It's very interesting to read everyone's comments about this topic. And I suppose this will end up being a long-winded answer, I apologise in advance.
Graham, you do a fantastic job with this website, and your efforts keeping people up to date with tournament results are excellent, I hope you are around for a long time to come.
In reference to the decision of TBA to not send you to Rachuig, all I can say is cop it on the chin Graham, and move on, nobody is indispensable when it comes to the bottom line, you will be used many more times in the future I'm sure.
I believe that bowlers have become very used to instant information the last few years, get it live and as it happens so to speak. Personally I don't care if I have to wait 30 minutes or an hour or even several hours for results about each tournament, that is how I get my daily news events anyway, besides I'm at work while all this is happening. Let's face it Rachuig and all the other events will continue as always, and if we have to get the results from faxes, telexes, carrier pigeons or hear it from the grapevine like we have the past 20 years, then we will do so. Life will go on.
I don't think many have any idea how difficult it is to set up this type of service, just ask Ian Nicholls who for the past several years has been perfecting a computer program to give bowlers and spectators instant scoring updates about each tournament he has been involved in, usually within 5 - 10 seconds after the last ball has been bowled. This is possible because he works with the center involved and uses their own system for scoring and converts it to his, creating instant scoring updates, Ian is unique in the world for this information and this is why TBA use him, many have learned from this system including Graham I'm sure.
Peter Coburn has been an invaluable addition to the TBA, his knowledge of business, and of computers and programming has helped TBA establish a much improved website, the many hours he has spent on this, I can only imagine. I am certain that both Ian and Peter will do a fantastic job on the presentation of all these events during the nationals, they may not be exactly the same but to your surprise may be just as good, we will wait and see.
In regards to the financial difficulties of this sport, we have had a problem for decades in that we pay very little in sanction money compared to other sports, to administer our very sport.
Speaking hypothetically only, with over 200,000 sanctioned bowlers who were asked for an increase of $5.00 per bowler for sanction fees for the year, over $1,000,000.00 would be included into the TBA to cover things like decent prize funds for nationals, better salaries for administrative staff, a better media department, funding for national teams who represent your sport and your country, who have to pay their own way most times, coaches that get paid etc, etc.
Just ask the TBA how difficult it is to get things like this through, why is it so hard to levy the many bowlers from around the country, let's say just 10 cents each, ($20,000.00) and have all the events covered by Graham for the entire year, seems simply doesn't it !!
Another hypothetical would be to have all the bowling centers in this country to put aside 5 cents per game to generate over $1 million for a national tournament circuit, which would help promote the sport better and increase their bottom line in the long term !!
I am fortunate in that I pay nothing for my TBA sanction fees each year because my center pays for me and every other bowler in our center, I would gladly pay an extra $20.00 each year to create a strong national body, with a strong bowler base, and have everything paid for properly. It was not long ago that we were complaining that our national body was spending too much, now we are asking why they are not spending money on non-essential things.
Regards,
Patrick Birtig
