Thanks, guys!
Sorry for the slow reply - for some reason, I haven't checked this particular forum in a few days.
Ram - We have been struggling to keep Masters entries up over the past couple years. Before they changed the average cap on the Classic from 190 to 200, Masters entries would regularly outpace Classic entries. After that, many 190-200 Masters bowlers (including me) moved down to the Classic division. That caused Masters entries to take a pretty substantial hit. Since then, the bowling economy has slowed a bit, taking even more of a toll on entries.
In the past few years, we have tried many different things to try to get the Masters entries back up, but to no avail. Last year, we had to lower the guarantee for Masters, and this year, we have had to discontinue it altogether. These days, we get something like 35-45 entries in the Masters at a "regular" event. Of course, for the big ones (Memorial Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving), we get more entries.
We are kicking around some new ideas. You might want to go to the ABT Chicago website and look at the survey that is on there. If you happen to be a member, feel free to voice your opinion.
http://www.amateurbowlerstourchgo.com/Scott - Go out there and bring home a title!
Thanks again for the props.
Rick