Oregon State USBC

When I took over the position of Association Manager in December, I was a bit overwhelmed.  I felt as though I could understand what Barack Obama was going through as the new president, trying to figure out how to do a job he had never done before.  I felt like I needed to assess the state of our union of bowlers. 

What I'm finding, through my communication with bowlers, board members, association managers and everyone in between is that everyone has different expectations of how things should be done and on a lesser level, where the organization should be going. 

The national USBC has gone through several changes in the last year, from its move to Texas, to its partnership with the BPAA and so on.  They seem to be making a statement to the state level associations that says "We want to grow the sport of bowling, and we're going to try and make it happen." 

So how does that happen?  You make the good better, and the things you've done better, the best they could possibly be.  A translation to real terms: 

• Find out what it would take to make non league bowlers, who just bowl for fun, and usher them into a new experience of league bowling. 
  
• Take exisiting tournaments, which are dwindling in numbers, and revamp the experience so it regains some of it's luster and brillance. 
  
• You utilize the resources at your fingertips, and at my fingertips is typically a keyboard.  By using technology, we save money and get information to the people who need it to stay involved.
• You do something new, that hasn't been done before, to catch peoples attention.  For a sport that has been around so long, this can be challenging, but that doesn't mean it can't be done.

So that is where I find myself a few months in.  Trying to find a balance that will lead to growth.  Trying to make the good, better, and the better, the best it can be.