League bowlers, having been given the opportunity to start their season on time, are getting their gear together and trying to digest the restrictions required in order to participate.
It will be bowling like we've never seen it before — wearing masks, bowlers spread out, barriers installed in some centers — thanks to COVID-19.
One prominent area bowling enthusiast has a relevant message to everyone: Remember the proprietors.
"Let's be aware of what they're going through and support them when you go in and they tell you what the rules are," said Jim Burton, tournament director for the Albany League Bowlers Association of New York. "They aren't the ones making the rules."
Burton, a decorated bowler himself, created a concept that he believes can help the proprietors, who have gone five months with no income and have had to invest heavily in equipment to keep their centers safe.
Most leagues have a set weekly fee, some of which pays the lineage and the rest into a prize fund. Burton is suggesting leagues consider donating the first week's prize money to the owners.
"I'm just looking for a way to say thank you to that," he said. "It doesn't have to be anything highly organized. My idea was to just get people to think about the idea that they need help."
Tom Catino, who runs the ALBANY tournaments with Burton, has a Facebook post with a similar message.
"Here's a simple way to show our appreciation to the bowling proprietors," Catino wrote.
As an alternative, Catino suggested donating 50-50 proceeds, although current guidance likely will prohibit raffles in the early season.
The gesture isn't going to have a big impact on the bottom line for these owners, but it is a gesture — a way to show that we're in this together.
It is the thought that counts.
Local scene
Rich Strath of Schenectady and Chris Fedden of Albany advanced to match play in the PBA50 East Region Bristol Pike Lanes Open in Croydon, Pa. Strath qualified fourth and finished seventh, earning $580. Fedden qualified 13th, missing the round-robin match play by 10 pins, and took home $455. ... Dave Handlowich Jr. of Ancram (Columbia County) won $550, finishing 24th, in the PBA50 Central/Midwest Region Progressive/Gerdeman Classic in Bowling Green, Ohio.
Sammy Ventura's 10th Frame Senior Tour, which annually has a stop or two in the Capital Region, plans to kick off its 2020-21 season Sept. 27 with an over-50/under-50 doubles tournament in Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
National news
The PBA returns to the air Sept. 27-30 with a series of six live two-hour Elias Cup telecasts on Fox Sports 1. Rotterdam's Liz Kuhlkin will be on the Miami Waves, one of 12 teams competing in the PBA League, which has been relocated to Centerville, Va. ... Bowlers Journal International, a monthly magazine that has chronicled the sport for 107 years, has been sold to the U.S. Bowling Congress, which also purchased the BJI Tournament. While the USBC ownership brings into question the publication's objectivity, the continuation of the magazine is a plus.
Longtime PBA publicists Bill Vint and Jerry Schneider have announced their retirements as the organization realigns its news media services. Both men provided much-appreciated input for this column. Bowlero Corp. purchased the PBA nearly a year ago.
Pete Dougherty's column is published Tuesdays during the bowling season. Items to be considered for publication can be submitted by fax (518-454-5819) or pdougherty@timesunion.com.
August 25, 2020 at 06:09AM
https://www.timesunion.com/sports/article/Dougherty-Don-t-forget-bowling-proprietors-upon-15511558.php
Dougherty: Don't forget bowling proprietors upon return - Albany Times Union
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