League Rules

League Rules adopted on 09/07/2022

Wednesday Trios I 2022-2023

League Bylaws

1. Management

The management of this league will be vested in the league’s Board of Directors, which will consist of the team captains and league officers. Persons attending the organizational meeting will elect league officials and adopt league rules.

Meetings conducted during the bowling season must have at least two-thirds of the team captains and at least one league officer to constitute a quorum.

2. League Fees

The amount to be paid by each member each week will be $25.00. Of this fee, $16.00 will cover the cost of bowling; the secretarial salary is $1.00 with the balance of $8.00 to be awarded to the prize fund. The weekly fee for the final two weeks of bowling is due by the fifth week of competition.

No bowler will be allowed to be more than one week in arrears. Bowlers that are absent are required to pay all arrearages upon their return unless other arrangements have been made and approved by the Board of Directors. All returned checks will be assessed a $30.00 service fee.

3. Salaries

The secretary’s salary will be $1.00 per person per night and will be paid in full upon the conclusion of the bowling season and after all averages have been submitted to the local association.

4. League Funds

League funds will be deposited in the league’s name at Northwest Federal Credit Union within seven days of bowling. The President must verify the bank account monthly in accordance with the USBC bonding rules.

5. Prizes

The league’s President will appoint a prize committee, which will consist of two members and the league’s Vice President. The prize list must be voted and approved by the fifth week. A simple majority vote will determine the winning prize list.

A minimum of three prize funds must be submitted. If additional prize funds are submitted, then the league officers shall choose the three to be voted on by the Board of Directors.

6. Entering Averages

Book averages for Wednesday Trios will be carried over to this season. Handicaps for the first three weeks of bowling will be based off the book average, or highest available book average from the previous season if no average is available for this league. New bowlers will establish an average if they did not bowl in the previous year.

7. Handicaps

Handicaps will be based upon 100% of the difference in the bowler’s average and 230. The team handicap will be the individual’s handicaps added together.

8. Change of delivery

Bowlers must deliver the ball with the same hand as established the first week of bowling. If a bowler must use his or her other hand due to injury or medical reasons, a written doctor’s note needs to be given to a league officer and the team captains notified. A new average with handicap will be established, and they may only switch back to their dominant hand by a majority vote.

9. Rosters

Team captains will submit to the secretary on the first night of bowling a complete roster of all team members. Team rosters will be limited to five players and will be locked after the prize fund has been adopted in week five. New players after week five will be league subs, unless replacing a bowler to reach playing strength.

10. Substitutes

The league will maintain a list of roving subs. A bowler may not sub for more than one team during a given week.

11. Legal Line Up

A minimum legal line up will consist of one regular bowler. The team must field a legal line up by the completion of the first frame of the given game or the game will be forfeited.

12. Forfeitures

When a game is declared forfeited, the team present and receiving benefit of the forfeit must bowl as though the games are being contested. The team present must bowl at least the team’s current average, less 30 pins to receive any point(s) won. If the team fails to achieve this score, neither team will receive any points.

13. Absentee and Vacancy Scores

An absentee score will be used when a team has a full roster but less than a full line up on a given night. The absentee score will be the bowler’s league average minus 10 pins with the handicap to remain the same.

In the event a team does not have a full roster, a vacancy score of 120 will be used with a corresponding handicap of 70% of 230.

14. Postponements

If the team captain of the opposing team on a scheduled night of bowling agrees to a mutual postponement, only the secretary and the bowling center needs to be notified. In the event the secretary and the opposing team are not notified, the match will be declared a forfeit. All postponed matches must be bowled prior to the next position round.

15. Inclement weather policy

In the event of inclement weather, the league President will be responsible for notifying the bowling center and team captains to declare a postponement. The scheduled matches will be bowled the following week.

** All pre-bowl scores bowled for the postponed week will not be used. **

16. Pre-Bowling

Individual pre-bowling will be permitted. Honor scores bowled during a pre-bowl match will not be recognized by USBC. Position rounds may be pre-bowled as a team only.

Evening and weekend pre-bowling require a reservation to be scheduled thru the manager on duty. No same day reservations will be accepted. There will be no exceptions.

** Bowlers must be current in league dues to be eligible to pre-bowl. **

17. Post Bowling

Individual post-bowling is not allowed. New teams may post bowl for the first week if joining on Week 2. No new teams after Week 2 unless replacing a vacant team position.

In all other cases, teams will be allowed to post bowl for extenuating circumstances (e.g., death, severe illness) or by the approval of the Board of Directors.

Evening and weekend post-bowling require a reservation to be scheduled thru the manager on duty. No same day reservations will be accepted. There will be no exceptions.

** Bowlers must be current in league dues to be eligible to post bowl. **

18. Unopposed Bowling

Unopposed bowling will be permitted. In the event the league has an odd number of teams, the wins and losses will be held for two weeks to secure an additional team. In the event no additional teams are added, the forfeit rule will apply.

19. Tardy Players

Bowler’s arriving late and after the match has begun will be permitted to make up frames missed proved the anchor bowler of the opposing team has not completed the fifth frame. Frames missed may not be made up consecutively.

20. Pace of play

The league will begin ten minutes of practice starting at 8:05PM. It is expected that teams complete their bowling by 10:30. Teams that consistently exceed the allotted playing time may be penalized.

21. Position Rounds

There will be two position rounds - Week 9 and Week 18. Rostered bowlers used on position rounds must have an average established in this league with a minimum of six games. Subs used on position rounds and on the final two weeks of bowling must have an average established in this league with a minimum of nine games.

22. Position Standings

Position standings will be determined on a percentage basis with two points being awarded for each game won, and two points being awarded for total pins. A team may win a maximum of eight points per night.

23. Withdrawals

When a team or bowler has cause to withdraw from the league, the last two weeks dues are required. Written notification must be presented to a league official stating the cause of the withdrawal.

A new team entering the league will assume the position of the team it replaces. A new bowler will be required to establish an average/handicap and will be permitted to bowl position round regardless of the number of games bowled if they are a permanent member of the team, and not a substitute.

24. Playoffs

In the event of a tie for first place, an additional game will be bowled to determine the league champion. In the event of a second tie, a tenth frame roll off will be conducted in which each bowler will receive 1/10 of the normal handicap. If there is a tie in all other positions, the prize money will be equally divided.

This league will use the LOCKED POSITION RULE. If, on the last night of bowling, the first-place team is 8 ½ points in front of the second-place time, the first-place team will bowl the last place team and the second and third place teams will bowl against each other and so forth.

25. Protest

Any protest affecting the eligibility or general playing rules must be made in writing and presented to a league official within 15 days of the date of the infraction. If no written protest is entered, the scores will stand as bowled. Any protest on the last night of bowling must be filed within 48 hours of bowling.

26. Minimum Age

Any bowler participating in this league must be 18 years or older as of August 1^st. Youth bowlers, and those under 18 but not part of a youth program will not be allowed to bowl.

27. Holidays

The league will observe Thanksgiving.

28. Other

The current USBC rulebook will govern any rules not covered in these by-laws.

Minutes from league meeting:

1. Meeting started at 7:45PM with 33 members present, and center representative.

2. Elected League officers:

a. President – Evan Ruffini

b. Vice President – Leonard Long

c. Secretary/Treasurer – Bob Ashley

3. Changed lineage rate ($20 to $25)

4. Changed Secretarial salary ($0.50 to $1.00)

a. Motion to change to $0.65 rejected (11 to 22)

5. Changed banking from center-managed, to self-managed

a. League is now banking with Northwest Federal Credit Union

6. Changed handicap ratio (100% of 220 to 100% 230)

a. Motion to change to 90% of 230 rejected (6 to 27)

7. Changed Absentee average from current average to league average

8. Changed Vacant handicap (From 100% of 220 to 70% of 230)

9. Changed establishment of averages

a. Changed to book averages (Wednesday Trios first, USBC second within the last year)

b. Changed number of weeks for book average to three

10. Removed ten-pin drop rule

11. Removed COVID-specific rules

a. COVID quarantine rule no longer in effect

12. Updated holiday schedule to observe Thanksgiving

13. Informed members attending about USBC sanction fees ($26)

14. Informed members attending about Bowlero updates

a. League Pals

b. Renovations

15. Informed members attending about USBC rules update

a. Rescinded national COVID rules