Bowling

(Google Version of Bowling Procedures)

POLICIES AND PROCEDURES FOR BOWLING SCHOOLS

Brattleboro Union High, Burlington High School, Enosburg High School, Essex High School, Fair Haven Union High School, Hartford High School, Randolph Union High School, South Burlington High School, White River Valley High School, Windsor High School

Participating Centers: 

CENTER	ADDRESS	TOWN	PHONE	Home site of:
Brattleboro Bowl	865 Putney Rd.	Brattleboro 05301	802-257-1177	Brattleboro Union High School
Valley Bowl Inc	Rt. 12 Prince ST	Randolph 05060	802-728-4525	Randolph Union High School White River Valley High School
Gold Crown Lanes	23 Hastings St.	St. Johnsbury	802-748-2205

Twin City 

  Lanes                     147 Barre Montpelier    Rd.Barre, VT. 05641 802-4766181      

 Maple Lanes           125 Maple Ave,       Claremont, NH 03743 603-542-2400 Hartford High  School

                                                                                                                            Windsor High School       

Rutland                 158 S Main St #2,          Rutland, VT 05701    (802) 773-7707    Fair Haven Union High School

Bowlerama     

Sparetime          215 Lower Mountain      Colchester, Vt 05446 (802) 655-2720   Essex High School

                              View Rd.                                              Burlington High School South Burlington High School

Dairy Center        2445 Sampsonville Rd     Enosburg Falls, Vt.  05045    802-933-2030 Enosburg High School      

1.  Scoring:

There are two types of scoring systems that will be used for Vermont competitions:

1. Standard Ten Pin Scoring – Every frame must be completed by each player bowling in a regular order.
2. Baker System Scoring – The Baker format is mainly used in five-person team competition where the number one bowler completes the first and sixth frames, the number two bowler completes the second and seventh frames, the number three bowler completes the third and eighth frames, the fourth bowler completes the fourth and ninth frames, and the number five bowler completes the fifth and tenth frames.

** Matches will be scratch competition for interscholastic events, and will not use any sort of handicapping system **

2. Substitutes:

For the Baker style games, a coach may remove a bowler during a game and put in an alternate (this includes putting in a substitute in the middle of a frame). Once a bowler has been substituted they may not re-enter during that game.  However, they may re-enter during the next Baker game.

For Standard Ten Pin games, a bowler must bowl the entire game.  A coach may only substitute for a bowler between games 1 and 2 unless an injury occurs, then a coach may substitute at that point but that game will not count towards either bowler’s individual average.

Any bowlers who arrive late may not join a game already in progress, and will receive zeroes for the game or frames they were supposed to be in (if there are only four bowlers on-site for the start of the game).  They can then be placed in the line-up at the beginning of the next game.

3. First Date To Schedule:

The only match that will be scheduled on the first date to schedule is the “Kick-Off” event.  If a school chooses to not attend that match, they are not allowed to participate in a match until the following Saturday.

4. Regular Season Match Format:

• All teams involved in the match will bowl two standard scoring games consisting of five (5) bowlers from each team.
• Teams will then be seeded based on the total amount of pins for the two games.  Any ties will be broken with a 9^th & 10^th frame roll-off (in a four (4) team match, if two teams are tied for the 2^nd and 3^rd seed there will be no roll-off as both teams will compete against each other).
• In a four-team match, the #1 seed will take on the #4 seed in a best 2 out of 3, Baker style match, while the #2 seed will take on the #3 seed in a best 2 out of 3, Baker style match.  The winner of each of those matches will then take on each other in a best 2 out of 3, Baker style match to determine first and second place, while the losers of the two matches will take on each other in a best 2 out of 3, Baker style match to determine third and fourth place.

• In a three team match, the #1 seed will receive a bye, and the #2 seed will take on the #3 three seed in a best 2 out of 3, Baker style match with the winner taking on the #1 seed.  In a five team match, the #4 and #5 seeded teams will take on each other to narrow the field down to four teams.  All teams who receive a bye are allowed to bowl a practice Baker style game on an assigned lane.

There must be a minimum of three teams at a match, and there will be points awarded at each match regardless of how many teams participate.  The point breakdown is as follows:

Scoring System
Place	Individual	Baker
1st	4 pts	8 pts
2nd	3 pts	6 pts
3rd	2 pts	4 pts
4th	1 pt	2 pts

***** In order for each bowler to qualify for the State Team Tournament, they have to compete in half of the weeks rounded up to the whole week. To compete in the Individual Tournament they must compete in ¾ of the weeks rounded up to the whole week.

5. Standings:

The formula for the standings is as follows:

      The sum of the weekly match totals for each team will determine the standings.

Any Ties in the final regular standings will be broken as follows:

1. Head to head record for Baker matches.

2. Total team pinfall for regular season (standard scoring team total from each match).

3. Coin toss.

6. Tie Breakers:

For a 9^th& 10^th frame roll-off, a coach must select two bowlers to participate; one to bowl the 9^th frame and one to bowl the 10^th frame.  There are no substitutions allowed during a roll-off unless an injury occurs.  The higher-seeded team gets to choose either the lane they would like to bowl or the order in which they would like to bowl.  So for example, if Team A is the higher seed and opts to bowl second in the order, then Team B would get the choice of lane (and vice versa).  The team with the highest two frame total wins.  If a tie still exists, teams will “flip-flop” order and lanes, and bowl another 9^th and 10^th roll-off.  This will continue until the tie is broken.

7. Practice During the Day of Competition:

None of the competition lanes within the bowling establishment may be used for practice by any team member or substitute on the day of any match or tournament except for certified USBC Youth scheduled matches.  Bowlers may bowl on all other lanes before a match.

8. Before Competition Begins:

Bowlers will receive 10 minutes of practice on their scheduled starting lane only before the competition.

9. Practice Lanes During Competition:

Only those individuals not bowling in the present game can practice on the practice lane.  Once the bowler has been removed from the game, he/she may go to the practice lane.  Any individual practicing on the practice lane while bowling in a game will subject their frame(s) to forfeiture.

10. Legal Lineup:

A school must have a minimum of four (4) bowlers in order to compete, and can have a maximum of ten (10) bowlers for a match.  If a team only has four (4) bowlers for the Baker portion of the match, then the coach will determine which two frames the team will receive a zero (0) for their score prior to the match beginning.

In order to help teams maintain a viable lineup, students in the eight grade may be used to complete a legal lineup so long as there are no high school students (grades 9-12) being displaced by said eighth grader(s). This includes the standard games for seeding and Baker matches.

Any Bowler who bowls out of turn will receive a zero for that frame.

11. Scorekeeping / Protests:

Scorekeeping will be performed by the coach for each team if the center does not have automatic scoring, or the scoring system is malfunctioning.

All protests or discrepancies during a regular season match must be settled on-site.  Any protests or discrepancies during the team or individual state tournament will be settled by members of the Bowling Committee and/or the rules interpreter.  

12. Conduct of Coaches and Players:

• Right-of-way. Bowling lanes are placed side-by-side and when a person is poised and ready to throw the ball, the person or persons on the adjacent lanes should wait for them to complete that turn before stepping on the approach for their turn. There is nothing more distracting to a bowler than being locked in on the mark and having someone fly past them on their right or left. 

• Keep food and drinks out of the bowler’s settee area (this is the area immediately surrounding the automatic scorekeeper console in most bowling centers). When a bowler gets on the lane approach and throws the ball, the importance of having their last step slide should be very evident both from a safety and delivery of the ball standpoint. If anything gets on the bottom of a person’s sliding foot, they will stick at the foul line and fall on the lane. At minimum, it will be a tremendous strain on the leg and body. Also, please do not bring food or drink into the bowling centers.

• All electronic devices must be turned off while in the seating area.

• Use your own equipment unless you have permission to do otherwise. Even if you are using a house ball, it can be very disconcerting if someone uses the ball that you personally selected for yourself. This becomes even more acute if you have purchased your own equipment and another person uses them without asking.

• Be ready to take your shot when it is your turn. Certainly, there is no need to rush when taking a shot, but please be ready to take your turn as soon as the bowler in front of you is finished.  It is imperative that we maintain an appropriate “pace of play”.

• Coaches must monitor their team at all times and step in when necessary.

• Please use the warm-up lane for that purpose only. There are to be no trick shots or fooling around on any lanes in the house during a competition. Those lanes are set aside by the house for serious warm-up/practice, and student-athletes must not abuse the privilege of having that lane made available.

• Don’t make loud noises or do anything distracting when another person is on the lane ready to deliver their ball. Since bowling is done in an enclosed environment, people from several lanes away could be distracted by your “unsportsmanlike conduct.” Also, please remain with your team in the settee area.  Student-athletes should not venture into another team’s area during competition.

• Respect the bowling center and don’t abuse the lanes or equipment. The centers around the state have gone above and beyond to provide for our student-athletes, and allow bowling to be a high school sport in Vermont.  Please be respectful so that we can maintain the relationships we have with the centers because without them, we would not be able to bowl.  Unsportsmanlike conduct, including deliberate fouling, unusually loud or vulgar language or abuse of equipment and facilities is prohibited.  Anyone found in violation is subject to removal from that day’s competition.

• In addition to displaying appropriate sportsmanship while competing, student athletes and coaches are reminded that we are guests while participating in matches.  All people involved need to be sensitive to this issue and respect the property and people of the host site.  Inappropriate or disrespectful behavior anywhere on the property gives everyone a bad name and can result in the loss of a match site.  Failure to display proper behavior, even when not actually competing, will be considered unsportsmanlike and may result in disqualification and removal from the existing and/or future meets.  Coaches or other responsible adults are expected to provide adequate supervision for their student-athletes at all times.

• The coach(es), players bowling in the match, and officials are the only persons authorized to be in the bowlers’ area during the match.  Substitutes or any other interested parties must remain behind the area defined as the bowlers’ area.

13. Uniform / Dress Code

All participants’ apparel must be neat, clean and in good condition. Teams should provide, where applicable, matching team shirts of their choice. Any questionable items or special circumstances will be addressed by the coaches in attendance.

14. Submitting Score:

The AD or coach of the host school must collect all score sheets after the competition, and submit them by the Monday following the event to Marion Pickielnok, thinkgermany@outlook.com.

15. Individual State Tournament:

      Top 32 bowlers in terms of average for standard scoring games.  

• There will be no rounding individual averages in determining flight placement. If  there is a tie for the final spot in either or both flights, all bowlers tied for that final position will be included in that flight.
• All individuals who qualify for the Championship will bowl three (3) games (all bowlers will move to the next assigned pair to the right after each game in this round within the cluster of lanes).

At the conclusion of the third game, the top 16 bowlers will be seeded #1 – #16 to play in a single elimination, head-to-head competition to get down to four (4) bowlers (two rounds of head-to-head competition).  Therefore the #1 seed will compete vs. the #16 seed; the #2 seed will compete vs. the #15 seed, etc.  All matches will consist of one (1) head-to-head game.  Any ties for the 16^th seed (final position) will be broken by a 9th and 10th frame roll off.

      Any ties for positions 1 – 15 will be broken in the following order:

1. Highest game of the three.
2. Total of highest two games.
3. Scoring average from the regular season.
4. Coin flip.  

At the conclusion of the 2^nd round, the four (4) remaining bowlers will be seeded by their cumulative score from all five (5) games played to compete in a step-ladder final. In the step ladder final the #3 seed will face the #4 seed, with the #2 seed automatically advancing to the semi-finals (to face the winner of the #3 vs. #4 match) and the #1 seed automatically advancing to the finals (to face the winner of the semi-final match).  All matches in the step ladder finals will consist of one (1) head to head game.  All ties in the step-ladder finals will be broken by a 9^th and 10^th frame roll-off, including ties for seeding purposes.

Bowlers should use the same format as seen in the professional leagues. During head to head the higher seed may choose the starting lane of their preference. First bowler on the approach should bowl one frame, then both bowlers roll two frames at a time until the conclusion of the game.

       Bowling Individual Championships – 

16. Team State Tournament:

All teams will qualify for the Team State Championships, and will be seeded according to the official standings outlined on page 2 (these are tabulated by the chair).  The format will be single elimination, best 4 out of 7 Baker Style Matches.  If a tie exists at the end of any of the Baker style games, the tie breaking procedures outlined on page 2 will be used to break the tie for that game. A school may opt out of attending if doing so would be a hardship, or deemed not to be in the best interest of the team. All teams are invited and encouraged to attend.

17. Divisional Alignment: 

Bowling schools shall be aligned in three (2) divisions as a co-ed sport.   

North: Enosburg, Essex, Burlington, South Burlington, Randolph

South: White River Valley, Fair Haven, Hartford, Windsor, Brattleboro

VPA Bowling Committee – 

• George Rooney (South Burlington), Director
• Mark Hamilton (Hartford), Director Emeritus
• Statistician

Host School Responsibility Checklist

Bowling

• Confirm with teams scheduled to participate in the match as to who will have sub-varsity teams coming, and if so, how many.

• Contact the Host Bowling Center to let them know how many lanes are needed for the match, and to go over any special arrangements.

• Come up with lane assignments prior to matches for varsity and sub-varsity teams for both the standard games and Baker matches.

• Print scoring sheets for each team with the lane assignment as to which lane they will start on.  

• Serve as match director and deal with any scoring, behavior, lane courtesy, etc. issues which may arise.

• Verify score sheets of teams after the coach has filled it out before the first game.  

• Check all scores before scores are cleared for the second game.  Then check all scores after the second game.

Collect all score sheets from each coach, email (if you are able to scan sheets and email them as a PDF) or text image of sheets to (insert name) by Monday at noon following your event to (contact info to be added).                              

.

Official Scoring Sheet

All coaches should turn this sheet into the host school’s coach or AD at the conclusion of the match.  That person must then text, email, or fax the score sheet to (insert name) at:

Email – (Insert contact info here)                              

Standard Scoring:

School:				Team:    VAR     JV1     JV2    JV3    (circle one)
	Game 1	G					Game 2	G
	Name:		Score				Name:		Score
1						1
2						2
3						3
4						4
5						5
	Game 1 Team Total						Game 2 Team Total

Team Total for Standard Scoring Games:        ________

Extra Bowlers

	Game 1					Game 2
	Name:		Scor			Name:		Scor
1					1
2					2
3					3
4					4
5					5

Coach’s Signature:_____________________________

 Baker Scoring Match Score Sheet

(Please fill in all that apply)

Preliminary Round (only needed with more than four teams at a match):

Game 1 Game 2 Game 3

(if necessary)

Seed

#____   _________________________ _______ _______ _______

            vs.

#____   _________________________ _______ _______ _______

Round 1: Game 1 Game 2 Game 3

Seed

#____     _________________________ _______ _______ _______

vs.

#____       _________________________ _______ _______ _______

Round 2: Game 1 Game 2 Game 3

Seed

#____     _________________________ _______ _______ _______

vs.

#____       _________________________ _______ _______ _______

Points Earned 

                                                                           Match Scoring

Place	Individual (insert school names)	Baker (insert school names)
1st	4pts	8pts
2nd	3pts	6pts
3rd	2pts	4pts
4th	1pts	2pts