Typically this week each year readers would be seeing posts from me and a dozen happy teens cooped up in some hotel room in some far flung corner of the country while the kids competed in the Junior Gold National Tournament (and talked about the local cuisine). This year, we're here in Southern California, wishing those athletes in attendance the very best.
Collectively we decided to stop participating for a variety of reasons, because in the end, the $2000 or so each family would have to spend could be better spent virtually anywhere else. Truthfully it was a hard decision made last year, and coupled with the new aging out announced this winter, it's a decision that became harder for some who lost their last chance to compete.
For years, we've traveled, from St. Louis, to Dallas, to Fort Lauderdale, to Buffalo, to Detroit--at a tremendous expense for West Coast bowlers. Since flight restrictions and luggage allowances are so challenging, we patiently waited for the tournament to turn west where we could be the families driving to the venue, instead of the ones flying, shipping bowling balls, and all the additional expenses and extra days brought on by time changes and flight routes. Yearly we filled out surveys asking for a West Coast venue. Two years ago, we were told by several USBC insiders that Las Vegas would be the 2009 destination. My husband was first told in 2007 by a USBC VP at a Greendale nationwide association powwow that we'd finally see a more West Coast venue, and off the record, it was definitely Vegas. Then the Junior Gold tournament coordinator told me the same thing--I would be VERY happy with the 2009 locale. When the US Youth Bowler magazine Winter 2008 issue offered an ad enticing families to plan for Vegas, I was ecstatic. I started recruiting families for the 2009 National Youth Championships, and not surprisingly, most families readily agreed--even those of six and seven year olds. Funny thing about anything related to USBC, one VP suddenly resigned, and the tournament coordinator who was THE face of Junior Gold was replaced without so much as an announcement of her departure.
The official press release was held up, well into late spring and when it was made, Las Vegas was not mentioned at all, rather a two-year deal to visit Indianapolis was heralded. Ironically, Junior Gold was held in Indy several years back. And it didn't sell out that year. Additionally, it was the only year we didn't attend with the kids we coach. I'd been to Indy back when WIBC competed there, and honestly I saw no reason to go back. USBC vascillates on encouraging families into making Junior Gold a family vacation destination and arguing it's strictly a bowling competition. As a youth coordinator who doesn't get paid to spend a week in these cities, this *is* my family vacation, so it has to be somewhere I want to go to offset the financial hardship my five-hour a week job can't possibly cover. USBC is leaning toward the destination locations with the adult mixed national tournament featuring locales like Vegas, Reno, and soon, Orlando. While some adults can swing a two-day jaunt just to bowl, packing up an entire family for a week in a hotel and several bowling centers--there has to be something to do besides JUST bowl.
More than just the sudden venue change convinced us that Junior Gold has lost its way. This year, they announced that the girls would be segregated onto separate squads after some focus groups held last year. For parents of siblings or youth coaches with several bowlers, this now means spending more than one squad in a center. Typically we'd bowl squad one, and have the rest of the day to ourselves. If we return, instead of a 3-4 hour commitment, we'd be sacrificing eight hours plus enduring the logistics of needing to be in two different bowling centers either simultaneously or consecutively. The highly touted focus groups were held at times where the few kids in our group receiving invites were bowling. Ironically, they were also the newest to the tournament, and hadn't been able to form an opinion anyway. Others who wanted to share their opinions were not invited. "Surveymonkey" type feedback for bowlers, coordinators, and families gave little space to offer constructive criticism--not that we believed they'd listen.
We were very saddened to see only 1634 bowlers turned up when 2100 slots were available. 1982 bowlers qualified, meaning that in the end, this was the first year in MANY that did not sell out, and that nearly 350 bowlers who qualified chose not to bowl. USBC doesn't offer youth coordinators credit for those unused spots, so they pocket the money ($150 times 350 spots is over $50,000). I just wonder if the damage is reversible.
Next year, we won't see just the terming out of the bowlers turning 22. Instead of one year of kids terming out after this year, there will be three. New age rules forbid youth competition by those reaching 20 by August 1. So next year's problems for Junior Gold will compound as fewer bowlers will be eligible and even fewer will have been exposed. While USBC states that very few 21 and 22 year olds compete, the reality is that Junior Gold is the pinnacle of their careers, and the age at JG skews much hirer. It's cute that a few 12 or 13 year olds show up every year, but the ones making the cuts and making the teams are near terming out. And while it's true that some younger bowlers are seen by college coaches, it's tough to be recruited when there is so much talent there. While the 175 boys average to join Gold is bad, the new threshold for girls of a 150 average is just plain silly.
The website last year and this year is seriously lacking. Last year, USBC blamed the lackluster website on the impending move to Arlington and too few staffers to oversee it. But the blogs and photos and updates from previous years were limited. And this year, there is even less. How do you light the fire and spark interest in kids at home with no website to make them wish they were there? And for the poor athletes that are there, they'll have to wait until they're home and tell their families about it, because there's nothing for family members to click through to feel like they're part of the action.
The second year to Indy will be equally problematic. Families who make the trek once will think twice before returning a second time. While it is a bowling tournament, there is the issue with what to do with the other 20 hours a day for an entire week. And families that opted not to go to Indy this year, are unlikely to have a change of heart next year. USBC will have some serious spinning on its hands to return this even to its premiere status. Even a trip to Vegas or Orlando would be hard pressed to generate the appeal that previous years have enjoyed. In closed door meetings, officials will likely blame the economy, but groups were making decisions long before the economy officially went into the tank.
So my prediction is that next year, youth coordinators and parents can expect Junior Gold to offer "buy-in." Rather than competitions that require a minimum of six bowlers to advance one bowler to the national event, they will allow families to pay a (probably stiff) premium to bypass the tournament route. The tournament route has been hit or miss anyway, with many no-shows at the national event once families realize the $150 "prize" the kids win can only be used if they pay hundreds in airfare, a week's worth of hotel and meals, and even then few kids have a real chance at scholarship or making the team.
My son earnestly suggested a two-year hiatus to revamp the tournament, and reworking it with new lower projected numbers--perhaps a return to Reno, or even piggybacking it with one of the adult tournaments to save staff hours and cut costs for parents. But what does he know? He's only a kid who followed Junior Gold around for years before he was eligible and competed for three years before hanging up his shoes on the youth event he loved. Only he wasn't invited to the focus groups, so no one in the ivory tower could possibly know what he's thinking.. Oh, and he's a math major. But maybe that's the problem.
Gotta Split,
Angel
Posted by Angel Zobel-Rodriguez at July 18, 2009 04:40 AM