Hey, Pindependents!
I hope you had a safe and fun Halloween and enjoyed the night off to play some tricks or treats. I hope you remembered to set your clocks back, so you're not an hour early tonight. We're back to regular play this week, again starting practice at 6:15pm and competitive play at 6:30pm.
We're down to the final 3 weeks of the season, so that means that next week we'll start our playoffs/championship roll. How do these playoffs work? Well, here's the skinny:
Next week, the top 4 teams will be pitted against one another: 4th place vs. 1st, 2nd place vs 3rd. They will play the usual 3 games with the usual scoring process in place (a point for each win, and one for total pins).
The 2 winning teams among those 4 will be matched up the final week for the championship game, with the same process in place.
Some important details:
Pre-bowling scores are NOT used for playoff/championship matches. In order to compete for the trophy, you have to be there. If you can't be there, then your blinded score will be used (average minus 10).
If a team fails to show up (all four players) on a playoff night, then the next highest team will be moved in to their slot and they forfeit. Traditionally, if even one player shows up, they can choose to still play, using their teammates' blinded scores. (see below.)
If your team is NOT in the playoffs, you still bowl! You paid for the whole season, you bowl the whole season. While it's not for all the marbles, or in this case a cheesy league trophy, it's still for fun. So don't quit on the league just because you didn't make the playoffs this season.
If you do make the playoffs but still want to pre-bowl, you can, your scores will just not be used.
Don't forget, there are also for our best average male and female bowlers, too! So keep rolling!
Ties are very rare. However, the options for breaking a tie are as follows: 1- using total scratch pins (sort of defeats the normalization with the handicap process) 2- doing a single frame play off (everyone on each team bowls one more frame and we use the handicap scores for that frame to determine the winning team- strikes and spares are counted as 10). 3-A sword fight in the parking lot to the death. You'll have to take off your bowling shoes for that one, unfortunately. It could also affect attendance for the teams on championship week. Let me know which tie breaker idea you like the best (I'm leaning toward option 2, personally). Also, give me your thoughts on player attendance for playoffs/championships. My preference would be that at least a majority of the team be present (Four player teams require 3, Three player teams require 2, etc.) What are your thoughts? Do you prefer a full team being present? Half the team? Are you ok with just one player showing up and using blind scores for the rest? Give me your thoughts. Finally, we've had a lot of conversations in the past about an expanded playoffs, and frankly, my plan was to do that this season but, well, I got started too late. That's on me, and I apologize. Next season, we'll likely have an expanded playoff field and slight change of process. Final evergreen reminders:
If you do pre-bowl, please let me know. And make sure to put the date on your pre-bowling score card. I will not be using cards that are not dated anymore. It's week 7, you should know this by now.
Don't forget! You get 2 free practice games per week. You can take these M-TH until 7pm, F-Sa until 6pm or any time Sundays. (Make sure to specify that you are practicing, not pre-bowling, so they get the math right.)
Make sure to tell the snack bar you're playing in a league, you get a discount on food, soft drinks and bowling as a league member.
Bowling etiquette (just a constant reminder):
Be ready to bowl when it's your turn. This also means trying to be on time.
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.
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 week's updates on the website blog as well, so if you miss the emails, check there. www.pindependentbowling.com Again, chime in and let me know your thoughts. This is our league that we play for fun, so I don't want anyone feeling like their thoughts and ideas aren't valid. -k-
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