USBC Nationals for 2020 Cancelled - good or bad thing?

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Dr NO
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USBC Nationals for 2020 Cancelled - good or bad thing?

Post by Dr NO »

Hi everyone.

I don't post often, but I received this email this morning:

===== Email follows =====

ARLINGTON, Texas – The United States Bowling Congress has canceled all remaining national events for 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“These decisions are tough on everyone, but mostly our players, athletes and members,” USBC Executive Director Chad Murphy said. “USBC’s mission is to serve our bowlers, and canceling the most significant events in the sport certainly is heartbreaking for all involved. Nevertheless, USBC has a responsibility to consider the health of its members and their communities. Given the increasing spread of COVID-19 in several states, along with constantly changing guidelines and travel restrictions, we sadly do not see a responsible way to conduct national events in 2020.”

This cancellation includes the previously postponed USBC Open Championships, USBC Women’s Championships, USBC Masters, USBC Senior Masters, USBC Senior Queens and Super Senior Classic.

The 2020-2021 USBC Collegiate season will be postponed until January 2021 and be conducted as a second-semester sport. The dates for the Intercollegiate Team and Singles Championships will be determined at a later time, with plans to hold them in the late spring or early summer.

USA Bowling events and in-person coaching seminars for 2020 also have been postponed to 2021.

USBC previously announced the cancellation of the 2020 Professional Women’s Bowling Association Tour season, with a possibility of conducting events in the fall and winter months. In light of current conditions, plans for a PWBA event in late 2020 now are indefinitely on hold.

USBC plans to resume a traditional schedule of events in January 2021, starting with USBC Team USA Trials, as conditions allow.

“While USBC national events are canceled, bowling certainly is not shut down for 2020,” Murphy said. “USBC is confident competitive bowling can take place locally, and we are seeing many proprietors taking proactive steps to responsibly host leagues in accordance with local guidelines. Those steps will help leagues begin and tournaments to take place during the rest of the summer and into the fall. Our hope is that conditions improve to allow national events again in 2021.”

Teams registered for the 2020 Open and Women’s Championships may request to have their payments rolled forward for the 2021 tournaments, or they can request full refunds.

Individuals who have submitted entries for any USBC short-duration event (Masters, Senior Masters, Senior Queens, Super Senior Classic) will be refunded in the upcoming weeks.
===== End =====

What do people think?

Personally, while I think it sucks, I also think it's the correct move to make.

I know I wasn't looking forward to going to a place where people don't social distance and where I'd have ended up spending all my spare time in my room.

Just my .02
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Re: USBC Nationals for 2020 Cancelled - good or bad thing?

Post by JimH »

The rest of the world has cancelled or postponed sporting events due to the Covid-19 pandemic. I think the USBC decision is correct. Let's conquer this health crisis first then we can get back to normal.
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Re: USBC Nationals for 2020 Cancelled - good or bad thing?

Post by MegaMav »

Thanks for forwarding this along to the community Steve.
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Re: USBC Nationals for 2020 Cancelled - good or bad thing?

Post by Glenn »

Yeah, I received this email, too. And, I agree that it is the right thing to do in this pandemic.
Although like the Federal gov't, the USBC deferred to local gov't guidelines for league bowling; I think that is a mistake.
Our state governor is facing a legal challenge from bowling alley owners, suing over COVID-19 capacity restrictions at their facilities.
The State Bowling Proprietors Association filed the lawsuit on Tuesday. The suit asks the state court to invalidate the governor's “unconstitutional and improper” exercise of authority to issue consecutive emergency declarations and restrict the number of people allowed in a bowling alley.
“Our members are suffering serious and irreparable harm in the form of insolvency or the permanent loss of their business and reputation as a result of these illegal orders,” the executive said. “While we tried to work cooperatively to find a solution, the state was unwilling to work toward a fair solution, so we were left with no choice but to seek a court order. We believe that we have both the facts and law on our side, and we look forward to presenting our case to the court.”
Under Phase 4 of the governor’s plan to slow the spread of coronavirus, bowling alleys are among the businesses restricted to allow a maximum of 50 people inside at any given time.
I believe other court challenges have been thrown out in the governor's favor. The argument has been that maximum allowed should be based on the size of the facility; more lanes = more people. Judging from past behaviors, I believe bowling centers that have 4 and 5 man leagues, serve liquor and food, and run video games are a recipe for disaster in these times.
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Re: USBC Nationals for 2020 Cancelled - good or bad thing?

Post by TomaHawk »

Glenn wrote: July 15th, 2020, 11:49 pm Yeah, I received this email, too. And, I agree that it is the right thing to do in this pandemic.
Although like the Federal gov't, the USBC deferred to local gov't guidelines for league bowling; I think that is a mistake.
Our state governor is facing a legal challenge from bowling alley owners, suing over COVID-19 capacity restrictions at their facilities.
The State Bowling Proprietors Association filed the lawsuit on Tuesday. The suit asks the state court to invalidate the governor's “unconstitutional and improper” exercise of authority to issue consecutive emergency declarations and restrict the number of people allowed in a bowling alley.
“Our members are suffering serious and irreparable harm in the form of insolvency or the permanent loss of their business and reputation as a result of these illegal orders,” the executive said. “While we tried to work cooperatively to find a solution, the state was unwilling to work toward a fair solution, so we were left with no choice but to seek a court order. We believe that we have both the facts and law on our side, and we look forward to presenting our case to the court.”
Under Phase 4 of the governor’s plan to slow the spread of coronavirus, bowling alleys are among the businesses restricted to allow a maximum of 50 people inside at any given time.
I believe other court challenges have been thrown out in the governor's favor. The argument has been that maximum allowed should be based on the size of the facility; more lanes = more people. Judging from past behaviors, I believe bowling centers that have 4 and 5 man leagues, serve liquor and food, and run video games are a recipe for disaster in these times.
Well, I'm just about speechless. This is the first time, in a very, very long time, USBC has made a good decision. A little late, but....

Bowling is in a precarious position, there are a lot of elements to consider such as those mentioned above. The very nature of bowling is one of commitment that result in being in a specific location, for a predetermined length of time. I wonder, if the proponents of the lawsuits were to be held liable for people who became infected, would they continue to pursue their line of reasoning?
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Re: USBC Nationals for 2020 Cancelled - good or bad thing?

Post by kajmk »

Thanks for sharing

Simply put.

Addressing the USBC.




Be well, be safe, be happy.
May all beings everywhere be happy and free,
and may the thoughts, words, and actions of my own life
contribute in some way to that happiness
and to that freedom for all.

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Re: USBC Nationals for 2020 Cancelled - good or bad thing?

Post by iNSOMNiA »

I’ve been waiting for this ball to drop which is why I didn’t book any travel plans. I won’t be bowling this fall either. I’ve been wanting to take some time off for awhile, like miss a season kind of time off. I think this is the perfect time in order to keep myself and those around me safe. It’s really unfortunate because if I do come back, there will most likely be less alleys available to bowl in because of the financial struggles. I hope I’m wrong.

I was also registered for my first ever USBC Masters in March, I was really looking forward to that.

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Re: USBC Nationals for 2020 Cancelled - good or bad thing?

Post by kajmk »

Insomnia, the good news is you are still young :)

Consider improving your knowledge of the sport and your fitness.
There are a number of posts on the forum citing bowling fitness, reading and viewing material. Folks are coming out with ideas for home drills and practices, cruise YouTube.

Here are a few I stumbled on today, they've been out for several months.


An at home drill to learn how to keep your hand on the inside of the ball | Using your practice ball






Work on increasing revrate at home | create the feeling and adjust technique later





Practice your different releases at home | In home practice tips






BE SAFE, BE WELL, BE HAPPY.
May all beings everywhere be happy and free,
and may the thoughts, words, and actions of my own life
contribute in some way to that happiness
and to that freedom for all.

John
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Re: USBC Nationals for 2020 Cancelled - good or bad thing?

Post by MegaMav »

iNSOMNiA wrote: July 17th, 2020, 1:29 am I won’t be bowling this fall either. I’ve been wanting to take some time off for awhile, like miss a season kind of time off. I think this is the perfect time in order to keep myself and those around me safe. It’s really unfortunate because if I do come back, there will most likely be less alleys available to bowl in because of the financial struggles. I hope I’m wrong.
If people dont bowl when re-opening happens, I dont know if there will be any centers left in 2021.
Wear facial protection, dont touch anybody, avoid shared surfaces and dont touch your face.
It seems simple, but there seems to be a segment of the populous that will not be inconvenienced (it has nothing to do with freedom) and its those people that ruin it for the rest of us by keeping the virus spreading.
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Re: USBC Nationals for 2020 Cancelled - good or bad thing?

Post by Glenn »

Mav and Insomnia express where I am at the present time - probably will sit out bowling this season after shelling out some serious money in anticipation of the fall/winter league/tournament season. Why?
We have two 36-lane bowling centers in the immediate area. One is corporate owned and the other privately owned. The AMF center has kept its website current regarding how it will respond to Covid19. The private center website hasn't been updated since 2018, and its Facebook account is locked to public viewing. The area bowling association website is also poorly maintained.
Bowlers will get to deal with two types of covidiots: bowlers in denial who refuse to adhere to commonsense mitigation techniques, and bowling centers that take a hit-and-miss approach to making their centers safer for bowling. I have seen nothing mentioned about dealing with possible aerosol spread with the restrooms (petri dishes before the pandemic), the air hand driers, and HVAC.
Our AMF center has put out information about their approach and I organized their information in a document I have attached, the private center and the local bowling association have been mum about the pandemic.
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Re: USBC Nationals for 2020 Cancelled - good or bad thing?

Post by TomaHawk »

Nobody should be advocating congregation in an indoor environment until a method of dealing with COVID is devised. Bowling centers, by their very nature, are ideal environments for the spread of this deadly, debilitating disease. Unfortunately, that is the truth. All one has to do is examine the incident at a indoor establishment located in Lansing, Michigan where it was found, in a very short period of time, over 90 cases of COVID were recorded.

It is definitely not my wish, but it seems to me, keeping bowling centers closed is beyond common sense.
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Re: USBC Nationals for 2020 Cancelled - good or bad thing?

Post by Daryl »

I think it is a bad thing. But this is the crazy world we live in.
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Re: USBC Nationals for 2020 Cancelled - good or bad thing?

Post by TomaHawk »

Daryl wrote: July 23rd, 2020, 2:23 pm I think it is a bad thing. But this is the crazy world we live in.
Then, it would be fair to say, smoking should be allowed in bowling centers?
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Re: USBC Nationals for 2020 Cancelled - good or bad thing?

Post by 44boyd »

Yes since restaurants, youth sports, bars, malls, Casinos, hotels etc can employ measures to keep people safe but bowling alleys can’t doesn’t have any logic.
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Re: USBC Nationals for 2020 Cancelled - good or bad thing?

Post by Glenn »

Did any COVID-19 infections occur during the PBA King-of-the-Lanes and/or the AMF Quibica tournaments in Florida in July 2020?

Stacy, we had the same issue here and the SBPA filed a lawsuit. Bowling centers were restricted to a maximum of 50 people per location, while businesses such as gyms, retail stores, nail salons, and restaurants do not face a 50-person cap and can have up to 50-percent capacity. They reached an agreement. Now, bowling centers will be able to operate with a capacity of 200 people or 50% of occupancy, whichever is less. I do not know how the occupancy thing is determined/calculated. Local public health posts an occupancy in each business, but is that bowling+restaurant+bar+arcade or total square feet divided by some number of square feet per person or?

The actual guidelines also state that "groups of bowlers of up to 50 people will be separated by two unused (dark) lanes. So our 36-lanes house could have up to 150 people (plus guests) in 5-man teams on the lanes at a given time. 50 bowlers on 10 adjacent lanes (assuming 5-man teams) seems like a lot of people in a fairly crowded, confined space. Groups must limit congregation (no more than 50 people) before, during, and after bowling (again, that seems like a lot in a small space). They are also allowing guests (other guidelines I have seen prohibit guests and visitors). Restaurants, bars, and arcades in the bowling center operate under their own specific guidelines. No mention about bringing food and drinks into the bowling area. It also says that face coverings shall be required of all bowlers (even while they are bowling; drinking a beer?), guests, and staff. How does social distancing come into play with the mask rule?

I thought the face mask thing would be a problem. However, the state just yesterday adopted new legislative rules. The order requires businesses, schools, and day care facilities to make "reasonable efforts" to ensure that patrons and employees wear face coverings when they cannot maintain a six-foot distance from others (there is the rub). Under the new rules, businesses found to be out of compliance will first be given a written warning. A second offense can result in having some or all of their patrons leave the premises as needed to comply with health guidelines. If businesses refuse to comply after that, they can receive a misdemeanor notice and be subject to a fine ranging from $75 to $2,500. And, assaulting a worker who's enforcing masks is now a felony. I call this the "Karen rule" (we have seen a lot of confrontations here).
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