AZBowlr-

1) We post totals earned but not total remaining to protect a bowler's privacy- we didn't think everyone would want that information public.  We do the same thing with people who have prepaid credit- we list their names, but not the amount prepaid.  A bowler may check on their total remaining any time with a quick email.  

2) Different directors have different claiming requirements.  We try to be as flexible as possible, since it's your money. Even though we have concerns about SMART, I actually am in favor of having all non-SMART organizations have standard rules, so situations like the one you describe are hopefully reduced.  I REALLY don't like that 10% or $2000 rule, by the way.

3) Of course SMART is concerned with protecting their members' money, I'm sure they would say that.  But, the reason they have come up with the "must-use-SMART" thing we're discussing has nothing to do with that- it has solely, according to them, to protecting NCAA eligibility.  That's what I'm referring to when I say that there's no way they told them that.  I'm sure your family wouldn't lie to you.

4) I can certainly appreciate your concerns about "bad" directors, and unfortunately I don't have a much better answer than we have a track record of 10 years and 350 tournaments to prove our worth.  I've dedicated my life to this and will be doing it for as long as I am able- do you think I'd mess with that by screwing with your money?  I've already addressed that JBT is a business and is run as such to extreme detail, including providing a safety of your funds which we feel is superior to SMART.

5) I hope your future communications can be more like this.  Instead of starting with blind accusations that would get anyone mad- much moreso than me- you asked a simple question, stated facts, and waited for an answer.  That's really, I hope you agree, a much better way to conduct yourself.  I don't want to sound preachy, but c'mon man, you have to like that better!!!  

Thanks,
Jeff

For those of you who are commenting on this topic, let me give you a slightly different perspective. Being an avid bowler myself for almost 45 years, having bowled in both high school and college, having a young, successful son involved, and someone who is part of a legal, non-profit organization that runs 4 scholarship leagues and monthly scholarship tournaments, this is all making me sick to my stomach.

For those of you who think this isn't so bad and what USBC is doing doesn't border on criminal, let me give you a few more reasons to give this the kind of serious consideration you should, as it effects not only your future but the future of the game (meaning future junior bowlers) and have your friends, relatives and parents write to magazines and the press chastising these idiots.

It's clear we all agree this is all about money. Do you really know how much??? Much, much more then you could ever imagine. Any and all reasons Mr Dalkin gives for anything he does is purely BS. Men's bowling will NEVER become an NCAA sport. For those of you who may not be old enough, do a search on something called TITLE IX. TITLE IX requires equal number of scholarship opportunities for men and women attending NCAA member schools. Bowling is a
way for the NCAA to show they are providing opportunities for women while they have more opportunities for men in the revenue producing sports. To add men's bowling would mean having to reduce opportunities in these other sports......NEVER going to happen.

Let's talk about the rings. Again, total BS. Let's for a second ignore states like mine who do not have high school bowling. I would venture a guess that EVERY member of a State championship team in football, basketball, soccer and baseball (both male and female) in those other states (NJ, PA) received rings for their accomplishment. And even if they didn't, how about the sneakers, uniforms, equipment or travel costs provided by sponsors. My guess is these long outweigh more than a ring.

Now let's get to the borderline criminal acts. How about the fact that Mr Dalkin's organization declines to make public any and all information pertaining to their income and the expenses. If taking almost half of the JG entry for expenses without any disclosure isn't criminal, what is? I grew up in NY. If anyone running a tournament took half the money for his pocket, he wouldn't make it out of the parking lot.

How about this? Why won't they provide their members who pay their salary through the ever increasing ridiculous sanction fees an accounting of the interest that's been earned (or lost) over the years. And just what is that interest used for? You think that's a small amount of money? How about all of the forfeitures (money won and not claimed) Where is all this money going? What ever happened to combining these organizations for "economies of scale"?

You want to see a model of incompetency? How many people in Wisconsin does it take to make a web site work? (the answer is....they haven't figure it out yet but we'll get back to you when we do). The reason they won't make your accounts accessible? Easy answer, they are so afraid of the questions that will come up from their blunders and mistakes that they probably can't verify members balances and it would render them a huge embarrassment, if not some official government inquiry.    

Now, let's add to all of this, the latest and greatest USBC thinking. Their new proposal is to have any and all people to involved with Junior leagues and events to include coaches, guardians, baby sitters AND the people working in the bowling alley (yes, including those behind the snack bar) get background checks. How you like that one? Not only get background checks, but get them twice a year and at the individual's expense. How idiotic must one group of people be? Living in Wisconsin must be pretty damn boring to sit and think all this garbage up. Oh, I forgot, the new USBC youth board voted for these things. Can anyone name the members of this board? Wanna guess that no junior bowlers are on that board?

So for those of you who thought people like Matt in PA won't be affected by their nonsense.....guess again. For those youngsters out there, Roger Dalkin is the reincarnation of Jimmy Hoffa. The only difference is Dalkin isn't buried in the Meadowlands.

my letter to dalkin, feel free to copy/paste and e-mail it to him in your name



I compose this letter with as much respect that should be showed to someone in your position. I can not agree at all with the changes that the USBC is making. First and foremost I have won rings with a hockey, football and baseball team. These championship rings have not been banned or criticized; the fact that the USBC is worried about Youth rings is asinine.  To me and many others it seems like a ploy to not have to spend as much money on youth bowling.

Secondly, it is absurd that the USBC will not want to certify tournaments like the JBT or the JBTSW if they do not give up their money to SMART. Organizations like Chuck Pezzano’s JBT have given out more scholarship money with fewer complaints than any other bowling related scholarship organization in the nation. The interest that is collected is put back into end of year events or used to defer the losses that are taken at tournaments in which the guaranteed prize fund is given out with a less than anticipated tournament.

As a junior bowler for many years I would rather bowl in uncertified events than ever have my money be held by SMART which is acting like a bully. I am certain than many other bowlers in these fine organizations will feel the same way as well. I think this is a horrible and greedy venture that the USBC has taken upon themselves, and I even if it has been done for some unforeseeable “good cause” it is certainly going to make the USBC seem like a money-hungry bully attacking reputable organizations like the JBT and the JBTSouthWest.

As respectfully as possible,

JimmyBronx (obviously i had my real name on the letter)

JBT Bowler First… USBC Youth secondly

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One can fight without ever winning, but one can never win without a fight... Let's take on the USBC!!!
-what we do now echos in eternity-

I can understand everyone concerns about people who can't be trusted. So let me relate a real situation that occurred. The person involved banks all his money with SMART and has done so for years. When this person didn't deposit the $50 he agreed he owed my son, I filed a formal complaint with YABA against him about 2 years ago. They did ABSOLUTELY NOTHING, except a few threatening words in a letter. It took a year and a half of going to YABA to get this money deposited. This person continues to run questionable tournaments throughout the eastern US. He has changed web sites at least once because of all of the faults I gave YABA/USBC about his rules including the fact that he advertises a $25,000 tournament of Champions for which he has never paid out more than $14,000 (based on his own disclosures on his web sites). He has even increased the amount of the tournament in his advertising over the years. From conversations I had with parents, this is not the only time he conveniently not deposited money due people who bowled in his tournaments. If you think this is made up then contact Mr. Gary Schmidt at USBC and ask him about my complaint filed against the Keystone Bowlers Tour.

The point of this is folks.......when money is involved, bad things are bound to happen. The fact that SMART would have all the money certainly does not insure (or even improve the odds) by any means that money will get to where it is supposed to go or get evenly distributed. The reason is simple, in the end they have no disclsoure requirements unless their constituency pressures them to do so. If USBC is so concerned about background checks for people involved in the sport then allow those handling money they don't control to show evidence of bonding or insurance to cover any potential losses. For anyone like Chuck who is in this situation (and I don't know whether he has anything like that) it would be the good, prudent, business thing to do. In the case of our organization, we are a non-profit under IRS regulations with a board of directors and adequate controls in place to prevent any mishaps. What could their argument possible be with us other than control?

THe problem is that SMART/USBC is a governing body with no one to answer to. If bowling mattered/counted at all in the real world then it would have to answer to a higher power.
Example...our National Congress is holding hearings over steroid use in baseball!!!!! (To think, tax money being spent on a sport). There is my corruption in the USBC/SMART and nothing is going to get done about it because bowling does not matter. It is sad but true.


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One can fight without ever winning, but one can never win without a fight... Let's take on the USBC!!!
-what we do now echos in eternity-

this thread used to be 3 pages, what happened, did stuff get deleted?
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One can fight without ever winning, but one can never win without a fight... Let's take on the USBC!!!
-what we do now echos in eternity-

What's the bargain with the sanction fees? The RIGHT to buy something from them? Youth get essentially nothing for the money anymore except the ability to have the chance to get to Junior Gold which while an erstwhile experience for some, have no chance in h*ll of being competitive. As a parent, I can tell you it costs me about $2K to go to this each year.

If you think the sanction fees are bad for youth, wait until you go adult. Our fees are going up $5 to $21. That's because they have allowed both the local and state associations to raise their fees $2 and $1 respectively. I don't know what your adult local association does but I can tell you mine (which is one of the largest in the country) does nothing except hold an annual dinner and vote each other into some stupid local hall of fame. Oh, and that $1 now goes to a newly created state association which will be just another group of people with my money that goes unaccounted for.

But there is some good news.....you'll be glad to know that as an adult when you shoot 700 you'll get an official leather USBC coaster. Bet you can't wait!

It's pretty interesting.  I go on the site from time to time and plan on bowling a more full jbt schedule in the future, but one of the most interesting things I found was that it was around for 31 years.  I naturally assumed that Chuck Pezzano Jr. took it over from either his father or another person, but the fact that he began the program is amazing.  The entry fees are pretty expensive for a standard event, but the value in bowling the events is not the prize money, its the competition, the fact that if you can compete in the JBT you have a good shot at being a great competitive bowler for years to come.  The larger events offer a generous amount of scholarship $'s and have even better competition.

The entire program is great and I'd love to see it continue to prosper and gain greater #'s of entries.
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four fried chickens and a coke[/size=4]