T.B.A. - alternatives?

[boybrowny]

Just putting out a Q to all of you there in bowlers land -

IF another sanctioning body was formed to compete with TBA - who would join it?

purely a theoretical question after a discussion I just had with a bowler who doesnt particularly agree with the TBA monopoly.

AND - if we are TBA sanctioned - does that mean we are covered internationally - or do we have to get sanctioned in each country we bowl in... (Tournaments AND league)

Food for thought

BROWNY

 

[craig]

after 24 years in this sport, i have seen a lot of poor decision making, wroughting of funds, the demise of the integrity of the conditions we play the game on and the players who play the game.

I have seen many people try to make change, many people fail.

I have waited years for awards, I have had awards declined that now get but passed due to people turning a blind eye.

But I keep paying my sanction fees and I keep hoping, because I know one thing.

The structure is set so the sport is run by the bowlers, the directors are only representatives of ourselves, we put them there.

If you disagree with what they are doing, you get them voted out, simple, if the majority goes with you, you get a result.

Look at the toowoomba story, and see how FOOLISH it would be to be talking in the circles you are.

We are just starting to get a few things sorted out and this comes up, maybe instead of raising the question about a break away association, maybe you should have stated what is wrong with the current association, and what you believe they need to do to get yours and your friends full support.

This forum, which you actually popularised years ago and graham has continued on, has made some HUGE decision making and strategic changes within the TBA, the industry and the tournament and league scenes.

So tell the forum, what you believe is wrong, who is responsible and how you believed it could be fixed.

 

[Andrew S.]

What he said.

 

[boybrowny]

CRAIG...

I welcome your comments - and you are correct, perhaps it would be easier to make some fine-tuning changes to an existing organisation than starting another.

SO - some constructive critism for the TBA:

1. - ACTUALLY VISIT CENTERS and do sanctioning checks (to ensure lanes are legal) - In all of the tournaments I have been to I have only on two occassions ever seen this done. I have never witnessed a random check during leagues etc... (I am not talking about supposed ANNUAL CHECKS where proprietors are pre-notified).

2. - WORK WITH BOWLING PROPRIETORS - I have spoken with many proprietors in the past who have said "WHY SHOULD I SANCTION A TOURNAMENT OR LEAGUE?" - If a game or series worthy of recognition is thrown, the individual center managers provide plaques/ shirts etc.. (some type of reward) that can be provided both quickly and cost-effectively.

3. - ADVISE WHAT WE GET FOR OUR MONEY - In the case of motorcross racing, my membership card provides race insurance and discounts in many bike shops. As a member of a fitness instructor organisation I receive free magazines (quarterly) and discount vouchers to seminas and special events.


for my tba membership I get.... Permission to bowl in leagues and tournaments? AND the PROMIS of awards (which either arrive very late or not at all).


I realise that there are some very decent and committed people working for the TBA (with little or no reward) - but the bottom line is that the TBA is supposed to be a professional organisation, I have searched the website and found all sorts of nice promises (of which I can honestly say many have not been upheld towards me) - specifics available upon request !!! (and lots of them).

If I have dealings with a professional organisation I expect them to work for ME (the customer).

After having paid sanctioning fees for 20 out of the past 25 years of my life, I am yet to understand how my fees have benifited the AVERAGE BOWLER or the AVERAGE BOWLING CENTER.


YES we are FIQ supported, YES we are internationally recognised - tell me how this affects the once a week 140 avg bowler who will never bowl overseas or aspire to representative bowling (IE - the masses).


I also believe that the organisation has been stained with allegations of nepotism (be it legitimate or otherwise, the mud appears to have stuck).

TBA representatives - WHY NOT TAKE THE INITIATIVE and seek to improve your image (and services).



EXTRACT FROM TBA WEBSITE AS TO WHAT THEY DO IS ATTACHED...



According to this over 100,000 members (at current price of $11 each makes over $1,000,000) contribute to the non-profit organisation.


I dont see where the $20,000,000 plus I have contributed to over the past 25 years has gone.


I dont see $1,000,000 worth of product from this SERVICE PROVIDER.

AND FINALLY - what percentage of the 100,000 bowlers actually gains benefit from the attached ROLES OF TBA....



I believe you could do more for bowling in this country by putting 10% of total revenue raised back into a national prize fund (like the AUSTRALIAN SUPER-LEAGUE0.

Offer a prizefund of $100,000 AUD p.a. where all league scores automatically get added to the national league (best league results for 3 game series per week) and pay out the top 1,000 bowlers.

base it on a handicap system (so as not to provide extra revenue for elite bowlers) - and base the handicap system on the bowlers highest league average over the past 5 years (to avoide sand-bagging).



I mean, do ANYTHING that gives some notion to the average bowler that we are contributing to an organisation that is helping the bowler who is bowling next to us in the league and the bowl owner who is hosting our league....



ANY COMMENTS - or am I alone in my boy-scout opinions?



Just out of curiosity - can the TBA post EXACT FIGURES on where the $1,000,000 plus of this years monies will go?

I am curious to see how this fund is evenly dispursed between bowling centers and individual bowlers.........



BROWNy (I know, what a s&^t stirrer !)


ATTACHMENT:


About Us


Tenpin Bowling Australia Limited is tenpin bowling's national governing body - representing the sport at Federal Government and International affiliation levels and focussing on total governance of the sport.

A not-for-profit company, limited by guarantee, TBA has been established to provide skills development and elite athlete pathways, to administer the rules and equipment specifications, provide coaching and officials accreditation and generally develop and promote the sport of tenpin bowling nationally. TBA is the second largest bowling organisation in the world, providing governance for approximately 100,000 affiliated bowlers across the nation.

TBA governs a bowling centre-based association network, under Australian Sports Commission guidelines. With the cooperation and support of this network, bowlers throughout Australia affiliate with TBA.

TBA's diverse role includes:

Overseeing the measurement and certification of bowling lanes to exact world standards across the country - setting and ensuring standards are set for balls, pins and lanes to maintain uniformity throughout the sport
Keeping historical records and statistics
Conducting annual National Championship tournaments for Adult and Junior members and a national tournament for bowlers with disabilities
Staging national Coaching and Officials Accreditation and Lane Measuring programs around the country
Funding for development projects and to send official National teams to compete in major interstate and international tournaments
Establishment of the Junior Bowler Scholarship scheme and conducting annual Junior Development courses for National Squad members at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra
Anti-doping Policy information and training workshops, and information kits
Education - regional and national volunteer training programmes through Training Conferences and workshops
TBA is recognised by the Australian Olympic Committee, Australian Commowealth Games Association, the Federation Internationale des Quilleurs (FIQ) and the World Tenpin Bowling Association (WTBA), the Australian Sports Commission, and the Australian Institute of Sport as the official governing body for the sport in Australia


direct link -

http://www.tenpin.org.au/tba_about_us.htm

 

[craig]

my questions are, how many lane analysing machines and operators are there in australia, and if could be answered how many in each state, who are they and who has them, and what have they been doing with them in the last 5 years.

I know that amf owns several, are they doing regular checking of their centres and complying with TBA lane dressing guidelines?

I also realise that the independant and country centres find it hard to access and use this equipment, but when we send ourselves broke from the issuing of so many awards, awards that have been recognised on illegal conditions, no wonder why we went bust. It would make sense to avail the equipment and train the people to stop the onslaught of awards which will keep going on until this is rectified.

You could still run a free awards system if the lane criteria was enforced and it was allowed to one award per player once in a lifetime.

The only time the question of lane blocking should be brought up, is when it comes to T.V bowling, where we want to portray our champions to be setting a level well above the level of the social bowler viewing it in his house.

The only reason lane oil has lengthened in this country is because the edges have got shallower and shallower, not because the gear has got better, the thickness has increased a little but hardly any, any league player with a urethane ball will tell you that.

Most centres that brag about oiling 40 feet are not oiling outside 10 board, at best 5 board, and by oiling I mean supplying at least 5 units of oil which is the required amount to keep a resin ball in a skidding motion.

centres still using century 100 and 300 machines cant give you any form of backend if they are oiling these lengths and giving you the required units from edge to edge.

What i would like to see is the TBA structure 2 types of centre registration, a gold registration for centres who will recieve full benefits of the award system by having their centres analysed every month and submitting their tapes to the TBA for approval, and a silver registration for centres that would just like to align themselves with a national sporting body and recieve the benefits that they are getting now.

I could go on for hours, but i will let someone else go on with what will be an interesting forum topic for the next few months.

 

[Peter Coburn]

Notice of Meeting

Notice is hereby given that the following meeting shall be held at the date and time as shown below.

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

VENUE: Sydney Airport Holiday Inn
Cnr Bourke Rd & O’Riordan St
Mascot, NSW 2020

DATE: Saturday 3rd May 2003

TIME: 1.30pm

The business for the Annual General Meeting is as follows:

1, apologies
2, roll call
3, to confirm the minutes of the last Annual General Meeting and of the last extraordinary general meeting held since the last Annual General Meeting.
4, to receive the annual report of the President
5, to receive the annual report of the Chief Executive Officer
6, to receive the annual report of the Board
7, to receive the balance sheet and statement of receipts and expenditure for the previous financial year and the report of the auditor and to receive an audited statement of receipts and expenditure made up to 31st December past.

General business

elect directors

Nominations for Director and Notices of Motion must be on the prescribed form as required by the Company’s Constitution and By-laws and lodged with TBA by 5pm on Friday 14th March, 2003. These forms are available from the TBA Office (and website) upon request.

All Associations are reminded that the only Registered Players entitled to attend and vote at the AGM are the National Voting Delegates that are elected from the State Voting Delegates that form the State Association.

A Voting Delegate who is entitled to attend and cast a vote at the meeting has the right to appoint a proxy and a proxy need not be a Voting Delegate but must be a Registered Player.

2.30pm to 5.00pm
General forum where delegates can discuss any issues with the Board and State Managers.