The Madison Area USBC held its annual meeting on Tuesday, May 14, at Bowl-A-Vard Lanes. 33 members attended the meeting to hear reports from the Association President and Association Manager, and to vote for Vice President, three Directors, one Youth Director, and delegates to the State (6) and National (12) conventions.
Following the President’s and Manager’s reports (highlights below), elections were held.
Association Vice President
The slate was Sarah Flood (incumbent) and Director Mary Conklin. Nominations from the floor are not allowed without application received by the bowling office within 24 hours of the election. After the vote count, Conklin won the election 17-16, and begins her three year term as Association Vice-President on August 1, 2019. We would like to recognize outgoing Vice-President Sarah Flood for her two years of capable leadership – including through the association merger process, and particularly as coordinator of the 2019 Wisconsin Women’s Championship tournament.
Association Youth Director
With only one applicant, the membership elected Lindsey Conklin by acclimation.
Association Director
There were five candidates for Director balloted: Melissa Carlson (incumbent), Sarah Flood, Phil Leighton (incumbent), Cody Roedner (incumbent), and Chris Smith.
Note: The Director position vacated by newly elected Vice-President Mary Conklin will be appointed in the near future.
The voting required two rounds, as there was a tie for the third position after the initial vote count. The tallies were Melissa Carlson (30), Chris Smith (26), Cody Roedner (18), Sarah Flood (18), and Phil Leighton (7).
The second round included the top four on the ballot. The second round voting was Carlson (32), Smith (26), Roedner (22), and Flood (19). Chris Smith will begin her first term as an Association Director on August 1, 2019, along with incumbents Melissa Carlson and Cody Roedner. We would like to recognize Phil Leighton for his work as Director for the last two years (and more with the MBA). Leighton is a fixture at association tournaments and always willing to help.
National Delegates
A slate of six candidates for 12 spots was presented, and included Lindsey Conklin, Bill Dennis, Phil Dowling, Bob Ruhland, Chris Smith, and Jerry Wilson. Nominations from the floor added nine more to the ballot – Don Aslakson, Karine Aslakson, Paul Beckman, Melissa Carlson, Char Clementi, Mary Conklin, Amanda Erdman, Tim Reithmeyer, and Janice Ryan.
Phil Dowling, Tim Reithmeyer, and Janice Ryan volunteered to serve as alternates in order to avoid a lengthy voting process that may still have been going on to this day.
State Delegates
Three candidates for six positions were presented, including Sarah Flood, Chris Smith, and Jerry Wilson. Five additional candidates were nominated from the floor – Marge Beers, Char Clementi, Lindsey Conklin, Amanda Erdman, and Betty Jensen.
The top six were elected. The voting totals were Smith (31), Beers (27), Wilson (27), Clementi (25), Jensen (25), Flood (23), Conklin (19), and Erdman (17).
The meeting was adjourned at 8:16 p.m. A questions/answers session followed.
Thank you to everyone who attended the meeting. In my tenure as an Association Manager, there have been very, very few contested elections and it is generally a struggle to even reach a quorum so that we can conduct business.
This night was different, though, not just in terms of attendance but in energy. Really, they were ‘can’t miss’ elections, as all the candidates were well credentialed and experienced. The fact that so many expressed their desire to be involved and work for you – our members – speaks volumes about our potential and future.
Bowling will benefit. Work is already underway in the areas of Strategic Planning and internal organizing. Your association leadership will be more visible, more accountable, and much more effective. We will communicate better – not just with each other, but with you.
Whatever your reason for bowling, it is a tremendous, lifelong sport with social and competitive benefits for adults, and additional scholarship opportunities for youth. It is our responsibility to enhance that experience through a number of programs, ensure the integrity of bowling through certification, and protect the future of the sport by growing the sport of bowling.
We do take our jobs seriously and plan to show it.
=Association Manager Bill Dennis
Highlights of President Dowling’s report:
- Nationally, as of November, all associations are merged.
- The Madison Area USBC awarded over $11,000 in scholarships either directly or via youth tournaments.
- Three Madison Area Youth received $2,000.00 scholarships from the Wisconsin State association.
- The Hall of Fame is returning this year, scheduled for August 15, 2019 at Turner Hall.
- Workers for the Wisconsin State Women’s Tournament were recognized for their dedication to making the tournament a successful event – in particular Coordinator and Madison Area Vice President Sarah Flood, House Captain and Director Janice Ryan, and House Captain Tim Reithmeyer.
- The volume of local awards and the success of the Dinner with the Champions were also noted.
Highlights of Association Manager Dennis’ report:
- The Madison Area USBC will be focusing on continuing to run successful events and organizing (internally) for more effective communication and collaboration. Association members will see the first phase of this project, an association calendar, rolled out on the madisonba.com website. Future phases will include better and more organized access to documentation.
- Membership loss this year is projected at 3.5%, or roughly 250 members. 567 new bowlers were added to rolls so far in the 2018-19 season, or about 9% of total membership.
- Around 5,000 local awards were processed this season. A better, more timely system of application and fulfillment will be a higher priority.
- Association tournament participation was reviewed. The Masters/Queens saw the most growth. The Women’s tournament grew slightly. The Open and Senior Open were down slightly. The Senior Masters was poorly attended. The Adult/Youth tournament numbers were exactly the same. The Youth tournament had 83 teams, and suffered some due to the youth leagues from Schwoegler E.C. out due to the flood.
- There has been some discussion of three currently non-certified centers expressing an interest to re-certify. Formal discussion will take place this summer.
- Going forward, the Madison Area USBC will tap its excellent group of volunteers to improve membership value, ensure the integrity an protect the future of the sport.