BallReviews
General Category => Miscellaneous => Topic started by: skizzle on May 15, 2014, 03:58:36 PM
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I am in a 4 man scratch league that is one of the best in town. The problem our league is facing is we have had quite a few teams drop out over the last couple years. We have about half the teams we had just 3 years ago. One of the obstacles we face is that our league bowls second shift starting at 9:00pm. Unfortunately there is no room at this center for us to move the league to an earlier time slot. One of the more frequent complaints we are getting is that the league gets done too late (roughly 11:15pm).
In an effort to improve the league, one of the ideas the league is tossing around is switching to a 3 man team format for the next fall season. This rationale would enable us to get done about 30 minutes earlier (roughly 10:45pm) and possibly be able to gain back some of the bowlers we have lost.
With that possibility facing us, what would you set the average cap per team at? Some are making a case for a lower cap (ex 620) and others are looking to make it higher (640).
Any thoughts, suggestions or new ideas are appreciated.
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Skizzle,
We had a league like this when I lived in TX. It has faced similar problems, as well some dumb rules that were voted in to try and stop sandbagging. We used to always vote on a cap every year, so it was variable. We usually went off the league average for the year just finished. You could do the same, find the league average for entire season for the 4 man teams, divide by 4 to get the individual league average, then multiply that by 3 to get the new 3 team league average. It's a starting point and then you can discuss/debate from there if you need to go up or down. This works best because it takes into account any center advantages/disadvantages. Some centers the scores are lower due to age of lanes, maintenence of lanes, oil patterns, etc., so saying this cap would be right for the league is hard to do.
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Skizzle,
Our scratch league faced the same. We were a 4 person team and I have bowled it for 26 years now. 4 years ago we started losing teams and we went to a draft league. We have bounced between 3 and 4 person teams and we are currently 3 person teams and have been for 3 years now. We bowl 2nd shift and we get fresh strip and oil. Team captains are the highest 12 averages that bowled the league the previous season. Lowest of the 12 drafts first and on down the line. After each team drafts first person, next round is based on combined average with lowest picking first. We do no have a "cap" but we do look at highest to lowest and allow trades if league is not happy with difference. We usually end up with a 20 pin difference from highest to lowest team and have never had to use the trade option. The bowlers really seem to like the draft format.
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Many years ago I bowled a 5 man 9:15 league in a 50 lane house that put an empty pair between each set of teams. It did speed up play.
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I'm jealous that you are in an area that still has a scratch league.
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Thanks for all the suggestions! I will certainly bring these ideas up to the league to see what they think.
Jorge300 - it is the TX league you mentioned
Perfect PS - interesting idea...I actually kinda like it, but I think it woul be hard for some people as they have bowled together for several years.
UGame - this would be great, but it would definitely limit the number of possible teams to 22 (half the number of lanes in the house). A few years ago we had 26-28 teams.
NHLfan88 - Yes, I am happy to be in an area that has a scratch league, just trying to figure out how to keep it alive and worth the 20 mile drive for me.
Any additional suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
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If anything, go to a draft league, don't average cap it, that's basically the same thing but makes it harder on people trying to find teams. Average capping frustrates people, and the last thing you want when losing teams is to make it even harder to get a team together. Yeah some people will want to bowl with their friends, but you sign up for a scratch league for competition, or at least that's the way I look at it. I almost have more fun bowling AGAINST friends. Draft leagues are a lot of fun. Or at least present it, have a mock draft, and see how people like it. If people don't like it, just go back to the other way.
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Like many people have stated, be fortunate you have a scratch league. Our area doesn't have any (at least within a reasonable distance). There have been an influx of challenge pattern leagues that have been pretty successful though.
As far as having a cap or a draft, I would try to do both. Although it is difficult to break teams up who may have been bowling together for a long time. I believe in that environment a cap is needed to create equality in the league. Adding a draft might make it cool as it's almost like some money fantasy sports leagues, where you have to spend your money wisely so to speak.
Good luck trying to make it successful.
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I'm jealous that you are in an area that still has a scratch league.
I second that. Draft league sounds fun!
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Like many people have stated, be fortunate you have a scratch league. Our area doesn't have any (at least within a reasonable distance). There have been an influx of challenge pattern leagues that have been pretty successful though.
As far as having a cap or a draft, I would try to do both. Although it is difficult to break teams up who may have been bowling together for a long time. I believe in that environment a cap is needed to create equality in the league. Adding a draft might make it cool as it's almost like some money fantasy sports leagues, where you have to spend your money wisely so to speak.
Good luck trying to make it successful.
Like I said, our draft league just finished its 4th year and it is surprising how teams stay fairly close to the same year to year. Of the 3 person roster, usually 2 of them have stuck together. One thing we did in the past and dropped this last year and hurt out league by dropping the rule was "any bowler that bowled the previous year is guaranteed to be drafted." We dropped that rule this last season and 7 out if 12 teams did not finish with their original drafted roster. We allowed bowlers into the league that were irresponsible and caused bowlers who have bowled for years and paid every week to not be drafted. We will be voting that rule back in.
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I'm jealous that you are in an area that still has a scratch league.
Likewise. The only scratch league in my area is a senior scratch league, and occasionally, there may be a summer scratch league. Otherwise, scratch leagues have gone the way of the dinosaur.
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Like Perfect, we have a trios draft scratch league that starts at 7:00 PM. We are done bowling by 8:45 PM, which is nice, and everyone really likes the draft. Our draft is done exactly the same way, highest averages are captains, and then re-seed the next round based on combined average. It's nice bowling with different people because I never know who will be on the board when it's my turn to draft.
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Cant help you with the cap, but going to 3 man definitely looks like a good idea.
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We had a second shift trio league and several years ago we went from 2 lane courtesy to 1 lane. It got us out about 30 minutes sooner on the average. You didn't
address this but it could be a consideration.
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Skizzle,
Problem with a draft is you might end up with guys on your team like that Jorge300 character...take off to Canada midway through the season ;-)
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if its a trio SCRATCH league everyone should be (key word should) averaging at least 205-210 unless youre bowling on a modified house shot so a cap of 620 is way too low. i would make it 660 or 690 with how easy house shots are now a days
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if its a trio SCRATCH league everyone should be (key word should) averaging at least 205-210 unless youre bowling on a modified house shot so a cap of 620 is way too low. i would make it 660 or 690 with how easy house shots are now a days
That works if you have the talent pool to bowl. Our scratch league is 3 person draft with high average of 228 and low average if 170. We have 12 teams so 35 bowlers and we do not have 36 "scratch" 200 plus bowlers to bowl in our area.
Our second best league in town had 48 bowlers for years. 3 years ago they removed the cap because one team did not want to break up and now they are potentially folding the league next year because they will be lucky to have 6 teams. Everyone is quitting because two teams were stacked and people are tired of donating to those two teams (and yes, one of te teams was the teams that wanted the cap removed). Of the teams they had last year, they had bowlers averaging under 100 due to no one wanting to bowl against the two stacked teams. And yes, this league was a scratch league. I bowled this league for 15 years and walked out of the meeting when they dropped the cap and told them to remove my team. I had a competitive team, but not competitive enough to complete against two stacked teams. I am willing to change my team yearly to stay under the cap.
All I am saying is you need to build your league based on the talent you have available in your area.
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kcTwister-sounds someone I know who packed it up mid season to move to KC. ;-)