18 and have a two game elimination final. Similar to the masters it would make for a existing final day.

Just a suggestion.

 

[Deadman Inc]

Jase this would be a great opportunity to trial international formats here in Australia. I would like the idea of having 6 games qualifying with unlimited re-entries as they do on the European Tour. The tournament scene in Australia badly needs an injection of new exciting formats and trialling formats used on the EBT or PBA is the way to go. I'm sure tournament bowlers in this country are tired of having the same old 12 games qualifying then matchplay with the bowler with highest pinfall wins. It's time for Tenpin Bowling in Australia to move on by adopting international style formats.

Well thats my two cents worth..........may the force be with you.

 

[farma]

Jase

Sounds like a great idea, and something that I would definitely be a starter for, subject to timing. I would love to see a format similar to a few recent tournaments held in the Middle East where they use two patterns (three would be nice but I think it becomes a logistical nightmare), and three game qualifying blocks, with your best one or two scores on each pattern counting.

The finals would need to be bowled on both patterns, could be an elimination format cutting the field in half a couple of times and finishing with semi finals and finals.

 

[KANAFA!]

Deadman Inc, I agree with you regarding the 6 game re-entry system. No offense to C.Carney but I think the days of 12 games qualifying then matchplay need to go, and I think a lot of bowlers will agree with me on that. Like I said, no offense

Id like to hear from the likes of Belmo, George, Walshy etc as they have good overseas experience and have seen many formats, and see what ideas they have so we can make tournament bowling in Australia something to look forward to and make it exciting again.

 

[Chowny]

Looking forward to seeing the details for this!

Great to see a major sponsor has come on board to support this event.

The way of the future is qualifying with re-entries. Make sure if you have any other ideas on a format you put down in this thread.

The Gold Coast is such a great place for events with so much to offer in the way of entertainment and accomodation. Nice work

 

[Easy Tiger]

It's about time tournaments came back to the Gold Coast.

Sounds like a great idea.

 

[BELMO]

Formats are never easy to devise.

Europe has the 6 games, multiple re-entry formats, but once you make the final, their formats all differ quite alot.
Some have a straight best of 5 or 3 format, others have 6 games cuts to X to best of 3 or 5 and most formats are 'make the cut and see who knocks over the most pins'

The Arab events are great, but in order for the 2 pattern to work you need at least a week to compete..... Which is kind of the same as the European events?
Also with the hassles of travelling with bowling balls, the last thing us bowlers need is to bring more balls to work out short and long.....

The idea of multiple entries is generate as many entries s possible, for a cheaper entry fee. But you need time to generate these entries....unless there is a 70 lane bowling centre on the Gold Coast I don’t know about.

Really, the format should be devised so that making the cut can be theoretically easy for almost anyone to make it (short, like 3 or 4 games) the number who makes the cut should be less than 1/4 of the field. It’s no good having 100 bowlers and the cut is the top 48....... That means there are not enough re-entries....if half the field know they have made the cut, why would they need to bowl again??

In Europe and Asia they cut to 40 or 48, some even 56, but they have over 400 bowlers and almost every one will bowl more than twice.....that’s less than 1/8th who make the cut....but with prize fund so rich, they can afford to pay out 500 Euro for last place in the cut, which covers so many of the expenses for local bowlers.

I would love to see a 3 game qualifier, multiple re-entry event, bowled over Friday, sat and Sunday....oil the lanes once every 3 squads (save time) and have the cut at top 24 players. (Lower that number if the total number of players is less than 100)
Those top 24 drop pinfall and then play a 24 man round robin (3 on a pair) with 10 pins for a win 5 for second.
After all that, if you have TV, have a top 3 step ladder....if no TV, count the pins you have your winner.

The payouts need to be guaranteed, and the cut (24th place) needs to some where near $1000. The reason for this is, bowlers will continue to bowl squads if the know all there expenses will be paid if they can hit one 3 game block. But if 24th place in $400, well that’s not enough to cover the taxi fair from the airport to the bowl in some places (maybe a little exaggeration)

Many Europeans/Arabs play over 20 squads, hoping that if they make the cut, all that money they spent to make it will be paid back, if they put 3 or 6 good games together.

There are so many tournament bowlers in this country, but they will not come to any event if they feel they can’t at least cover there costs.

I think, if planned well, organised early, we can invited the Asians over and the kiwi's, have a big money event and attract over 300 to one event.
Now tell me with linage if a bowling centre will loose money???

Jase, you have the idea, you have the support of sponsors and the support of most of TB members.
If you want it to be, this could be the biggest event Australia has seen in a long while.

I mean, who doesn’t want a weekend on the gold coast every now and then???????????????????

 

[Deadman Inc]

3 games qualifying with unlimited re-entries at say $40 per squad. Each squad with 4 to a pair should take no longer than an hour to bowl and in 1 day you could have 10 squads and maybe 5 squads the next morning followed by matchplay. With 40 per squad (20 lane centre) thats 600 entries at $40 per entry, $15 for games $25 into the prizefund, thats a prizefund of $15,000 for the top 24 hoping that sponsorship could at least cover the cost of the matchplay games. $5000 for 1st and $1000 for 24th. It's also incentive for the "fringe" bowlers as it's very affordable to enter. Having 3 tries at making the cut will cost a bowler $120 which is alot cheaper than paying an entry fee of $250 with no second chances if you're not scoring well. I would also like to see the format with men and women combined, women getting an 8 pin start every game.

This can only be done if bowlers are serious about our sport in Australia moving forward

 

[BELMO]

Deadman inc....

$40??? What are you smoking

Lets make it cheap but not a steal.... I would say between$75-125.... the European's charge 200-300 Euro for 6 games and the Arabs about $50US for 3 games.

I dont care where you come from (in OZ) if you make the cut, all your expenses will be paid for.

That gives bowlers the chance to bowl 3 to 4 times at a chance at $1000 and then when pin fall drops, a chance at $15,000 (well perhaps im dreaming haha)

GAME ON AUSTRALIA

Belmo

 

[Deadman Inc]

Deadman inc....
$40??? What are you smoking
Lets make it cheap but not a steal.... I would say between$75-125.... the European's charge 200-300 Euro for 6 games and the Arabs about $50US for 3 games.
I dont care where you come from (in OZ) if you make the cut, all your expenses will be paid for.
That gives bowlers the chance to bowl 3 to 4 times at a chance at $1000 and then when pin fall drops, a chance at $15,000 (well perhaps im dreaming haha)
GAME ON AUSTRALIA
Belmo

Do you think "fringe" bowlers and the average Jo bowler would pay $75-$125 to bowl 3 games? Those bowlers would only be limited to 2 attempts at the most which would equal far less entries. I know you speak from experience but wouldn't 600 entries at $40 be better than 300 entries at $75?? I also understand bowlers like your good self may only need 1 entry to make the cut and contributing on $40 wouldn't do much for the prizefund, but I think it's fair to those fringe bowlers and those with less money that they receive as many chances as possible. I think $75-$125 per entry (3 games) is good and will make a huge prizefund, but not until the format becomes a success here in OZ

 

[BELMO]

Now now....

Perhaps we should start asking these "fringe" bowlers you are talking of..........
I do have experiance, but i also look at ways to increase the top dollar, i do sometimes forget entry fee costs because i dont care.... Even if i had to pay$1000, if 1st place was $50,000 i would pay in an instant.

To me, i think people would pay $100 or so at a chance to win $1000 for the cut and $10,000 for 1st.....but the only way we will know is if we ask them....

So does everyone think?

Jase?? What do you think??

Belmo

 

[The Spanner]

I'd pay $50 for 3 games ... and I'd probably have 3 goes too ..

Marto (Fringe).

 

[mattr]

Belmo you know i would be there

 

[Deadman Inc]

Now now....
Perhaps we should start asking these "fringe" bowlers you are talking of..........
I do have experiance, but i also look at ways to increase the top dollar, i do sometimes forget entry fee costs because i dont care.... Even if i had to pay$1000, if 1st place was $50,000 i would pay in an instant.
To me, i think people would pay $100 or so at a chance to win $1000 for the cut and $10,000 for 1st.....but the only way we will know is if we ask them....
So does everyone think?
Jase?? What do you think??
Belmo

Sure no doubt. If bowlers are willing to pay that amount and are willing to pay again for 3 or 4 entries then I'm all for it. The bigger the prizefund the better

 

[JWhitty]

at $40 per entry, $15 for games $25 into the prizefund, thats a prizefund of $15,000 for the top 24 hoping that sponsorship could at least cover the cost of the matchplay games. $5000 for 1st and $1000 for 24th.

That doesn't add up, $15,000 prize won't cover 24 if you give $1000 to the bottom... You need $24,000 if you'd paid all 24 that minimum $1000, the fee needs to go up, a lot.

I'd pay $75, you could have three goes for the same $220 it costs to do our current formats... But any more than that will not allow the $1000 to cover the cost (take how many days accomodation, return flights, food aside...)

 

[BELMO]

I'd pay $50 for 3 games ... and I'd probably have 3 goes too ..
Marto (Fringe).

Mate would you pay $50 for a $1000.....or $100 to win $1500??

Just wondering??

 

[Jase]

I think re-entry formats are a great idea…We tried it at AO and I think it was the wrong Tournament to try it with…We never got a good indication of whether it would or wouldn’t work in Australia…AO up until then was always one of the best supported events around, so changing the format for that one was probably the wrong thing to do…Just my opinion…

Perhaps like they do overseas they have age groups for people to qualify for the finals in…We could do something similar…You have 160-180 brackets…181-199 brackets and 200 and over brackets…Over 45’ brackets…Youth brackets…and so on…With everyone competing in their own age/sex/average category to reach the next round…Bit like the Hi Roller…Just my thoughts

As for price I think that if you charge 75-125 (6 Games) or somewhere in between as a first attempt, with say $40.00 for everyone after, that would be fair for all bowlers in Australia…Cheaper first entry for the lower average bowlers perhaps 175 and under…Cheaper squads perhaps for the 180 and under bracket…

You get 12 games for $165.00 if you entered twice with two chances to make the cut…Once again just my opinion…People always seem to find an excuse to not bowl an event…Not all formats suit or please everyone…Same goes for entry fees…

Gees I had 5 goes at the AO before I made the Cut…And if needed I would have had a shot at the desperado as well… each to their own…
It is very hard to base Tournament Payouts if you don’t get the support in are-entry event…

I could only begin to imagine what trouble James has with the Northern NSW Open by not getting the support…How do you advertise a prize fund if you have no idea on the amount of re-entries you’re supposed to receive…$40.00 Base entry would only create a non interesting prize fund…

Just my thoughts…Now back to watering those trees...

 

[xballs]

$10,000 for first - I would like to see that ???? Although I think alot of people would see who is entering & lets say Bemlo, George and I could name a few others -then chance of whinning would be pretty low. But the just having the chance to bowl against the best in Australia (and in Belmo's case the world) is all I would need to turn up. Maybe if I was lucky enough, maybe even beat them .