Average submission to Association

[Frank Goebel]

We had a thread that got a bit off-track in the 2007 forum. In it, a question came about regarding how to determine what a bowler's "award average" should be, and discussion briefly got into what the cut-off date was for the yearbook.

It was brought up that ABC/USBC seemed to have an April 15 deadline. As an association board member, I have a copy of the USBC Bylaws and Association Policy Manual. (I just picked this booklet up last night, and it's about the size of the USBC rule book.)

There is no CAQ for this manual, and the indexing is quite lacking, so I had to search for this by skimming through it. However, I found the following:
__________________________________________________ __________

Under Chapter 4: Board of Directors (page 97)

Section B. Authority and Duties. The board's duties include but are not limited to: (skip to page 99)

26. Establishing a procedure for maintaining averages which shall include providing each league secretary with the National ID numbers of each participant in the league prior to the end of each league's schedule or association cutoff date for submission of averages. It shall provide for the maintenance of an average record of association members by publishing a yearbook or maintaining a list for office use. The average listing shall be maintained as part of association records for at least three (3) years and must include the following information:
a. A listing, alphabetical by bowler name, of all league averages based on at least 21 games. All such averages shall be considered official. The association shall either maintain separate winter league and summer league average listings; or the association may maintain a single combined listing providing such listing indicates which leagues are summer leagues.
b. The names of each league in which a member has bowled at least 21 games.
c. The number of games bowled by the member in each league.
d. The member's average in each such league.

The association may set a date for league secretaries to submit averages but this date may not be earlier than March 1. Averages as of the date set shall be considered the final season averages except in the case of bowlers in a league which has not bowled 10 weeks of its schedule as of that date. In that case, the averages at the end of the league schedule are official.
__________________________________________________ __________

So, there you have it. The association has wide latitude for the date. A men's association near me uses March 15, which was confirmed by a sub in my league that happens to be a league secretary in that neighboring association. My association isn't as concerned of the date, but wants the averages by June 1 (but will take them after that date.) I noted that some posting in that BLS 2007 thread seemed to have an April 15 date, and because many had that date, that April 15 was an official ABC/USBC cutoff. (Perhaps at one time it was for ABC, I don't know...but, when something is done for so many years, if there's a turnover in board management, sometimes nobody really knows why a rule is in effect, and sometimes there's resistance to change something so engrained in use.) But every case is very much in compliance, based on what I read.

If a bowler doesn't have 21 games by the cut-off, as one put it in that thread, are they "hosed"? Maybe not. A secretary should have some window in which to submit the averages, and if someone bowls the 21st game before the submission actually occurs, and the secretary decides to include that member, then it will go in as such. I don't know of any association that's going to visit every league and demand a full auditing...the time just doesn't exist. I'm not going to suggest a secretary falsely report averages, but at the same time I'm one for inclusion whenever possible, especially if it's a bowler's only league that year.

Still, I'm more in favor of as later date in which an association can function. As I mentioned in that thread (getting off-topic there), a March 15 cut-off could serve well for that association's annual tournament, which I will say is well-run and well-attended. (I was once the singles runner-up.) The drawback, of course, is that there's often at least a month of bowling left in most leagues' seasons. And, this sub, a league secretary, was prepared to present a 194 average for subbing, when I told him of a 193 that was in the book. We talked about the average cut-off, and we concluded that to be the case. Again, "All such averages shall be considered official". He subbed at 193.

So, it's ultimately up to the association. Quick poll, for those who care to participate (and I know at least one software user is in that neighboring associaton): What is your local association cut-off? You need not post your association name if you do not desire to.

[John Lorenzo]

Frank: Our Association, Fort Worth USBC Ass'n, requests averages as of May1 of each year, so we don't cut off too early here. I agree that March 1 is a bit early, makes a lot of people miss being listed in the book.

[Angel Zobel-Rodriguez]

April 15th in Ventura County, Los Angeles County, and most of SoCal that I'm aware of. With short seasons and splitting spots, I'd be all in favor of pushing it to May 1 here. But since April 15th is one of the most memorable days in the year for people, it's pretty difficult to forget.

[Frank Goebel]

Don't forget, Angel...if a short-season league with a late start hasn't bowled ten sessions by the posted cutoff, then it uses the averages at the end of the session. This would most likely, of course, put it in the "summer league" category, but would still be submitted to the association as such.

[Angel Zobel-Rodriguez]

Frank, I have leagues that start in September and January. They both go in the "regular" book--I've never heard of them going into the summer book around here. If a bowler splits a spot with someone (husband and wife in an Adult/Jr league for instance), one of them can usually book out of the fall league, and neither of them in the Winter/Spring league.

One year I actually didn't book because I wasn't paying attention and had 18 games in the fall and less than that in the winter/spring. And that was bowling every other week--not bowling whenever I felt like it. It was my fault, and it was no big deal, but even as secretary, I didn't pay attention to it enough to avoid what could have been a problem.