GENERAL INFORMATION ON

BGSU BOWLING PROGRAM

This letter will provide some basic information about the Bowling Program at Bowling Green State University.  BGSU started a men's bowling team for the 2008-2009 Season.

The team is currently coached by Bill Wammes.  Coach Wammes is a bowling teaching professional with over 30 years of experience.  He is also the owner of a 16 lane bowling center in Bowling Green, Al-Mar Lanes (where the team currently holds most of their practice sessions) only 10 minutes from school.

THE BOWLING PROGRAM

Bowling at BGSU is a Club sport with school support.  Funding via the school, while generous, typically is not sufficient to meet our entire schedule. Therefore, each team member must participate in the yearly team fund raising events.  The two largest fundraisers will be fall and winter raffles.  There are minimums each bowler must achieve.  Effectively, each bowler must help to raise $250.00 per year -- this is reasonable for our bowlers.  We require that $150 be raised in the First Semester and $100 in the Winter Semester.  Every player will go to a minimum of 5 events for the season unless he fails to meet his required obligations.

Attitude is a very important requisite in our 32 game tryout in the fall, so in theory, everyone has a fresh/equal opportunity each year.  Of course, returning bowlers have a priority but we will always only field the strongest teams possible.  We will not encourage anyone to come here if we do not feel that we could eventually use them.

Each bowler/prospect who attends the fall "tryouts" (to get started each year) must also pay a $100 try-out fee to cover lineage. Lastly, there is a optional $100 fee (if you choose to bowl in a league at Al-Mar you receive free practice any time lanes are available), payable to Coach Wammes, which entitles a bowler to practice sessions (individually as well as with the teams) covering from August through April at Al-Mar Lanes. The reason for the fee is that it will help offset the expenses incurred by practice lineage.  These fees are due the first day of tryouts or prior to any practice bowling.  For this, in return, a bowler has then virtually all of their BGSU team tournaments bowling expenses covered.  This includes shirts, all entry fees, transportation, and lodging.  Usually, meal allowance will be given, unless the hotel has a free breakfast available.  Some of our practices will be on demanding sports conditions, which are a great help in developing your game to a higher level.

COLLEGIATE SCHEDULE

The collegiate bowling schedule, including any post-seasonal sectional or USBA

Championships, runs from early October through April.  Most collegiate bowling events occur weekends, FRIDAYS ARE TRAVEL, PRACTICE, AND MEETINGS DAYS, SO KEEP YOUR CLASS SCHEDULES OPEN AT THAT TIME.  Some of the more important tournaments we have gone to were in South Bend, IN, Cincinnati, OH,  Lorain, OH, Youngstown, Oh, Columbus OH,  Detroit, MI, St Louis, Mo, Philadelphia, PA and Chattanooga, TN.  Next year we will be planning on a Pittsburgh trip as well as several in Ohio.  The first team will have a 10-12 tournament schedule next year.

OUR RECORD...

BGSU, in our inaugural season, was ranked nationally in the top 25, in the Coaches Poll.  We have placed near the top in several tournaments and at the Intercollegiate Bowling in Sectional  Championships finished 7^th in a very strong field our first year. 

The First team will travel to the major tournaments while the Second) team will travel to all conference matches and tournaments. All teams will bowl from a 5 to 12 tournament schedule.  Everyone that wants to bowl will be put on a team according to averages. 

ELIGIBILITY

New (freshmen) bowler should usually be around a 200 or better average bowlers (developing players).  It is hard to guarantee a spot to anyone much in advance for the next season.  However, if your average is under 200, still consider our program as we have a coaching staff capable of teaching you what is needed to bring you to that level.  If this is our first contract, please return our Prospect Information Sheet about your academic and bowling accomplishments.  If you can make a non-refundable videotape of yourself it would be of great help.  See later page for instructions on how to prepare the taping.  Upon receipt of this information, we will write/call back, scheduling a Friday (team practice) visit, or advise you we do not have an opening for you at this time.  If you do come here for a visit/tryout, we encourage you to arrange a visit.  For those who are invited for a visit/tryout, within 7-10 days, we will write back outlining the outlook for next season.  In the future, for an exceptionally strong bowler/student, a small introductory scholarship may be offered.

In order to attain entrance into BGSU, your high school G.P.A., after 7 semesters, can be 2.0, but, it must have come from college preparatory classes, with a 16 ACT or 800 SAT score.  In order to maintain collegiate bowling eligibility, you have to take at least 12 semester credit hours each semester and maintain a cumulative "C" (2.0 G.P.A.) average.  This is a bare minimum because if you come here to bowl, you must realize that you must desire to be a good student too, to benefit yourself the most. 

Regarding the campus, we are about a mile from the bowling center, so is does help to have a car, although this is not critical.  There is a variety of campus housing, dorms, and apartments, both with or without meal packages.  There is a number of off campus housing possibilities too.  First year players should try to get into the dorms that bowlers are located in.

The school consists of 5 colleges, including liberal arts, the physical sciences, business, nursing, and engineering.  Exceptionally strong areas include the sciences (math and computer sciences), business (accounting) and nursing.  The costs of attending BGSU are at or slightly below the national average.

Good luck in your future endeavors and "Thank You" for your interest in the Bowling Program at Bowling Green State University.

Al-Mar Lanes                                                       WORK:                  419-352-4637

Bill Wammes                                                         CELL:                     419-344-4417

BGSU Bowling Coach                                         E-MAIL:                almar300@dacor.net           

1010 N. Main St.

Bowling Green, OH  43402