2011-12 schedule ideas

philmark11 · So L33T It Hurts

2011-12 schedule ideas

bowling_is_life19 · Senior Citizen

I don't suppose there's something else we can bowl instead of McK Baker, is there? Maybe it's just me, but I'm not a big fan of having no team games. When I looked on collegebowling.com there is something up in Michigan that same weekend. Anyway, just a thought.

And if we have to skip one of the ones listed in yellow, my vote is to skip SI Elite...just because it's more fun to travel further away.

bowling_is_life19 · Senior Citizen

Ohh and I vote for Orange and Black over Mid-States...but then again...it would be awesome to beat Wichita on their own turf. Lol

jrmcbride1205 · Senior Citizen

My thoughts are... yes to

Mid-States just for a change since no one in the program now would have bowled them since we always go to Orange&Black

SI Elite just because its close and a good tournament since bigger schools usually show up to it

Boilermaker since we can usually get a good number of teams in and usually a pretty good turnout school wise

Striking Knights because again most teams get in... not so many bigger schools but a great chance to mix up lineups to see what happens

I'm not a big fan of the Bearcat, even though it is a fun tournament and we usual do well at it. It just seems to be getting smaller every year and I don't like that. I like to compete against a lot of teams.

Just my thoughts.

And Krista while the other tournament in Michigan sounds good we usually try to use the McK Baker as a gage of what needs to happen between then and sectionals and nationals, since those are both an only baker format. Phil will also sometimes use McK to be the final decision on the women's team that goes to sectionals and nationals based off team chemistry and ability to compete in a baker format.

philmark11 · So L33T It Hurts

Thanks for the feedback Krista and Jillian.

Krista, as I have been considering our schedule for this year, I have actually thought about skipping the SI Elite. It's hard to do because it's in town and has 9 teams games, but I really don't like bowling THREE tournaments at the same house (SI, Match Games & McK Baker) in a season. I wish the centers could be mixed up a bit! About going to Michigan instead of the McK Baker, it would be hard to skip that one to drive over 8 hours one way for a "conference" tournament that we aren't a part of.

Jillian, it's always interesting to get feedback(which is why I asked) because players see things differently than I do as a coach. My only concern about what you propose it that it would mean we would bowl 9 tournaments during the fall and 8 weekends in a row from mid-October through early December. I think it would be good to have one weekend off in that span, but that's just my opinion. That would mean skipping either the Boilermaker, SI Elite or Striking Knights. Perhaps it would make sense to bowl the Hoinke in years that we do NOT bowl the Orange & Black for variety purposes.

Good feedback! Keep the thoughts coming!

Setch · Hi... I'm a N00B

I don't know the format of the Mid-States but the Orange and Black is awesome. It has matchplay, baker, and team games. Definitely one of the tournaments I look forward to bowling every year. (Plus we're the 2-time defending champs, we gotta defend our title! :D)

Boilermaker as a whole was pretty boring last year except for a certain thing that's not to be named lol. Format wasn't super interesting, competition wasn't the greatest, and maybe its a good weekend to take off since it's in the middle of the season and it's so close to Halloween(?). Striking Knights and Si Elite are kinda in the same boat except SI Elite is all team games (I think?). Personally, I like to travel to tournaments too, but that's just me. As for the Hoinke, I heard it's a lot of fun and the format is fun, but it could be a good or bad tournament to do since it's during J-Term. Gives another incentive to do J-Term and if we don't bowl it, it could be an incentive NOT to do J-Term since we'd only be bowling one tournament.

Those are just the things I came up with for now, might think of others later if I feel like it. :P

THSbowler09 · Hi... I'm a N00B

Are we even allowed back to the Purdue tournament? Lol. I completely agree with setch, orange and black is the perfect tournament format wise. SI elite a tourn I would not be upset if we skipped, don't like the format at all and just isn't that fun, the only good part is it's close enough for family to watch... Hoinke is kinda like the si elite but I think we need it because we would already be off bowling for 5 weeks... Oh and we DEFINATELY need to go to Louisville!!! Haha

bowling_is_life19 · Senior Citizen

Yeah I agree that Hoinke would be good to keep in just because it's a good way to kick off the rest of the season after break. As for Orange and Black vs. Mid-States...I'm not picky. I see good things about bowling either one. Just out of curiosity, would the school let us bowl all these tournaments if say we didnt take meal money for the SI Elite? I mean, since were not staying the night there in Belleville, it's not like we exactly have to pay for a bunch of meals out that weekend. And just an idea...maybe this is cheesy...but we could always have a potluck kinda thing or tailgate after the tourney on Saturday and everyone bring something to share. Anyway, just thinking maybe that way we could bowl all of them and cut down on L.U's expenses for us.

Beef · Posting Guru

I'm down for as many tournaments as possible from J-Term on!

philmark11 · So L33T It Hurts

For the record, last year Mid-States consisted of 10 team games and 16 baker games (equivalent of 13.2 total).

Men's schools at Mid-States (plus various B, C & D teams)
Wichita State
Minnesota State-Mankato
Newman
Kansas
Nebraska
West Texas
North Dakota State
North Texas
Midland
MoBap
Iowa State
Texas A & M
Missouri State
South Dakota State
Southwestern Christian
Houston
Texas Tech
Arkansas-Fayetteville

Women's schools
Wichita State
Central Missouri
Newman
Midland
West Texas
Baker
MoBap
Missouri State
Southwestern Christian

Wichita lapped the field on the guy's side...Wichita beat Central Missouri by about 200 or so on the women's side.

danlem123 · Over The Hill

not gunna lie. not going to orange and black would be dissaponting. 2 time defending champs. for all the freshman coming in. this is what you want to see as a potential first tournament saying none of them make it to milwaukee. it has a bunch of games. the matchplay is intense. imo its a tier one without the title. but other than that. i dont care about the rest of the season. our guys team is going to surprise alot of people next year. i dont plan on losing very often

bowling_is_life19 · Senior Citizen

I think us girls and the guys could give Wichita a run for their money at Mid-States! No doubt they're good...but they can be stopped!

philmark11 · So L33T It Hurts

FYI, last year Wichita bowled the Kegel tournament in Addison, IL, so if we bowl Mid-States, we'll probably see them two weekends in a row.

Of the tier 2's we went to last year, the Hoinke and Orange and Black are almost identical in size based on the number of different schools represented (about 30 men's schools and about 18 women's schools). The SI Elite is one of the smallest.

Keep the feedback coming!

bowling_is_life19 · Senior Citizen

See them two weekends in a row, beat them two weekends in a row! haha :) But it would be cool to see the guys three-peat at Orange and Black!

What's the format for the Kegel tournament?

danlem123 · Over The Hill

atleast for the guys i dont think wichita is the team to beat this year. maybe so for the girls but this year i think rob mo is the team to beat... or should i say jr. team usa... id rather see robert morris more than wichita although wichita will find a way to be one of the best if not the best

jrmcbride1205 · Senior Citizen

I have no problem going back to Orange and Black. I didn't really think about the guys having the two time title since we don't bowl in the same house. So just change my vote for that one thanks

JFaust · Hi... I'm a N00B

as someone who has bowled the midstates before, i think it is one of the tournaments we would be fine skipping. the teams that are usually there aren't very challenging ...i think it would be more beneficial to give ourselves more of a challenge. (and honestly it was a boring tournament) i vote orange and black instead, especially since we have had good luck in the past at this tournament.

i also think tournaments like mck baker are EXTREMELY important because baker games are what nationals consist of. isn't nationals what we want to be totally prepared for? we can use this tournament to learn strengths, weaknesses, and really figure out last minute things to improve. this is a team sport afterall and the more baker practice the better in my opinion.

i think it would be a good idea to skip one tournament during the mid october-december span. it's hard to be gone every single weekend...at least for me.

just my two cents worth!

philmark11 · So L33T It Hurts

Last year, the Kegel tournament consisted of 6 team games, 10 baker games and the top 8 going to a bracket roll-off.

philmark11 · So L33T It Hurts

OK, looks like we'll go to the Orange & Black again. I have no problem with that at all.

I really think we need to take a weekend off in the span from mid-October to the end of the semester. So, it comes down to skipping either the Boilermaker or the SI Elite in my opinion. What are your thoughts between those two? I'm seriously considering skipping the SI Elite.

I still like the Hoinke as it's a good tournament to "get back in the saddle" after break and it's a week before the Blue & Gold, one of the two tier 1 tournaments in the spring.

bowling_is_life19 · Senior Citizen

Like I said before, my vote is to skip SI Elite. But is it out of the question to bowl that too if we cover our own meal expenses?

philmark11 · So L33T It Hurts

It would be a hard sell to get 14 tournaments on the schedule. We only managed to get to 13 last season because in 2009-10, we originally bowled 12 weekends with split squads on one weekend to go to the Brunswick Southern and Boilermaker. Last year and this coming year, they fall on separate weekends, so the cost could be justified because we had gone to both the previous year.

As a coach, I don't think it would be good to bowl 8 straight weekends, even if 2 of them are in town. That's quite a strain on the players (and coaches ). I saw the overall GPA for men's and women's bowling recently and we need to improve that!

jrmcbride1205 · Senior Citizen

I don't really have a preference between the Boilermaker and the SI. But based on money wise Boilermaker since we get more money :)

danlem123 · Over The Hill

gotta go where there's meal money smile i vote boilermaker

Clayton1 · Hi... I'm a N00B

I would have to agree with lemons, i really like the "Gold and Black" tournament and how can we not go after winning two years in a row. Boilermaker was pretty boring and i wouldnt be disappointed if we didnt go to that. Leatherneck is fun as well because of the matchplay and we have won that two years in a row too lol... but i guess we brought bad luck there since it burned down like a week after. The hoinke is fun because i got to see Dean Richards get crotch chopped lol :p Those are my two cents for those tournaments i dont really care about the rest.

O and yes i would rather skip the SI elite because i like to travel for tournaments.

Sincerely,
Csqrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrd :D

THSbowler09 · Hi... I'm a N00B

I agree boilermaker... That meal money is important. Lol

alraddarla · Over The Hill

I can't remember exactly which tournaments are which since I didn't bowl last year, but something keeps telling me that the Boilermaker was just okay two years ago. I don't remember the tournament exactly (which means it probably wasn't that exciting) but I'm pretty sure that was when the Boilermaker and Brunswick Southern fell on the same weekend and we had a kick ass hotel and the teams that went to Georgia had all sorts of problems. The SI is nice for me just because it's so close and my family can actually come watch that tournament. So honestly, my vote is to skip the Boilermaker.

We definitely have to do the Mck Baker challenge because, like Jamie and Jillian said, Nationals is all baker games it's a great way to see what the teams need to work on before Sectionals comes.

I also think we definitely need to bowl the Hoinke because of the break we will be getting off of. It's important because we need to bowl a tournament before the Blue and Gold since that is a tier 1 and personally, I wouldn't want my first tournament back to be a tier 1.

Just my opinion :)

Phil, if we get into 13 tournaments are the players from the A team going to have to skip a tournament again like they did last year? Just curious!

philmark11 · So L33T It Hurts

I'm amazed at how much love there is for an extra $10! OK, thanks for the feedback. Based on everything I've heard, this appears to be the most popular schedule for 2011-12. We'll see if the school goes for it.

Oct. 1-2 Midwest Collegiate-Wauwatosa, WI (tier 1)

Oct. 15-16 Orange & Black-Dayton, OH

October 22-23 Kegel/ISBPA-Addison, IL

October 29-30 Boilermaker-W. Lafayette, IN

November 5-6 Brunswick Southern-Marietta, GA (tier 1)

November 19-20 Striking Knights-Louisville, KY

November 25-26 Team Match Games-Fairview Hts/Belleville, IL (tier 1)

December 3-4 Leatherneck-Quad Cities, IL

January 14-15 Hoinke Bearcat-Cincinnati, OH

January 21-22 Blue & Gold-South Bend, IN (tier 1)

January 28-29 Lion's Classic-St. Charles, MO

February 4-5 McK Baker-Fairview Hts/Belleville, IL

February 18-19 Hoosier (tier 1) Singles tournament 2/17

-- Edited by philmark11 on Thursday 16th of June 2011 11:23:03 AM

-- Edited by philmark11 on Friday 17th of June 2011 11:30:35 AM

philmark11 · So L33T It Hurts

Hey Darla,

You were apparently posting your thoughts while I made my last post. All of what you say about the SI Elite vs. the Boilermaker makes sense. It is nice for our local players to have so many tournaments in the St. Louis Metro. It's also nice for the players from out of town when we go to Wisconsin, northern Illinois and Indiana for tournaments because it's closer to home for many of them.

The bottom line after all of this discussion is that we're adding the Kegel tournament (something I think makes great sense), so we have to drop another one, and it seems good to drop one in the fall to keep from bowling 8 straight weekends. It was narrowed down to the Boilermaker or the SI Elite. At the end of the day, there are pros and cons for each tournament. I would personally lean ever so slightly towards skipping the SI Elite, mainly because it's bowled in the same house we bowl Match Games just two weeks later and it's the same house as the Baker Challenge in February. From a variety standpoint, I think it's good to see a different center. But, it's tough not to bowl a tournament just 45 minutes away from campus that allows me to sleep in my own bed! So, I really have no preference in the end, but I have to turn something in to the school very soon to get it approved.

Right now, the overall feedback seems to be leaning towards skipping the SI Elite, but I'll wait until tomorrow before I submit something.

As for making A team players skip a tournament, in this new world of roster and team limits, the idea last year was to give other players more chances to go to tournaments. I liked the fact that it resulted in many players getting experience on the A team, something that I think was helpful down the stretch.

As for this year, I haven't decided exactly what to do yet. We face the same situation in that we're limited to 35 players for our travel roster and we can only take three teams each weekend which is a maximum of 24 players.

jrmcbride1205 · Senior Citizen

phil you might want to check the dates that you have written for some of the tournaments... for the leatherneck the dates you have listed would mean we bowl sunday and monday...

philmark11 · So L33T It Hurts

So, you don't want to bowl the Leatherneck on Sunday and Monday? OK, fine. I fixed it.