Previous Main Event Email Updates

Miss an email update?  Here's everything we've sent out to everyone:

 

 

 

December 16

   The 2008 Las Vegas Main Event is less than two weeks away- we can't wait, and we hope you're excited too!
 
    If you've already signed up- thank you!  Please be sure to check the entry chart at our website, www.bowljbt.com, to make sure we have you listed under the events and squad times that you requested.  If you have any changes, please let me know asap as we have to have the proper number of lanes available for each division's oil patterns.  A few of you have already emailed me with changes- I got them, and they will reflect on the next posted update.
 
   Handicap division bowlers: remember, we ask that you provide proof of your highest current league average of 21+ games as of 11/15/08.  If you have not yet done so, you may fax that to us at 602-795-8337, or scan and email it to us, or mail it to us, or bring it with you to the tournament.   If you do the latter, I encourage you to stop by the office when you get into Vegas, not ten minutes before your squad, so there's not a last minute panic.  Be sure that if your average was from a PBA or any other 'sport-type' league, that you stated so. 
 
   Doubles - Teams: A lot of bowlers have sent in entries with team and doubles partners listed, but those partners have not yet sent in their entries.  This is actually a good thing, because it must mean there are many more entries still to come.  However, some squad times are filling up fast, and we may not have room for them on their first choice of singles squad times, etc... so please encourage your friends you'll be bowling with to get those entries in!  You will be able to walk in, or add extra doubles squads, as space permits on-site, but entries will be VERY limited after one hour prior to squad time, so a little planning might void a lot of disappointment from you... and we hate disappointment!!!
 
   There is still time to send in your entry!  You'll be mailing it to Phoenix, and I leave for Vegas on the 23rd, so any entry sent in this week should still be fine.  Please don't discourage people just finding out about us (or people suddenly able to travel as gas prices drop) from entering- the more, the better!
 
  We are so excited to show you a great time in Vegas in a few weeks- if you have any questions at all, please don't hesitate to contact me.  We will be at the tournament from 12-6 on the 24th if you want to drop in and say hi, or get any business done, etc.  There's a lot going on, and we want to make sure everyone is on the same page.  This will be the last scheduled email before Main Event, so please travel safely, Meli Kelikimaka to all our Hawaiians, Happy Holidays to those of you celebrating before Main Event, and we'll see you in Vegas for the Main Event! 
 

 

November 11

 

We're only a little more than a month away from the 2008 Las Vegas Main Event- we hope you're getting ready and spreading the word!
 
Some news and notes for you:
 
--- It's now past the Nov. 15 average cutoff date.  If you are entering the handicap division and are not a bowler in our regular season JBT events, you need to submit your highest average from organized competition, of 21 or more games, as of 11/15.  You may fax this to us at (602) 795-8337, scan and email it to us, mail it to us, or bring it with you to the tournament.  If you bring it to the tournament, I recommend brining it down to the tournament office when you arrive- it will save time and a mini-headache as opposed to doing it right before your squad time.  Please be sure to note if it is a PBA Experience or other 'sport-type' league.  Remember that 'organized competition' means that travel leagues or other 'tours' count as averages as well.  If you do not have 21 games in by November 15, we are looking for your average as soon as you hit the 21 game mark.  We don't want this to cause you a headache at Main Event time, so please contact me for any additional average questions.
 
--- Texas Station has opened up another section of rooms- if you called recently and heard our block was sold out, please try again, that won't be a problem.  You can also ask to speak directly to our room coordinator, Maria Schellhase, at 1800-654-8888, extension 8358, and she'll take good care of you.
 
---  If you don't want to or can't stay at Texas, a little bit of shopping online can get you a pretty good room deal in Vegas right now.
 
---- On our website, we have a message board, and on that message board we have a "Need a Partner" section newly added.  Many people have been asking for help in finding doubles or team partners, and this should be a great resource to help make that happen.  Visit it today!  We'll also have a big board available at Main Event with people posting their needs, so hopefully everyone can get the doubles or team partners they need.
 
--- As you help us spread the word to your friends, please remember that just because the event is Dec 25-28, you don't HAVE to be there on the 25th.  If you want to make this as quick a trip as possible, you could arrive as late as 1PM on the 27th and still get the whole event in.  Of course, you'll miss re-entry, doubles, team, and jr. gold fun--- but my point is, some people told me they weren't coming because they don't want to bowl on Christmas Day.  Please help us tell them they certainly don't have to!
 
--- Our Main Event Shirts are now provided by a different company- the previous company went out of business,unfortunately.   The good news is that since they are a local company, there is still time to order your shirts in time for Main Event!  We have a catchy new logo, which you can view on the website, and that can be applied to any shirt in our catalog.  Just check out the 'polo shirts' section of the Main Event page of our website.  For those of you who have already ordered shirts, your order has been transferred over to the new company and will be filled without a problem.  A complete assortment of JBT and Main Event gear will also be available at the Main Event. 
 
--- If you or other bowlers or parents have any other questions, I'm here to help.   Feel free to contact me any time.  We'll see you before you know it for the 2008 Main Event!!!
 

 

October 29

Believe it or not, the 2008 JBT Las Vegas Main Event is now less than two months away!  Are you getting ready?  If not, the time is now to get your entry in for what's simply the best bowling tournament of the year!
 
   If you've already entered- thank you!  At our website, www.bowljbt.com, just click on the "Main Event" section, and you can view your entry, as well as all the others, and of course, everything else related to the Main Event.   If you have any questions at all about your entry or anything else Main Event related, just drop us a line!
 
   If you haven't entered, start to think about doing so.  There will be fewer people per squad on our singles event than last year (so we can have more total squads and guarantee on-time re-oiling), so that likely means less room for walk-in or late entries.  Typically, squads start to get full right around Thanksgiving, so don't wait too much longer to get those entries in.   Please remember, we now let you pay via credit card online--- not to contribute to the national credit crisis, but you might consider that a very convenient way to pay for the Main Event or other JBT events.
 
   Also, be sure to get your hotel rooms as soon as possible.  The rooms we have reserved at Texas Station are priced on a 'tiered' system- the earlier you book, the better your rate.   This system allowed us to reserve a much larger block of rooms to begin with, so fewer people who wanted to stay at Texas will be shut out- but again, it's only a 200-room hotel, so the early bird gets the room!   If you don't want to or can't stay at Texas, I recommend looking at travel websites like expedia and hotwire, etc.   Vegas room rates vary wildly, and the same dates often have rates that go up and down daily- so a little bit of savvy shopping can generally get you a very good deal.
 
   Doubles and Teams bowlers- we want to encourage you to send in your entry for these portions ahead of time, as well, especially for people planning to bowl multiple doubles squads.  It's nice that we allow you to bowl doubles or singles at any squad time, but since they use two different lane conditions, we need to tell the center how many lanes to oil with each pattern before every squad.  This means we will take only limited walk-in entries, and only up to 1 hour before squad time in most cases. So... in order to guarantee the squad times you want, enter before you get to Vegas- or as soon as you get to Vegas, stop on by the tournament office, and we'll take care of you there as well.
 
    And now, my annual "beg and grovel paragraph":  folks, we're 100% reliant on YOU to spread the word about Main Event.  We simply don't have the advertising budget to get fancy flyers out to all centers and tournaments we'd like to-- I hope you'll agree that that's money that's better used in the prize fund anyway. But as a consequence of that- we simply neeeeeeed you to tell folks that this is a tournament worth coming to in order to exist.
 
     We know that this is not the greatest of times for some of us, financially.   However, we hope you'll agree that the Main Event stands up pretty darned well compared to other options in the bowling world, if you're in a position to have to choose which big-money national tournaments to bowl this year.  Here's why:
 
        1) OUR PRIZE FUNDS OUR GUARANTEED.  $5,000 for first and $100 minimum for 24th in scratch, $1500 for first and $100 for 9th in girls scratch, and $2000 for first and $100 for 18th in handicap are all GUARANTEED prizes, completely regardless of entries.  Yes, this makes me nervous as heck each year.  Yes, that in itself is a terrific reason to bowl.
        2) The above prize fund, compared to our basic entry fees, is extremely good.  $100 to win $5,000, and $80 to win $2,000, is a ratio we think is hard to match in an open-field junior tournament. 
        3) Our doubles, team, and junior gold events, and our optional brackets and all-events prize, give you enough to bowl in where you could bowl non-stop with us all week.  Of course, the more you get in, the more you can win, and if you bowl a lot and catch a good roll, it's pretty astounding the scholarship figures you could rack up!
        4) If you want to experience the Main Event, but don't have the time and/or budget to make it a long stay in Vegas (or if you enjoy opening Christmas presents on Christmas day, not January 5 like I do), you could theoretically bowl the 2 PM 12/27 squad, spend just one night in Vegas, and walk away with the title the next day!  So, it DOESN'T have to be a super-long stay in Vegas, unlike the 1-2 WEEKS some events require out of you.
        5) This event is for everyone!  Just because you're a handicap-level bowler doesn't mean you don't want top-level, big-time competition!  I still think a lot of handicap bowlers outside the normal JBT area don't realize that this event is just as much for them as anyone.
        6) Our website posts full results quickly, and helps keep bowlers and families as informed as possible all the time.  We're a year round tournament club, not just the Main Event.   Our nearly 600+ events of JBT experience mean we run a professional atmosphere, bowler-first tournament that cares greatly about your overall experience, adjusting each year as a direct result of your feedback.
        
   These are just some of the reasons that you can use to explain to folks why the Main Event would be a great choice to bowl- or a refresher for yourself!!  So... pretty, pretty pleeeeeeease.  If each one of you bring just one new bowler to the Main Event, we will continue to grow and be able to provide you the best tournament experience we possibly can.
 
    If the Main Event itself still isn't enough bowling for you, the day after the Main Event, we have a regular season JBT event at Cerbat Lanes in Kingman, AZ on December 29, starting at 10 AM.  A lot of people hit this event on their way home, or as a great wrap-up to the week.  It's also a chance for folks from around the country to see what we at JBT do every single weekend all over the southwest and northwest, and is always a more relaxed event to wind down from the stress of Main Event.  It's limited to 120 entries, so you can pre-sign online, at Main Event, or take your chances at walking in.
 
   Please feel free to drop me a line with any questions, etc.  In addition to everything else, we want to be the friendliest event around too.  if something is unclear- ask!  We'll do everything we can to make sure you're prepared and happy!
 
  We'll talk again soon- until then, spread the word, and thank you!
 

 

June 17

            Hello from the Junior Bowlers Tour’s Main Event!

We hope everyone’s had a fantastic 2008 so far!  It’s hard to think about December when it’s 116 degrees outside my door right now, but here we go…

            Entries are now available at our website, www.bowljbt.com, for the 2008 JBT Las Vegas Main Event!  Just go to the website, read all about the ’08 event, print out the entry form, and send it in!  Each squad will be slightly smaller this year (so we can have more squads), so they’ll fill up faster, so get those entries in soon to guarantee your squad times!  We’ll also be mailing each of you a paper copy of the entry, so look for that in early August.  (make sure to update your contact info with us if necessary)

HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

            As always, we NEED your help in spreading the word about Main Event for it to be successful.  We have created little Main Event “mini-flyers” that are designed NOT to be left at bowling center counters, but handed out directly into people’s hands.  If you can help us out by distributing a batch of these into bowlers’ and parents’ hands of all ages and averages that might be interested in bowling in the best tournament of their lives, please drop me an email and we’ll get them right out.  We especially need help spreading the word at Junior Gold, Junior Gold, Junior Gold, Junior Gold, and Junior Gold.  Get the picture??  Thanks in advance for making the Main Event work!!

            Also, as you travel around, be sure to encourage people to check out our website (and to check it out yourself).  As always, we try and have the most informative website out there, so that you’re 100% prepared for your Main Event experience before you come to Las Vegas.  It’s not fancy, but we think it works, so visit it often for updates!

            Get your discounted hotel rate at Texas Station, the host hotel, as soon as possible!  Rooms are already set up under “JBT” or “Main Event”.  It’s only a 200-room hotel, and they obviously can’t give our rates to the whole hotel, so those who tried to get a room late last year were disappointed.  We hate disappointment.  If you miss out, or don’t want to stay at Texas, there are lots of other options, discussed on the very helpful “FAQ” section of the website- check it out!

            We try very hard to the most “bowlers-first” tournament out there, which means listening to what YOU want, not what WE want, and updating the tournament accordingly.  Thus, there are two big additions for the Main Event this year:

1)    An even more difficult lane condition will be used for Open Scratch and Girls’ Scratch singles.  Even though the conditions used in past Main Events were far from easy, a huge majority of bowlers wanted even more challenging conditions.  You got it!  A more relaxed pattern will continue to be used for doubles and team, as these are meant to be more “fun” side events to the singles competition. 

2)    A four-person Team event will be added this year.  Just like you and your parents bowl singles, doubles, and team in city, state, and nationals, the addition of a 4-person team squad will complete the Main Event experience for you.  Plus, to be honest, we hope it will keep you occupied and out of our hair while we figure out the singles cut scores the night of the 27th, hee hee!  This also means we’ll have an optional all-events prize available for people who bowl singles, doubles, and team- wow!

Of course, these changes are in addition to all the great features you’ve come to expect from the Main Event, such as the best prize fund structure in junior bowling.  $5,000 remains the guaranteed first place prize in Open Scratch, with $100 guaranteed for 24th place!  $2,000 remains the top spot in handicap, and $1,500 in girls scratch.  On a $100 basic entry fee ($80 in handicap), these are unbeatable guarantees.  Of course, there are lots of extras you can get in (brackets, ball raffles, doubles, team, all-events, junior gold, etc) that will make it cost more, but each of those is yet another opportunity to cash in on the huge amount we’ll award this year, which is expected to absolutely shatter last season’s $57,000+.  Check out past years’ results, or the year-long JBT earnings, for more specific eye-popping numbers.

This is just the beginning, as we get ready for December!  Lots more announcements and details will be forthcoming, but for those of you ready to enter now, we’re ready for you!   One last time, a lot of the success of the Main Event depends on YOU telling people about us as you travel around to other events, starting right now!!!  So far, you’ve never let us down, and we try our best not to either- so let’s make that a deal again for 2008!

As always, feel free to drop me a line any time with questions, or just to say hi!  We miss those of you we haven’t seen for a while, and can’t wait for December!!!