Bottom Line Up Front:
Show up Sunday night (Tonight!) at AMF/Bowlero Durham around 6:00 pm so we can get lane assignments and registration out of the way.
If you signed up with a team, make sure your teammates have registered through our website (not the Bowlero website).
You can post-bowl (this week only) if you aren't going to be there tonight, let me know via email reply
This email has most of the info about the season that you'll want to keep handy, such as pre-bowling, when we're not bowling, etc.
Welcome to Pindependent bowling! We should be generally ready to roll tonight for our first week. But if you still have friends who are interested, there's still time to sign up! They can sign up here: https://www.pindependentbowling.com/sign-up
Get a cup of coffee or a beer, this is a long email.
What to expect this season:
We will bowl on Sunday nights at 6:15 pm. That means that practice will start at 6:15 and competitive bowling will start no later than 6:30. If you don't want 10 minutes of practice time, show up at 6:30. But we're trying to be done by 9ish every week, so please be on time so we can start on time.
Other than for week 1, there will be no post-bowling: if you miss a week, you may pre-bowl in advance. Details on practice games and pre-bowling are below.
If you intend to post-bowl for week 1, please let me know as soon as possible.
There are no breaks this season
Check on your friends and teammates!! The following teams have only 1 or 2 people registered, so if you're on that team, please reach out to your teammates:
Gutter Gays
Whatever Floats
Calculated
What to expect on Week 1:
Please show up a bit early (6pm). This way, we can enter team/player names into the computer
Bring a pen for recording your scores and team names on the scorecards tonight and every week.
As noted, there are some teams with spots available, so if you have a friend who is interested, bring them along.
If you're new to our league, look for me on arrival at the lanes, I'll help you get set up on your lane/with your team. We usually play on lanes 23ish to 32, so we'll be on that end of the bowling alley.
Week 1's points will not count, this week is just time to set your average.
Your average/handicap info may already be in the computer from previous seasons, it won't matter for week one but will help set up for moving forward
If you don't have an established average/handicap, it'll be established tonight.
One weird final request: on your scorecard, next to your NEATLY printed name, please put M or F next to your name to indicate your sex. Last season we had some folks placed in the wrong group and this led to incorrect leaderboards.
How scoring works:
Your team will play 3 competitive games each week against another league team (or a “vacant team” if we have an odd number). Each win counts as a point, as does the most total pins. At the end of the regular season, the top teams based on points will move into a playoff for prizes and bragging rights.
In the event of a tie, total pins (raw + handicap) will be used. In the case of a pin # tie, then raw pins will be used.
Key things to remember:
Show up on time. We start competitive play at 6:30 pm. If you're late, but still arrive during game 1, we can “play you in” but please don't make a habit of it.
Every league bowler will have 2 free practice games per week. These games can be played Monday through Saturday until 7pm or any time on Sundays. Check in at the desk and let them know that you are here for practice games, not pre-bowling. You should NOT be given a score card for practice games.
Bowlero cannot guarantee there will be lanes available, that the lights will be on, or that you can have 2 lanes. These things can be done as a courtesy, but there's no guarantee, based on how busy the bowling center is.
If you have a league card from previous years, it should be active, otherwise they look you up based on your phone number you provided to the league.
If you are going to miss a week, you can pre-bowl prior to Sunday night's start. If you pre-bowl, please let me and your teammates know!! Make sure you let the staff at AMF know that you are PREBOWLING (not practicing) so that they have you sign in and give you a score card. Take a picture of the completed score card and send it to me. Make sure the score card has your name, your league/team name and the date you are pre-bowling for.
I'm not sure I can emphasize this enough: if you do not put the date that you are bowling for on your score card, it will not be used, and we will use your blind score instead (average minus 10).
Again, there is no guarantee that you'll get 2 lanes or that the lights will be on when you pre-bowl. There is no set time for pre-bowling, you can bowl any time, but they cannot always guarantee lane availability at busy bowling times.
These are not the same as the free games, and so they can be used at any time, but only if lanes are available.
If you are planning to post bowl for week 1 and haven't told me, please reply to this email right now and let me know. Also date your score card for the week you are bowling for (not the date you bowl).
Cool apps you can use this season (not a paid promotion, sadly):
Lane Talk: this is an app that will link itself up with the software at Bowlero to track your games. It also can give you information about your games (your most common first roll knockdowns/leaves, averages, etc.). The reason this app is so handy is that if some night you forget to give me your score sheet or something terrible happens and scores get lost, the app will track your scores over time. It's also free. Free is cool. You can download the app here: https://lanetalk.com/bowlers/
League Pals: this is an app from Bowlero where you can track your league information. Weekly scores, leaderboards and lane assignments are tracked in the app (imagine the weekly score sheets at your lane available on an app). You can download this app here: https://www.leaguepals.com/
Important note: this app will tell you that you can register and pay for your league through the app. This is NOT true. Our league operates differently, so please note that you must register and pay through the Pindependent website.
Neither of these apps are required for league participation, so if you don't want another app on your phone, I feel that and you do you, boo.
Bowling etiquette (I will send this every time I send a league email):
Be ready to bowl when it's your turn. No, seriously, don't be delaying play because you're messing around somewhere else. Being in line at the bar is one thing, but consistently having to be told it's your turn is annoying. Be considerate and ready when it's your turn.
Be aware of other bowlers: if 2 bowlers make the approach side by side, the bowler on the right has the right of way. LOOK AROUND. Make sure that when it's your turn, you're not bowling at the same time as the bowlers in the lanes next to you.
After bowling, don't linger on the approach: Again, we're trying to keep things moving, so once your roll is complete, do your happy dance and let the next bowler approach.
Wear bowling shoes. This should go without saying, but street shoes can damage the approach and lead to falls. Shoes are NOT included in the price of your season, so make sure to rent your shoes when you arrive if you need to.
Keep an eye on food and drink: don't spill near the approach, wet shoes cause falls (trust me on this one). If you're a sloppy eater, then eat at the table behind the benches on the lanes.
Don't be a jerk. No, seriously. We're all here to have fun. Don't be a jerk.
Questions? Comments? Send them my way! keely@pindependentbowling.com
I will post each email updates on the website blog as well, so if you miss the emails, check there. www.pindependentbowling.com
So that's about it, if you need more information, let me know. Otherwise, I'll see you on the lanes!
-k-
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