Unpaid bowler letters have been sent to league secretaries. If a bowler on that list believes that he/she has already paid dues for this season, that individual should contact the association office immediately and get the matter cleared up. Individuals who have not paid their membership dues are considered ineligible players and could cause teams to forfeit games in which they bowl.
Along these lines, all substitutes must present a receipt or a current 2012-2013 season membership application card prior to bowling. In either case, they must fill out a card for each league. Secretaries who are unsure whether bowlers are current with their dues, can check or have a fellow league member check at bowl.com from a computer, phone, or iPad.
USBC Headquarters has issued non-payment notices to several area bowlers who have not paid their membership dues for this season and for bowlers who did not pay in the 2011-2012 season.
To all league secretaries: Save yourself from some aggravation by reviewing your league roster today and checking on the membership status of your bowlers.
This is the time of year when weather can cause members to be absent from bowling. Makeups need to be requested 48 hours in advance unless it is an emergency. League presidents must personally verify the league’s bank balance monthly. Do not get caught by surprise when it’s time for the league payoff. (Click here to view the Monthly President Verification Worksheet.)
I strongly suggest that secretaries keep a log of issues and problems that arise during the season so that they can be addressed at your organizational meeting next season. For example, it is recommended that leagues follow the USBC rules for determining how the entering average is established. If instead your league uses a “three-game” rule to establish an average, a problem could result if the bowler has to leave after the first or second game.
Finally, as President Ashley notes in his column, new this season to the Women’s and Open Championship tournaments are the new handicap prize categories for members 55 and older—Senior Singles and Senior All Events. Judging by the number of calls coming to the office thus far, there seems to be a lot of interest in these categories. It would be great if every league in the association sent one or two teams to every tournament.