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Q. When does the season begin, and how long does it last?
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A. The college bowling season for William Paterson University begins in early/mid-September. Within the first two weeks of school an informational meeting is called to inform students about the details of the upcoming season such as practice times, the tournament schedule, responsibilities, expenses and so on. Practices times are established and the season gets underway. Tournaments begin as early as the first week of October and last until March or April.
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Q. When are practices and how often?
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A. Practices are typically two times per week. For example, during the 2007/2008 season the team meets on Mondays and Wednesdays. The team usually meets at night to practice so that it does not interfere with classes which generally are during the daytime and early evening hours. Practice usually lasts about two and a half hours.
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Q. Will my child need transportation to practices?
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A. Transportation to practices will depend on the student. In most cases, the team will simply meet at the bowling center at a given time. We understand that at times freshman are not allowed to have automobiles on campus, or sometimes people simply do not drive. There is no need to worry. In the past, teammates have formed close friendships with one another and car-pooled together to practices and other events. Transportation to practices should not be a problem.
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Q. What are practices like?
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A. Practices are a time in which bowlers work to improve their game. During practices, bowlers work on both their physical and mental game. Some of the things they will practice are; timing, balance/coordination, hand positions, adjustments, releases, speed, spare shooting, breakpoints and many other things. Typically, a bowler will work on playing various lines and angles to the pocket in an effort to become as versatile as possible.
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Q. As an incoming athlete, what should I do to be ready for the college bowling season?
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A. Athletes coming into out program should prepare in a number of ways. They are not only encouraged to compete in leagues and tournaments, but they should make an effort to regularly practice as well. Practices are very important for a number of reasons. Among many things, they help the athlete build consistency, develop good timing, and strengthen their spare game. These practices are encouraged to take place on a variety of lane surfaces and conditions. This will prepare the athlete for a range of demanding lane conditions that they will face at the collegiate level. Students should also consider a physical conditioning and weight training program. This will help them to build the stamina needed for many of the long-format college tournaments.
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Q. How often are the tournaments held and where?
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A. The exact number of tournaments we participate in varies from year to year. For the most part, our team competes about 2-3 weekends per month from October through March or April. Some of the closer tournaments typically take place in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut, Delaware, and sometimes Rhode Island. Some of our more distant locations include; Atlanta, St. Louis, Las Vegas, and Indianapolis.
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Q. How is the team funded?
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A. The William Paterson bowling team has been very graciously funded year after year by the Student Government Association. Without their continued support, this team would not be possible. However, while the SGA funds a majority of our budget, it is up to the team to raise the rest of the money that they need to compete in their tournaments. The money that the athletes have to raise is typically done in three ways; first through club dues, secondly through coordinated fundraisers, and finally through tournament cashes.
When the year begins, a projected budget is created based on the team’s schedule. The president and treasurer of the club review the budget and estimate how much money they will have to bring in to fund the tournaments. At that time, based on the number of bowlers on the team, the remaining portion of the money that is needed is divided amongst the team and must be raised in order to participate in the tournaments. In years past, the team has often had to fund-raise very little money since they placed so well in tournaments and received money towards their account. However, since we can not guarantee that the team will bring in a specific amount of money from the tournaments, minimal club dues are usually enforced and fund-raisers usually do occur. Simply stated, the more money that the team can fund-raise, the more tournaments they can bowl in because the funds are available.
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Q. What is the minimum academic standard that my child must obtain to be part of the team?
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A. Student athletes must maintain a minimum cumulative overall GPA of 2.0 (on a 4.0 scale) as determined by the university and USBC Collegiate Bowling. Of course we encourage our athletes to strive not just for the minimum, but for their fullest potential.
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Q. I am afraid that my child’s grades will begin to suffer due to the busy schedule. Will they be missing many class days?
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A. To begin with, just about every college tournament is held over the weekends and holidays. Therefore, the tournaments themselves typically will not force the student to miss class days. However, when we travel to the more distant tournaments, the student may be missing a day or two of school. At times, students may have to take tests or hand in papers early. If the student notifies the instructor in advance, the professors usually understand the student’s situation and are very gracious.
In particular, incoming athletes should realize one important thing. Much of college is about managing one’s free time. If students are not conscientious, it is very easy to waste their free time. Typically, those students who remain busy tend to be the most successful and will stay out of trouble almost all the time. In conjunction, bowling helps to avoid this.
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Q. Is it hard for a freshman to make the William Paterson bowling team?
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A. As with any successful athletic team, it can be challenging to make the starting team as a freshman. At times, freshmen simply have not yet developed the skills needed to immediately compete against the best college bowlers in the country. However, there are exceptions. In the past, we have had many freshmen “start” their first year. While many have done this, others have worked their way on to the starting team within their first few months, or year. We believe if a bowler wants to compete, through hard work and dedication they will be able to reach their goals.
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Q. Suppose I don’t make the “starting team” what opportunities are available to me?
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A. If a bowler does not make the starting team as a freshman there is nothing to worry about. This, more than anything, should be a factor that would influence the bowler work harder than ever to take their game to the next level. In the mean time, the bowler may be competing on the “B” team. The “B” team competes in regular conference matches and some local tournaments. At times bowlers on the starting team can not attend certain tournament for good reason, and therefore a substitute may be needed. At this time one of the bowlers from the “B” team may be called upon to replace one of the bowlers on the “A” team.
In addition to this, bowlers will still be practicing with their teammates. This will allow them to share ideas and hopefully learn some things from the more experienced bowlers on the team. More importantly, the bowler will still have access to the professional coach. In conjunction with the coach, the bowler should be able to improve their game enough so that they will be able to compete on a higher level with their teammates.
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Q. As a college bowler, what type of lane patterns will I face?
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A. For the most part, college lane conditions are very challenging. To be successful, bowlers will have to rely on skill and not luck. There are very few tournaments that we bowl which are on “house patterns.” On the contrary, most of the oil patterns one will see at the college level are very demanding. Beginning in the 2005-2006 season, college bowling created a rule that all Tier 1 events (those are the larger tournaments with many teams) must be bowled on sport patterns. This means that not only are some of the Tier 2 events bowled on sport patterns, but all of the Tier 1 events present sport patterns too. “Sport Bowling in its most basic form, is an opportunity for all bowlers to determine their true skills in such areas as accuracy, consistency, the ability to read lanes, and spare shooting skills to have success rather than rely on today's high-tech equipment or forgiving lane patterns to achieve high honor awards.”
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Q. What is the difference between junior events and college bowling tournaments?
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A. For the most part, the elite junior tournaments are primarily singles events. On the other hand, college tournaments are typically team events with very few singles events. This means that in order to be successful, the bowlers must learn to work well not only with themselves, but with their teammates as well. When the team wins or is successful in an event, it is very rewarding to share achievements this with his/her teammates.
Also, if one was to look at the elite junior bowlers, they would notice that of them are college bowlers. This aids to prove that due to a number of factors such as coaching, demanding lane conditions, and the development of skills, college bowlers can truly improve their game rather quickly as compared to bowlers who only bowl junior tournaments.
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Q. As a WPU college bowler, can I compete for cash or prizes such as in adult leagues and tournaments and not jeopardize my collegiate eligibility?
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A. Yes. You can choose to continue bowling as a junior bowler if you are one, or bowl in adult leagues and tournaments and compete for cash and prizes. Please note: you may not do both at the same time. If you are a junior bowler, you can choose to remain one. When you decide to bowl in sanctioned adult leagues and tournaments, you are no longer allowed to bowl in junior tournaments. In addition, to continue to remain eligible to bowl for any college, the athlete can not be a member of any professional bowling organization.
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Q. Should I remain a junior bowler or move up to the adult leagues?
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A. This is an individual decision. Junior bowling today, is at a level it has never been at before. Now, there are excellent local, regional, and national tournaments in which bowlers can pick up some valuable tools to use in college. For example, the JBT’s are a great learning tool that many athletes compete in both before college, and during college. If, however, the bowler feels as if he/she is not gaining enough experience or not learning as much as they would like while competing in junior tournaments, it may be time to move up to the adult tournaments. Whether a junior bowler or an adult, the bowler should regularly be competing in leagues and tournaments outside of college bowling to supplement their development of their skills.
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