Do you think the economy has alot to do with the decline in entries for local tournaments?

Just wanted to talk about this today, with yet another declining day on Wall Street.

Yes we all have regular attendees that participate in the tournaments but have we gotten down to just the core tourney bowlers who are committing funds to tournament play.   That is about 25 bowlers per event and maybe another 10 who trickle in and out?

Are we heading into a recession where those access funds are just to precious to take a chance?  

I dont know for sure, but I see a definite trend right now, what about you?
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Yvette
Tournament Director Triple Threat Tournaments
Triplethreat1560@aol.com

MSB,
The ones who have quit all together are at least even from a financial standpoint when it comes to bowling.  90% of the guys chasing tournaments for the last 5 years are down.  You can't knock them for seeing the writing on the wall before us.

MSB is right when he says we're not hungry anymore.  We're just not.  After York last weekend I was in the bar with my friends from college and just asked, "When was the last time you guys had fun bowling?" everyone's answers were last time they bowled collegiately.  Local area tournaments just have a dreadful despair in the air as soon as you walk into a center.  Not because the tournament itself is bad, just the atmosphere just seems like you're going to a wake instead of going to compete.  Add the finances on top of that and hey, I'd rather be at a bar or working on sunday and watching football than throwing a bowling ball when mentally I know I don't feel like it.  I guess the bowlers of my generation just got tired of paying to "go through the motions" than actually waking up and going to a tournament with the intentions of winning it like it was when we were all youth.  When you couple that with the "Poker Boom", the forecast for competitive bowling doesn't look too good despite the great efforts by a few.
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-DJ Marshall
...The Twelve In a Row Pro Shop.  AMF Bowie Lanes -- Bowie, MD

Jeff,

Please do not take my response as a way of me saying tournament directors need to give back.  I think tournament directors should take more.  I was just giving suggestions on ways for tournament directors to run more tournaments, make more money for themselves, draw more entries and have decent prize funds for the bowlers.  Ideas such as having less lineage with simple formats.  But formats that will allow more side action.

I think you need to stop worrying what the final cash spot is going to pay.  If you are going to a tournament in hopes of doubling your money for finishing in 15th place then you shouldn’t be bowling.  I think paying 1 in 4 or 1 in 5 with side action is the preferred method for the serious bowlers.

WABullets.

You’re crazy, brackets are the best thing that ever happened to bowling!  Yes, there are less entries these days but imagine how fewer entries there would be without any brackets.

I definitely took entries for granted when I ran tournaments in the 80's and early 90's.

Just not sure where to go from here.

Back then, everyone was happy but bowling ball technology and lane conditions weren't much of an issue