January Headpin News

Headpin News Let's Go Bowling!

January, 2022

GREETINGS FROM BCAW

by Erik Gialdella, BCAW President

Happy New Year! As we flip the calendars over to 2022, we have more than just a change in the date happening at the BCAW office. Yvonne has transitioned into her new role as a part-time program manager and we welcome our new BCAW Executive Director Neil Stremmel to the team. We are looking forward to Neil’s tenure as executive director and all I can say is WOW, what a great office team we have! Neil Stremmel, Yvonne Bennett, and Roger Dalkin, in my opinion three of the best bowling minds around, will be serving our wonderful members out of the office. We are very fortunate to have such caring, intelligent, and passionate people to continue to move our association forward.

As I begin to look forward to Bowling Summit in Palm Springs beginning on Sunday, January 9^th, I can’t help but wonder what challenges we’ll face and adjustments we will have to make throughout 2022. We have been faced with shut-downs, mandates, staff shortages, increased wages, supply shortages and increased pricing, cautious guests, and much more over the past few years. While none of us could have thought we would be faced with that much adversity to overcome in such a short amount of time, I hope you can feel proud and accomplished for what you have been enduring. It certainly hasn’t been easy and I commend you for your grit and determination to keep bowling alive and active in your communities.

On our part, the BCAW Government Affairs committee is committed to continuing to pursue funding for Wisconsin bowling centers. We have been a forgotten industry and we will continue to push for a share of the funding. If you have connections to legislators in your area or would like to learn how to get involved, please reach out to committee chairman Dale Elliott (dale@letsgobowl.org) or Neil (neil.stremmel@bowlwi.com) for more information.

The start of a new year is a great time to evaluate your plans for the spring and summer. Start making plans now and take advantage of talking to the most amount of potential new members to your spring and summer programs while they are pouring through the doors. I wish you all a prosperous new year filled with many happy bowlers and guests!

HELLO WISCONSIN!

It's been almost 14 years since my family and I left Wisconsin. My oldest son came back three years ago to study Computer Science at UW-Whitewater. Most of my extended family lives here or in northern Illinois. So, we were glad to finally find our way back home. This certainly isn't to say the only reason I/we wanted to come back was for family. I've always had a passion for bowling and I've always had a passion for helping people. Many people are aware of the 16 years I spent with USBC in Equipment Specifications and later as the Managing Director of the National Governing Body. But many people aren't aware of the time I spent as a "proprietor."

My parents owned a small center in northern Illinois where I began working when I was 13 years old. My dad was an engineer and worked a regular job all day, then came home to run the center in the evening. So I feel like I have seen what it takes for someone to run a small center as a "second job." I have a strong desire to help people in this situation. I realize that emails, phone calls and information can come at a bad time and be overwhelming. I would like to evaluate new ideas to smooth out and streamline this process to help those who don't have the time and quick access to information that we are putting out.

On the other end of the spectrum, I have spent the last couple of years as the general manager of a large Family Entertainment Center down in Florida. It is a 40 lane center with a game room, laser tag arena, pro-shop, bar, restaurant, etc. So, I also feel like I have learned what it takes to keep things running in a full-time center where staffing, product supply and other issues have recently been frustrating and difficult.

Over the next several years, my goal is to help people like my parents as well as people who have committed their full-time and effort toward bowling. I have always been open to new ideas and new ways of doing things. Please feel free to reach out if you have thoughts or ideas about anything that we do. I have a lot to learn, but I hope my background and experience will help us all move forward as we emerge from these trying times. I look forward to traveling the state to meet you and/or reconnect.

Until then,

Support your sport,

Neil Stremmel

Incoming BCAW Executive Director

Updates on WI HSBC & MSBC

As the new year begins, potential COVID restrictions are appearing in certain districts that may have an impact on completing their season schedule. Currently, we are not anticipating any issues or restrictions at the state events this year. Cross your fingers.

The season has been operating smoothly for the most part with some minor issues that have been addressed. The number of teams and players has returned to approximately the pre-COVID level with the largest bounce back being in junior varsity teams. The total number of high school teams registered this season is 292 compared to the 240’s last season.

The Division 1 and 2 enrollment figures for teams and the district allocations for the Wisconsin High School Club State Bowling Championships will be posted on the website by the 15th of this month.

Remember that district competition must be completed by February 13th. Please get results posted as soon as possible and be sure to sign up your teams and singles players that qualify for the state event on the HSBC website to expedite lane assignments and squad times. (Registration forms should be live on the website in early February.)

Additional information about the state events will also be posted on the HSBC website later this month.

Please thank the proprietors, volunteers, coaches and parents who support this program to give our high school bowlers the opportunity to participate in one of the premier high school bowling programs in the nation.

WI Adult Youth Scholarship Tournament

Looking for a fun way to generate lineage in your center? BCAW continues to offer the Wisconsin Adult Youth Scholarship Tournament featuring in-center qualifying. This tournament is open to Wisconsin member and non-member bowling centers. Michigan’s Upper Peninsula centers and youth bowlers are also eligible to participate if they are certified through the Wisconsin State USBC.

Through in-center qualifying events, at least 1:4 teams advance to the state finals tournament in each of three age divisions. Youth bowlers will have an opportunity to win scholarships based on a minimum 1:10 ratio, with a guaranteed first place scholarship of $200 in each of three age divisions.

Photo by Jenni Stein

Modeled loosely on some of the past BPAA adult-youth tournament programs, we will be offering U10, U14 and U18 divisions. There is no family requirement to participate. Additionally, youth bowlers may advance to the State Finals Tournament with more than one adult bowler, increasing their opportunity to win a scholarship. Last year we awarded nearly $3,800 in scholarships at this event!

Qualifying events must be conducted no later than March 21st with entries and payment received in the BCAW office by April 5th.

This year's finals will be held at Village Bowl in Menomonee Falls over two weekends (April 23 & 24 and April 30 & May 1).

For more information including tournament rules, entry forms and in-center marketing materials, please check out our website.

Update on Pull Tab Orders from BCAW

BCAW continues to experience out-of-stock conditions as the paper & cardboard industries have been especially hard hit over the past year. Wisconsin Souvenir Milkcaps is continuing to work with their manufacturers and distributors to get us product.

The current status of pull tabs available from BCAW is on our website. (As of this writing, we are in stock with all pull tabs except AmVets.) CLICK on the "Order pull tabs here" box below for additional information.