Ok. Example from my friends card.
My friend bought his membership 31 November 2016. It runs out 30 November 2017. His doesn’t need it for his league just senior tournaments. So on January 3 this year he orders his new card. Date of membership now states 31 November 2017 expiry 30 November 2018.
Whatever it says on site. This is how it works.
Okay I follow that,
The BTPA card is effective from "November 31 to November 30 the next year"
The USBC card is effective from "August 1 through July 31 of the next year"
So no difference other than dates used.
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Now your friend
You say he doesn't need a card to bowl league, So I assume it's a unsanctioned league that doesn't require one.
But he does need one to bowl in sanctioned events such as the senior tournaments.
correct?
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If so then from Nov. 30, 2017 to Jan. 2, 2018 he would be unsanctioned and thus couldn't participate legally in sanctioned events (such as senior tournaments during that period) if he couldn't show he had a valid card.
But your saying if he bought a card on Jan. 3, 2018 it's retroactive back to Nov. 30, 2017.
So if he somehow bowled in a sanctioned league/tournament during that unsanctioned period, all would be okay
Here's a scenario on Dec 1, 2017 your friend who doesn't have a valid card somehow bowls in a sanctioned tournament, he wins!! The payoff is on Jan. 3, 2018.
He goes down to pickup his winnings, They say we checked found out you didn't have a valid card so your DQ'd.
He say's wait a minute I'll pay for card right now and they hand him the prize money.
Would you say that was fair to everyone that had their valid card at the time?
or how about this if a card is retroactively valid from the date you buy it back to Nov. 30.
Then conceivably a player (or whole team for that matter) could bowl a entire sanctioned league without cards and if the team comes in first and someone says they didn't have cards so they forfeit.
So they just pay for their cards then and say we still win the cards are retroactive back to the start of the league.
Would that be fair?
I'd just about bet the cards in the UK don't work that way, being retroactive so that the games of someone who bowled without a valid card all of sudden become sanctioned.