Do you support a non NCAA bowling team?  If so, how do you support them in terms of $ and resources?  What to you expect from them in return?

We support a women's and a men's team.  We give each team $8000 and allow them to use our lanes for free as long as it is for official team use.  Currently, we expect nothing from them in return, but are beginning to have a hard time justifying this level of support.  Curious to see what the rest of you do.

Thanks,

John Bower

Indiana University

John, 

We consider supporting our men’s and women’s club team as a cornerstone of our operation.   While we do not provide specific funding for the team we do pay for coaches expenses in addition to providing unlimited free practice when lanes are available.  Team members get a cost plus 10% discount at our pro-shop, free locker space and we provide lanes for two USBC sanctioned tournaments each year that serve as fundraising and recruiting events for the team.  The team does receive money each year from the sports club council but are responsible for fundraising the bulk of their $40,000 a year budget. 

What we expect in return is a dedicated core of students who represent the bowling facility and the union to the student body.  They are expected to help bring other students into the facility and urge other student groups that they are involved with to utilize the facility.  A number of my employees are also bowling team members.  Bowling team members help to fill our sanctioned leagues and they do pay the same linage as other students.  

At FSU we consider the bowling team a program that we are happy to support. 

Michael Fine 

Florida State University 

John,

I would echo Mike Fine's comments about the bowling teams being the cornerstone of the campus bowling center.  In our case, they give our center life.  At Wichita State, the bowling team is it's own department within the union.  We are blessed in that our program has generous support though student fees.  In addition the program fundraises approximately $40,000 per year.  The players pay an annual participation fee (currently $195) that goes directly to the bowling center for use of the facility and part of the program's annual budget also goes to pay for facility use.  The union employs two full time coaches as well as part time office staff for the bowling team operation.  Aside from that, our uinion employs myself as the rec center director along with a full time shift supervisor and 10-12 student employees.  I hope this helps!

Rich Renollet

Wichita State University

I wish our bowling club was as successful!

We do not offer any cash support, and we just give two team practices per month free. The club/team is pretty much self-sufficient without our help. We wouldn't be able to justfity the monies your're talking about, but we don't have teams as successful as ours.

We provide free practice to team members (18 men and 12 women) during a weekly Team Practice on Tuesday nights as well as individually throughout the week (except Thurs/Fri after 6pm and Saturday).  We do not provide financial support in any other way.

In return we expect them to populate a Sport League in which they pay regular league bowling rates.

Donna Wargo

U of I at Urbana-Champaign