Got this via email today:
quote:
A Fresh Approach #13– Wednesday, December 15th, 2004
The official email newsletter of the Ladies Classic Tour, Inc.
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HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL!
From our house to your house, best wishes for a safe, happy, and healthy holiday season and a wonderful New Year.
It's been an interesting year . . .
2003 ended and 2004 started with the hope that Steve Sanders (Pinacle Events) could successfully complete his due diligence and launch a new Professional Women's Bowling Association Tour in early 2004. On February 24, Sanders announced that he could not buy PWBA because he was unable to get a television deal with ESPN that would give him a reasonable chance for success.
It was a sad day for women's pro bowling. Immediately following Sanders announcement, we announced the formation of the Ladies Classic Tour. By starting LCT, we could complete events that we had previously booked for the PWBA regional program, and we hoped to attract sponsors for new LCT events in the future.
We were encouraged to start LCT by many people in the industry, and in our initial meetings with potential sponsors, they pledged their support.
We also said very early that without sponsor support, we would not continue for very long. We spend a lot of money to start LCT, but we had no intention to personally fund events and take a loss indefinitely.
We also believed that significant changes were absolutely necessary for future success. If we had continued to do things the same way they had been done for 20 years, we knew we could expect the same results.
Frankly, we are not willing to operate LCT unless significant and financially feasible events can be conducted. We'd rather have a few big events with significant prize funds ($20,000 - $30,000 minimum) than many small events where we don't make a profit and top players cannot justify the expense of travel and participation.
WIBC also changed the landscape when they made an announcement at Bowl Expo in June that they had "acquired the assets" of John Sommer's PWBA and they were developing a business plan to launch a new tour. They even said they might conduct a couple of events before the end of 2004.
Obviously, nothing has happened yet. They recently announced that a "planning group" had met and are in the process of developing a business plan. The "planning team" consists of Jan Schmidt, Rosanne Kuhn, Barbara Waldorf, Kathy Oberholtzer and Donna Schroder of WIBC, (USBC as of January 1), Steve Miller of PBA, Frank DeSocio of Strike Ten Entertainment, Chip Zielke of Circle Athletics, and former PWBA members Cathy Dorin-Lizzi and Kim Adler. We offered, but LCT has not been asked to participate in this project.
Our concern is that it appears that this group is looking at the PBA to lead the way in starting a new PWBA. Obviously, we don't know what they discussed in their meeting, but why would the PBA launch a women's tour when they have a stagnant PBA Senior Tour and they have not yet turned a profit on their own men's tour? It seems like a very long shot at best.
And with all due respect, we haven't seen any evidence that a new tour plan will include a regional program that is necessary to build a foundation for membership and long-term success. Every major league needs a minor league, and the PWBA is no exception.
We were (and still are) hoping that LCT could become that minor league, but to be honest, it doesn't look too promising right now, but we haven't given up. If we can get some support, we'll run some significant women's non-televised events in 2005 and beyond. If we don't get any support, we won't. It's that simple. If we do, we think it will be a positive step toward building the foundation that top-level women's bowling must have to succeed long term.
People ask me often why PWBA failed. Without hesitation, I tell them that one of the major reason is that they never devoted the resources and effort to build a strong foundation. The PWBA/LPBT regional program was a foundation, but it was weak because it was never properly funded. It was self-sustaining, but never allowed to grow because the national tour was in almost constant financial turmoil for more than 20 years.
We sincerely hope that whoever or whatever group that gets involved in top-level women's bowling in the future will have the patience and perseverance to build a solid, strong foundation for a new tour. It may take years, but it will be worth the investment and effort. We hope they will learn from the past mistakes of others.
Bowling Balls Available
LCT has several high performance bowling balls that are 14, 15 and 16 pounds for sale to anyone interested in them. These balls retail for $150 - $250 and are available for $60 - $100. If interested, contact LCT via email jgoodwin@ladiesclassictour.com for details.
2005 Membership dues request delayed
Our plan was to have our 2005 membership dues renewals out by now, but without a solid 2005 schedule of sponsored events, we will not ask for membership money. When we do get some sponsors and events, only then will we ask for membership dues.
Thanks for reading, and for your support of LCT. If you have anything you would like to share with our members, please send it in for our next Fresh Approach newsletter. Please send to jgoodwin@ladiesclassictour.com.
This newsletter is for information only and no item can be reproduced in whole or in part without permission from LCT management.
Please forward this report to anyone on your buddy list that may have an interest.
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Bowlers are like puppies. The only difference is that someday the puppy will quit whining.
-- Found at Sam's Town Pro Shop 
