Here goes I'm going to tell you guys a true personal story.
I bowled professionally for 5 years from 97-02 on the Midwest Regional tour.
Now I hear you talk about bowling and think theres money to be made out there and let me tell you its HARD!!!!!
My cash to entry ratio was around 60% not bad.
The best year I had was in '01 when I cashed in 90% of my tournaments.
After expenses care to guess what my net profit was for the year?
?
$50.
This was figuring in mileage,hotels,food, equipment and misc. expenses.
So in '2 some people asked me about going out on the National tour.
I said sure if you can come up with a good enough financial package I'd look at it.
The said how much do you need I looked them all in the eye and said $200K.
They told me I was NUTS.
Then my comeback went something like this;
1) you need at the minimum a 2 year commitment to do it right.
2) I have expenses at home that don't go away(mortgage,car payments,life insurance,health insurance, food and a host of other bills).
3) Lost wages figuring I make(guaranteed from my regular job $40K/yr)
4) loss of my seniority at my job because most employers will not give you a leave of abscense to try this endeavor.
5) being gone and on the road roughly 60% of the time.
6) a new vechicle because your going to need it for all of that travel!!!!!
missing out on seeing my family.
So your comeback is take them with you.
Try taking a 5yr old and infant anywhere longer than 10 minutes away from home and see how your nerves are doing.
Now multiply that by how many miles between tour stops!!!!
You'd finish at the bottom everytime.
Just ask any of the guys that aren't in the top 10-15 in the standings how they're set fininancially.
Edited on 4/13/2005 6:08 PM
