In this week's e-News

2012 proposed amendments and Convention updates
Rings being mailed to bowlers
Changes to 2013 USBC Open Championships
BowlTV live kickoff show from the Open Championships
USA Bowling
WinLABs backup
2012 USBC Convention and Annual Meeting
13 proposals up for vote

2012 proposed amendments and Convention updates

When delegates converge in Arlington, Texas, for the 2012 USBC Annual Meeting, they will vote on 13 proposals involving changes to USBC bylaws, league rules and tournament rules on April 27.

The amendments include a series of changes to USBC bylaws called the Financial Freedom and Flexibility Proposals. The Financial Freedom and Flexibility Proposals will allow associations at all levels to better manage their financial future by removing dues cap restrictions from USBC bylaws.

USBC will host a series of meetings around the country to discuss with delegates why the Financial Freedom and Flexibility Proposals will benefit USBC associations and the organization as a whole by embracing free-market principles that are the foundation for growing businesses.

Of the 13 proposals, seven relate to changes to USBC bylaws, four refer to league rules and two to tournaments. Please see BOWL.com/convention for the complete list of proposed amendments and additional information about the 2012 USBC Convention.

Registration opens on Tuesday, April 24
For those delegates arriving in Arlington on Tuesday, April 24, the registration desk will open at noon and will remain open until 6 p.m. After registering, delegates and guests can then head over to the Sheraton for our Welcome Reception and the USBC Queens viewing party. Snacks and a cash bar will be available.

2013 Convention
As requested by the delegates at the 2011 Convention, the 2013 USBC Convention is tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, April 30 through Saturday, May 4 in Reno, Nev. The majority of activities will take place Wednesday through Friday, mirroring the schedule of this year’s Convention. Please note these are tentative plans and any new information for this year as well as next can be found on BOWL.com/convention.

Rings mailed to bowler instead of association
Due to a programming issue with our high score ring vendor (Keepsake), USBC has been alerted by associations that USBC high score rings are being processed as “ship to the association”; however, Keepsake is shipping the ring directly to the member. Keepsake is working diligently to correct this and estimates that it will take 2-3 weeks to correct and test. In the meantime, associations have the following options:

Hold honor award applications for the 2-3 week time frame and once Keepsake has the error corrected, associations will be notified via e-News and can begin processing the awards. Process the awards as they are received knowing the awards will be shipped directly to the bowler.

If this option is chosen, please update the member’s address based on what is on the award application. Failure to update the address to the current address could create delays in delivery times or lost awards. If the address is not updated or the award is processed with the incorrect address, the association will be held responsible for the replacement of the ring.

If you have any additional questions, please contact the Bowling Information Center at 1-800-514-2695 or email bowlinfo@bowl.com.

Changes slated for 2013 USBC Open Championships
When the USBC Open Championships returns to the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nev., in 2013, the storied tournament will have changes designed to improve the event and ease of registration.

First, the tournament's daily schedule will be adjusted to allow for fresh oil for all squads, including doubles and singles.

Second, an enhanced online registration system will allow captains to enter and change their team information at any time, as well as select and lock in their preferred squads in real time as soon as payments are made.

Also beginning in 2013, each event will cost $55 per bowler, up $10 from the current entry fee. This is the first price increase since the 2007 event. Half of the increase will go to the prize fund, while the remaining $5 goes to cover rising tournament expenses. Bowlers may continue to enter all-events for an additional $15, making the cost of a complete entry $180.

To read detailed information on the changes as well as frequently asked questions about why the changes were made, please go to BOWL.com/openchamp or click here.

BowlTV to broadcast Open Championships Kickoff Special
Bowling fans can tune in tomorrow, Feb. 10, to watch a special live broadcast on BowlTV – the USBC Open Championships Kickoff Special.

The live broadcast of the USBC Open Championships Kickoff Special will take place at 4 p.m. Eastern from the Baton Rouge River Center in Baton Rouge, La.

The Open Championships Kickoff Special will feature the revelation of the lane condition for the 2012 event, along with an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the venue in Baton Rouge. The show will offer advice and analysis on the lane condition being used in 2012, which could prove valuable for participants in the event.

BowlTV is the official video channel of USBC with live broadcasts from around the world, video features, coaching tips and more. Bowling fans can subscribe to the channel for free by going to YouTube.com/BowlTV and clicking subscribe.

USA Bowling
A youth program in Arlington, Texas, recently tripled because of USA Bowling!

The USA Bowling program features instruction from a volunteer coach and regular practice outside of weekly competition so children have fun while learning everything from the fundamentals of bowling to life skills, including teamwork and sportsmanship.

Click here to check out the Youth Resource Center (Password: youth) to learn how to launch a USA Bowling program in your area. For questions, please contact Program Manager Emily Maier at emaier@ibcyouth.com.

Backups to WinLABs
After reviewing files at USBC Headquarters, it has been noted that many associations have not backed up their database recently, if at all. Backups of databases help us recover the data of the association should there ever be a hardware failure resulting in a loss of the WinLABs database. While WinLABs is designed to do a backup after every transmittal, it only updates the data that has been changed since the last transmittal was sent.

Starting in early February, the WinLABs Support Team will begin contacting associations that have never backed up, or have older backups, to assist them in transmitting a current WinLABs backup to USBC. In addition, when the Support Team assists any association with errors in their database, they will upload backups as well.