High School Bowling Confidential

Coaching Classes Coming This Summer

2011-07-20T17:26:00.003-05:00

We get questions all the time about coaching classes, so I'm happy to announce that we'll have two coaching classes coming in August.

The first class is a Dick Ritger Level 1 Coaching course, scheduled for August 20, at Big Apple Lanes in Kearney. The class will run from 9am-5pm and will be taught by Ritger trainer extrordinaire, Bob Rea.

Lunch will be provided during this session. The cost for one coach from each school to attend is $49. The cost for additional coaches from a school is $99 per coach. The registration deadline for this course is August 13.

The next day, August 21, Sun Valley Lanes is hosting an NHSBF Coach Certification Course . Bob Rea will be leading this session too. This session runs from 1-5pm.

One coach from each school may attend at no cost. The cost for additional coaches from a school is $29 per coach. Registration deadline is also August 13.To register, send your payment along with the names of the coaches attending to:

NHSBF, 321 Victory Lane, Lincoln, NE. 68528

Be sure to indicate which session you will be attending. For more information, contact John Losito, 402-475-3469.

As a reminder, at least one coach from each school must either have NHSBF coach certification, USBC Bronze training, or Dick Ritger Academy Level I certification in order for the team to be eligible for competition.

The May Column

2011-05-07T10:15:00.000-05:00

Here's the May column, the final one for this season. We've got some good things cooking for the rest of the school year into the Summer. We're going to be working hard to get some more traction for the idea that bowling belongs in the schools as an NSAA-recognized sport. Stay tuned during these next few months!

High School Bowling Confidential

May 2011

For the last column of the season, I would like to prepare you for spreading the word about how cool it would be for high school bowling to be an NSAA sport.

Last month I mentioned that you would run into some nonsensical arguments against this crazy notion of making bowling an NSAA recognized sport. Here’s another one to watch for.

NSAA Recognition Would Keep Students From Participating

I love this one. It has all the ingredients of the short-term thinking that goes into the resistance against making our sport NSAA sanctioned.

The “logic” behind this stems from an assumption that cuts would be made, and there would be a limit to the number of teams formed to compete.

Well, in some programs, cuts are already being made. It happens. How the coach and the bowling center handle this is critical.

The coach and the bowling center need to work together to create a program for students to go into if they get cut. This would be a developmental program, so the students can continue to improve their game.

As far as limiting the number of teams goes, will there be an unlimited number of JV teams allowed? Probably not.

Depending on student interest and budgets, there could be a JV team, Reserve team, and a Freshmen team. Using a roster size of seven for 5-person teams, this would allow 56 students (boys and girls) to be a part of the bowling program.

An Omaha-Lincoln Thing

Which brings us to the other part of this flawed “logic.” Do we think that any other Nebraska community is going to have this problem of too many students? That would be something, but again, a cooperative approach between the coach and the bowling center can deal with this situation, should it arise.

Attitude will determine if these situations are problems or opportunities. For too many years, we’ve let poor attitudes dictate this argument. It’s time to end that streak.

An Interesting Inquiry

We got an interesting call from an unlikely source, offering support for our efforts to gain NSAA recognition.

A Nebraska state senator’s office called to see if there was anything they could do to help get bowling the NSAA recognition we’re seeking.

While this is a very flattering offer of support, we respectfully asked for the state senator to hold off on taking any formal action until we determined if that was necessary. We offered to keep the senator’s office up to date on our progress.

Wrapping Up Another Season

With another successful high school bowling season behind us, it’s time to say thanks to all the students, coaches, parents, and sponsors for continuing to help move bowling forward.

Thanks also to those of you who regularly turn to this column for my take on high school bowling in Nebraska. As more news breaks between now and August, I’ll be writing about it at http://hsbowlingconfidential.blogspot.com/

Last, but certainly not least, thanks to Duane Alstadt for his continued support, and John, Larry, Les, and Steve for their comments on each month’s writing. They are great editors.

See you in August!

An Update to Saturday's Post

2011-04-07T09:31:00.000-05:00

We're learning more about the specifics of the Nebraska USBC meeting where our proposal was to be voted on.

It turns out that there was an individual upset that we would have the nerve to ask a bowling organization for help moving forward on an effort that the national organization these people are supposed to represent thinks is important. All that upset caused our request to go to the finance committee instead of being voted on at the time of our presentation. Okay, the extra research is a sound idea, so three members of the board attended the State Championships back in February.

They must have liked what they saw, because they stayed for nearly all of the Sunday final matches. So, fast forward to their next meeting on March 26, and guess what? No quorum. Not enough people attended the meeting to officially call the meeting to order.

The board will try again on July 30. Hopefully this time there will be enough people able to attend the meeting.

Sometimes You Just Have to Laugh

2011-04-02T10:24:00.000-05:00

We're working on some pretty cool ideas to help get bowling the NSAA-reconition we've been working toward all these years. As is sometimes the case when we are taking a few steps forward, we hear about a comment or an action that gets taken which momentarily catches us off guard.

It may come as a surprise to the readers of this little blog, but the effort to get bowling through the NSAA process, along with administering a state-wide program like we have, costs money. John, Les, Steve, Larry, and I give our time for this, because it's going to be great for the sport of bowling. Every year, the State Championships are run flawlessly by a large group of volunteers who enjoy the event and believe in what we're trying to accomplish.

The things that cost are the scholarships, the District and State bowling lineage, the NET telecast, the market research and web re-design we've had done, and other typical expenses like meals, mileage, and lodging for the trips we've taken across the state to promote the cause.

We are blessed to have tremendous financial support from the Nebraska State Bowling Proprietors, the Alan & Marcia Baer Foundation, the Lincoln Bowling Association, along with the thousands of people who have purchased merchandise or paid for admission into District and State competition.

We recently asked the Nebraska USBC for financial support to put forward our most aggressive plan to date to achieve NSAA recognition. The process was moving along just fine until it got derailed by more of the garbage that we thought had stopped getting slung around about our efforts.

The latest load of rubbish comes from a person in Omaha that should know better. Simply put, two of our members, John and Steve, have been accused of using high school bowling as a ticket to financial freedom! Getting rich off high school bowling? Are you kidding me?

John and Steve will probably address this nonsense with facts at some point in the future. And, as it usually is when the facts rear their head, the people spreading the nonsense tend to fade away.

More on this as the story unfolds. It will end well, an we'll probably look back and laugh.

Tournaments Outside the Winter Window

2011-03-04T09:38:00.000-06:00

From the beginning we've said that the perfect scenario for high school bowling would be to have the season run during the winter sports season, followed by some out of season competition. For years, the Star City Open has flourished as an out of season event, attracting teams from neighboring states to compete. This year, the Star City Open is going to be carried on the USBC's website, www.bowl.com. This is a first for a high school event.

Another high school bowling event coming soon is a Bakers Doubles event at Mockingbird Lanes in Omaha. There are two squads, 9am and Noon, with the top ten teams coming back for finals once the Noon squad is completed.

For more information on this event, contact Scott Sullinger, at The Bowling Store, 402-991-2660.

There's no reason bowling can't enjoy the same kind of success that volleyball does with school and club competition. An off season program is perfect for getting more students involved and to help them develop the skills needed to continue to compete at the highest level.

Good Enough to Compete? Really?

2011-02-19T09:01:00.001-06:00

Back when I was involved in running the Omaha high school bowling league, I used to hear adult volunteers who were organizing teams say that they weren't sure they were going to have a team because they couldn't get enough good players.

Never mind that they had boatloads of kids try out and they had no problem putting teams together, the volunteer was worried that the collection of student athletes wouldn't be good enough to compete against more experienced and talented players. This kind of attitude in someone responsible for coaching is pretty bogus, in my opinion.

Being a part of the Varsity team is something that many student athletes dream of. Sure, you get kids that come through your program that have next to no competitive blood in them. They want to hang out with their friends and be a part of a team, but after that . . . . well, it's just not a big deal. Those students are the exception, in my experience.

Our job as coaches is to get kids to see things in themselves that maybe they don't yet see. Our job is to help them improve their skills and not worry about whether they lose a match. A coach, especially a high school coach, especially a high school bowling coach, should be putting player growth and development above winning and losing. Holding kids back from Varsity competition because they might lose some games, throws growth and development out the window, and may indicate that the coach doesn't have the skills to help his or her players develop.

With all this being said, I've seen and heard some things in the last few weeks that tell me this trend of holding kids back is alive and well in high school bowling.

This came up recently for me when I was looking at the Omaha Metro Bowling league website. I noticed a lack of Varsity teams. Not a big deal, generally, because these things do fluctuate from year to year. But then I looked at the JV standing sheet and saw boatloads of JV teams. Again, generally, this isn't a big deal, because it's great to be able to field several JV teams to give kids the opportunity to compete.

What stood out in this whole thing was how many of these schools with JV teams had no Varsity teams bowling. I looked further at the team breakdown. Check this out:

Marian has eight JV girls teams, but no Varsity girls entry.
Northwest has two JV boys teams, but no Varsity boys entry.
Central has a JV girls team, but no Varsity girls entry.
Ralston has two JV girls teams, but no Varsity girls entry.

Now, it's not like the JV and Varsity bowl on different days and times, so the schedule prohibits the school from putting a Varsity team into competition. And, remember, since bowling isn't an NSAA-sanctioned sport, the schools aren't making these decisions anyway. To Varsity or not to Varsity is a coach-driven decision.

Unfortunately, this isn't just an Omaha thing. The NHSBF faces some of this too. We currently run four classes of competition, similar to most high school sports in Nebraska. We've never had deep numbers at the Class D level, so all those teams are generally making it into the State Championships. On the surface, that's not a bad thing I suppose, but with all the other classes competing hard for a spot in the tournament, it's tough to see the lack of a challenge in Class D.

The obvious answer to me is to only have three classes of competition, or structure the classes differently, so that Class D teams earn their spot in the State Championships. The way to do this is a topic for another day. For now, one of the reasons we haven't merged Class C & D is the fear that some of the Class D schools would drop out of the program entirely. Why? Because they don't think they could compete against the Class C teams.

Just to make sure I"m clear on this, I think this situation is as bogus as what's happening with the teams I mentioned above from Omaha. Holding students back from Varsity competition, or more challenging competition, because the coach doesn't think the team can compete, is offensive to me.

Winning is great, but after spending years hearing coaches tell me they are "in this for the kids," I'm wondering if that's a true statement. Look, bowling is not football, where players who are bigger and stronger are going to be blocking and tackling a smaller and less skilled opponent. Last I checked, bowling is still a sport where you don't block or tackle the members of the other team.

Is there a gap in skill levels sometimes? Sure, but as a coach our job is to help our players get better and enjoy the sport. Teams win and teams lose, but none of that keeps a bowler from improving and enjoying our sport. Losing is tough, but it's a part of our lives. A good coach knows how to coach through losses and keep the student-athletes focused on their goals. If the only goal is winning, it's time for the coach to find a new hobby, and give a real coach an opportunity to motivate and inspire their players.

With another season completed, it's time to renew the effort to get bowling the NSAA recognition our students deserve. It's time to get this program in the hands of the schools, where the mission to give students opportunities outweighs the need for a coach to win games and tournaments.

Class C Boys Final

2011-02-13T20:06:00.002-06:00

The last match-up turned out to be one of the best of the day, with Ravenna and Wisner/Pilger fighting for the Class C Boys crown.

Wisner/Pilger, runner-up for the past two seasons, opened with a 178-172 victory. While Ravenna came back to take the next three games, each one was close.

Ravenna won game two 183-164 and then pulled out a 1-pin victory in game three, 191-190. Game four was a see-saw battle, with the Blue Jays finally prevailing in a 187-171 victory.

Congratulations to Ravenna, the Boys Class C Champion.

Congratulations to all the champions today. It was a great day of bowling and sportsmanship.

Class C Girls Final

2011-02-13T18:47:00.002-06:00

We had another match-up go the distance when Plainview and Norfolk Catholic met for the Class C Girls title.

Plainview captured the first game of the match, 137-132, but Norfolk Catholic cam back to win games two and three, 164-144 and 158-135.

Plainview rebounded in game four to win 162-139. Plainview started strong in game five, rolling strikes in three of the first five frames, but Norfolk Catholic stayed the course, got good count, got their spares, and won the match and the Class C title, 148-146.

Next up, the last match of the day, Ravenna and Wisner/Pilger for the Class C Boys title.

Class A Boys Final

2011-02-13T17:11:00.002-06:00

In a five-game shoot-out, Columbus defeats Lincoln North Star 3-2.

Columbus came out of the box with wins over the Gators, 236-189 and 246-192. North Star didn't buckle, coming back to win games three and four, 214-190 and 226-165.

That set the stage for a game five shootout. Columbus opened with three strikes in a row, taking an early lead. Despite a couple of opens late, they were in control throughout the last game, winning 200-176.

Columbus is the Boys Class A Champion.

Class A Girls Final

2011-02-13T15:40:00.002-06:00

Our first final that went the distance. Lincoln North Star and Lincoln East put on a great show in front of a capacity crowd of close to 200 fans. The energy in the arena was fantastic.

The Gators took the first game 187-177. Lincoln East came back to capture game two and three, 183-154 and 163-152. That's when the Gators went to work.

The Gators came back in the last two games, found their strike line, and defeated the Spartans 214-145 and 214-156, to capture the Girls Class A Championship.

The Class A Boys are up next with Columbus and Lincoln North Star competing for the title.

Class B Boys Final

2011-02-13T13:32:00.002-06:00

For Class B Boys, it was Hastings and Lexington. It took four games, but the Tigers finished what the Lady Tigers started in the previous match by defeating the Minutemen 3-1.

The match opened with a nail-biter finish, with Hastings taking the victory 161-160. Lexington came out and tossed four out of five strikes to open the second game and finished with a 224-132 victory.

Hastings regrouped after game two and took the last two games, 193-156 and 211-191.

Congratulations to Hastings, the Class B Boys and Girls champions.

Class B Girls Final

2011-02-13T12:19:00.002-06:00

Hastings and York squared off in the Class B Girls Final at 11:30 this morning. 45 minutes and three games later, the Lady Tigers are leaving the arena as Class B champions.

York put up a good fight, but it was a case of too little too late. Hastings won the opening match 142-114 and the second match 168-101. In game three, both teams caught fire in the middle of the match, with York tossing a double and Hastings rolling a 4-bagger. In the end, Hastings prevailed, 203-178.

Class D Boys Finals

2011-02-13T11:13:00.002-06:00

Humphrey St. Francis and Clarkson met for the Class D Boys Final this morning. It only took three games for St. Francis to come away with their first Class D title. It was a 3-0 sweep over Clarkson.

The first match was a squeaker, with the Flyers winning 133-132. St. Francis won the second game by a little bit more of a margin, 144-137. In the third game, Holden Heesacker closed out the 10th frame with a double and a seven-count to give the Flyers a 166-153 victory and a State Championship.

Class D Girls Finals

2011-02-13T08:21:00.003-06:00

It's State Championship Finals day. Larry Punteney and Steve Sempeck are in the booth, the NET crew has their equipment in place, and Jimmy Walker is running the first players meeting of the day with the girls from Alma and Dodge/LoganView.

I'll post the winners of each final round match as they wrap up.

In the first match of the day, the Alma Cardinals defeat the Dodge/LoganView Pirates, 3-2. For Alma, this is their third consecutive Class D title.

State HS Results - Class A Boys

2011-02-12T17:46:00.002-06:00

Here are the standings after four games:

1. Lincoln Southeast, 3643
2. Kearney, 3487
3. Columbus, 3414
4. Lincoln North Star, 3358
5. Scottsbluff/Gering, 3296
6. North Platte, 3233
7. Lincoln Northeast, 3201
8. Lincoln East, 3146

Results from the first Baker Round:
Lincoln Southeast defeated Lincoln East 3-2
Lincoln North Star defeated Scottsbluff/Gering 3-1
Columbus defeated North Platte 3-2
Kearney defeated Lincoln Northeast 3-1

Results from the second Baker Round:
Lincoln North Star defeated Lincoln Southeast 3-2
Columbus defeated Kearney 3-1

Lincoln North Star and Columbus will meet in the Class A Boys Final on Sunday at 3:45pm in the Sun Valley Lanes Arena.

Class A Boys Top Five Singles Finishers
1. Ryan Moats, Lincoln Southeast, 646
2. Nathan Reidel, Lincoln Southeast, 602
3. Dylan Ganskow, Columbus, 594
4. Zachary Zornes, Lincoln North Star, 581
5. Brandon White, Scottsbluff/Gering, 579

State HS Results - Class C

2011-02-12T16:42:00.002-06:00

Here are the results from Class C. There are no team scores available from the first four games.

Class C Girls Standings after four games:
1. Ravenna
2. Norfolk Catholic
3. Burwell/Ord
4. Plainview
5. Wayne
6. Wakefield
7. Chadron
8. Doniphan/Trumbull

Results from the first Baker Round:
Ravenna defeated Doniphan/Trumbull 3-1
Plainview defeated Wayne 3-0
Burwell/Ord defeated Wakefield 3-1
Norfolk Catholic defeated Chadron 3-2

Results from the second Baker Round:
Plainview defeated Ravenna 3-2
Norfolk Catholic defeated Burwell/Ord 3-2

Plainview and Norfolk Catholic meet for the Class C Girls Final Sunday at 5pm in the Sun Valley Arena.

Class C Girls Top Five Singles
1. Beth Reed, Norfolk Catholic, 528
2. Jenna McCleary, Norfolk Catholic, 502
3. Torri Dethlefs, Ravenna, 480
4. Sydney Gay, Ravenna, 479
5. Kayleen Roberts, Wakefield, 463

Class C Boys Standings after four games:
1. Wayne
2. Ravenna
3. Burwell/Ord
4. Doniphan/Trumbull
5. Wisner/Pilger
6. Hartington
7. Chadron
8. Crofton

Results from the first Baker Round:
Wayne defeated Crofton 3-1
Wisner/Pilger defeated Doniphan/Trumbull 3-1
Burwell/Ord defeated Hartington 3-1
Ravenna defeated Chadron 3-1

Results from the second Baker Round:
Wisner/Pilger defeated Wayne 3-2
Ravenna defeated Burwell/Ord 3-2

Wisner/Pilger and Ravenna will meet in the Class C Boys Final Sunday at 6:15pm in the Sun Valley Lanes Arena.

Class C Boys Top Five Singles
1. Preston Wilson, Burwell/Ord, 628
2. Trevor Beza, Wayne, 586
3. Kelly McFadden, Ravenna, 558
4. Seth Howell, Hartington, 536
5. Dexter Behrendt, Ravenna, 532

State HS Bowling Results - Class A Girls

2011-02-12T15:37:00.003-06:00

Here are the results from the Class A Girls Opening Round Action:

Standings after four games:
1. Lincoln North Star, 3482
2. Grand Island, 3392
3. Lincoln East, 3336
4. Lincoln Southeast, 3218
5. Columbus, 3180
6. Scottsbluff/Gering, 3053
7. Lincoln Northeast, 2964
8. North Platte, 2935

Results of the first Baker Round:
Lincoln North Star defeated North Platte 3-2
Columbus defeated Lincoln Southeast 3-1
Lincoln East defeated Scottsbluff/Gering 3-1
Grand Island defeated Lincoln Northeast 3-2

Results of the second Baker Round:
Lincoln North Star defeated Columbus 3-0
Lincoln East defeated Grand Island 3-0

Lincoln North Star and Lincoln East will meet for the Class A Girls Final Sunday afternoon at 2:30 in the Sun Valley Arena.

Class A Girls Top Five Singles Results:
1. Amy Fischer, Lincoln East, 602
2. Jaimie Siegler, Lincoln North Star, 592
3. Stephanie Williams, Grand Island, 580
4. Shelby Clark, Lincoln East, 554
5. Lauren Johnson, Lincoln Northeast, 547

State High School Results - Class D

2011-02-12T14:57:00.002-06:00

Here are the results from the opening round of Class D action.

Class D Girls Standings with Four Game Totals:
1. Alma, 2193
2. Newman Grove, 2176
3. Dodge/Logan View, 2174
4. McCool Junction, 2092
5. Clarkson, 2007
6. Scribner/Snyder, 1594

Results from the first Baker Round:
Dodge/Logan View defeated Scribner/Snyder 3-1
McCool Junction defeated Clarkson 3-0

Results from the second Baker Round:
Alma defeated McCool Junction 3-0
Dodge/Logan View defeated Newman Grove 3-1

Alma will meet Dodge/Logan View in the Class D Girls Finals on Sunday at 9am in the Sun Valley Arena.

Class D Boys Standings with Four Game Totals:
1. Dodge, 2291
2. Humphrey St. Francis, 2257
3. Leigh, 2251
4. Clarkson, 1896
5. Alma, 1715

Results from the first Baker Round:
Clarkson defeated Alma 3-2
Humphrey St. Francis defeated Leigh 3-2

Results from the second Baker Round:
Clarkson defeated Dodge 3-1

Humphrey St. Francis and Clarkson will meet in the Class D Boys Final Sunday morning at 10:15 in the Sun Valley Arena.

Class D Girls Top Five Singles Results with Totals:
1. Lynae Soderholm, Alma, 498
2. Brooke Nelson, Newman Grove, 453
3. Savanah Wells, Alma, 430
4. Heather Gall, Clarkson, 424
5. Kelly Sindelar, Dodge/Logan View, 419

Class D Boys Top Five Singles Results with Totals:
1. Brandon Bayer, Dodge, 556
2. Justin Reininger, Leigh, 533
3. Brett Greisen, Humphrey St. Francis, 467
4. Chris German, Humphrey St. Francis, 442
5. Taylor Ryan, Dodge, 438

State HS Standings - Class B

2011-02-12T14:08:00.003-06:00

Class B competition is in the books, and the Class A teams are being introduced as I write this update.

Here's how the Class B Girls finished after the first four games:
1. Lincoln Pius X, 3316
2. Alliance, 2987
3. York, 2927
4. Hastings, 2891
5. Lexington, 2857
6. Waverly, 2755
7. Sidney, 2721
8. Adams Central, 2669

In the first Baker round:
Lincoln Pius X defeated Adams Central 3-0
Hastings defeated Lexington 3-1
York defeated Waverly 3-2
Alliance defeated Sidney 3-1

In the second round:
Hastings defeated Lincoln Pius X 3-1
York defeated Alliance 3-1

Hastings and York will meet in the Class B Girls Final at 11:30am Sunday morning in the Sun Valley Arena.

For Class B Boys, here are the top 8 finishers after four games:
1. York, 3682
2. Lincoln Pius X, 3517
3. Waverly, 3503
4. Hastings, 3356
5. Gretna, 3290
6. Lexington, 3184
7. Aurora, 3141
8. Elkhorn Mount Michael, 3033

In the first Baker round:
York defeated Elkhorn Mount Michael 3-2
Hastings defeated Gretna 3-0
Lexington defeated Waverly 3-0
Lincoln Pius X defeated Aurora 3-0

In the second Baker round:
Hastings defeated York 3-1
Lexington defeated Lincoln Pius X 3-2

Hastings and Lexington will meet in the Class B final at 12:45pm Sunday in the Sun Valley Arena.

We're going to have a new Boys Class B champion tomorrow.

Here are the top five Class B Girls Singles finishers:
1. Stephanie Beyea, Gretna, 569
2. Kelly Machacek, Lincoln Pius X, 532
3. Brooke Punteney, Lincoln Pius X, 520
4. Tara Sadd, Hastings, 514
5. Jessica Lierz, Lincoln Pius X, 507

Here are the top five Class B Boys Singles finishers:
1. Dustin Bandt, York, 662
2. Toby Lewis, York, 605
3. Cameron Brei, Adams Central, 598
4. Justin Denham, Waverly, 594
5. Drew Miller, Lincoln Pius X, 589

It's Tournament Time in Lincoln!

2011-02-12T07:14:00.002-06:00

It looks like we're going to get a beautiful weather weekend for the State High School Bowling Championship Tournament. That is such great news!
The opening ball will get rolled over at Sun Valley in a few minutes, at 7:30am.

I'll be at Sun Valley all weekend, reporting on the results as I get them from each Class of competition. I'll also post a quick recap of tomorrow's finals as each of them wraps up.

There are some pretty interesting story lines as we head into the first day of the tournament.

In Class D, the Alma Girls return to compete for their third consecutive championship. They wrestled the crown from five-time champs, McCool Junction, two years ago, and they haven't looked back. McCool Junction will be part of the Class D field this weekend, so will they get to reclaim their crown?
For the Class D Boys, Leigh are defending champions. The pressure is on for them to repeat.

In Class C, the Burwell Girls are coming back to compete for their fourth consecutive title. This is a lively group, and I believe they have a new coach at the helm. It will be fun to watch the girls go for number four.
Wayne is the Boys two-time champion in Class C. They will be looking for the three-peat at this year's tournament.
There will be a newcomer to the Class C Girls field this year. Doniphan-Trumbull makes their first State Championship appearance.

In Class B, we'll get a new Girls champion this year. Scottsbluff/Gering moved up to Class A this season.
For the Boys, Lincoln Pius X will be rolling for a third consecutive championship. If they make the finals, the golden voice of John Losito will join Steve Sempeck in the booth for the Class B broadcast, so play-by-play announcer Larry Punteney can join his charges for their finals match.
Some new faces appear in the Class B mix for this year's event. Waverly's Boys and Girls are making their first trip down the road to State Championship-ville.
Returning to Lincoln after being absent for a year are the Aurora Boys and the Boys and Girls teams from Lexington. The Minutemaids have two State titles to their credit, so this is their chance to reclaim some past glory for their school. The Minutemen have one title under their belt, so they are also looking to get back into the winner's circle.

And then there's Class A. The Boys defending champions, Elkhorn, are not part of the field this year, so a new champ will be crowned. Scottsbluff/Gering joins the Class A field for the first time, and they have an impressive resume. Undefeated during the past two regular seasons, two-time District champs, and yet the boys haven't been able to get to the winner's circle. Will this be the year?
For the Girls, Grand Island returns to defend their crown. The Scottsbluff/Gering Girls will be a formidable opponent, should they meet in the finals. Like the boys, the Lady CatDogs have been undefeated in regular season matches over the past two years. And, they were Class B champs last year. Their resume is pretty solid too.
Elkhorn's Boys made the adjustment to Class A pretty well last year, so the CatDog teams have that going for them too.

So, the table is set. Now, it's down to what happens on the lanes today. Who will make the Arena-style finals tomorrow?

Stay tuned.

February Column

2011-02-05T15:54:00.005-06:00

February 2011

Hey kids, what time is it?

With apologies to Howdy Doody, it’s Nebraska High School Bowling State Championship Tournament time!

Lincoln will welcome again all the teams that are going to come to town with the goal of being the best in their class. It’s a great weekend, and our host centers do a fantastic job of putting on the opening rounds.

Opening Round Action

All the opening round action begins Saturday, February 12.

Class A Boys action takes place at Sun Valley Lanes, beginning at 2pm.

Class A Girls compete at Madsen’s, beginning at 8am.

Class B action for Boys and Girls will be at Sun Valley Lanes, with a start time of 7:30am.

Class C competition for Boys and Girls will be hosted by Parkway Lanes, with a 10am start.

Class D competition for Boys and Girls will take place at Hollywood Bowl, with a 9am start.

Get There Early

The teams need to be at their host center on Saturday at least an hour before the times listed for their class. This gives everyone the time they need to get checked in and settled in.

Finals on NET

Once again we have the great fortune to have the State Championship Finals taped for broadcast by NET.

The Girls finals will air on Sunday, February 20, from 8am – Noon.

The Boys finals will air the following week, February 27, from 8am – Noon.

Thanks to our Sponsors

We continue to be appreciative of our great sponsors who make it possible for the arena-finals to be broadcast.

This year again, we say thanks in advance to the Alan and Marcia Baer Foundation, the Lincoln Bowling Association, and Qubica/AMF for their support.

Let’s Meet the Teams

Class A Boys

Lincoln North Star, Lincoln Southeast, Scottsbluff/Gering, Columbus,

Kearney, Lincoln East, North Platte, and Lincoln Northeast.

Class A Girls

Lincoln North Star, Lincoln East, Scottsbluff/Gering, Columbus, Lincoln Southeast, Grand Island, Lincoln Northeast, and North Platte.

Class B Boys

Lincoln Pius X, Aurora, Lexington, Hastings, Gretna, York, Waverly, and Elkhorn Mt. Michael.

Class B Girls

Lincoln Pius X, York, Lexington, Hastings, Alliance, Waverly, Adams Central, and Sidney.

Class C Boys

Wayne, Burwell, Ravenna, Chadron, Doniphan, Hartington, Wisner/Pilger, and Crofton.

Class C Girls

Norfolk Catholic, Burwell, Ravenna, Chadron, Plainview, Wayne, Wakefield, and Doniphan.

Class D Boys

Dodge, Leigh, Humphrey St. Francis, Clarkson, and Alma.

Class D Girls

Dodge, Alma, Newman Grove, McCool Junction, Clarkson, and Scribner/Snyder.

Watch for results next Month.

NET Press Release

2011-02-03T09:53:00.002-06:00

We're pleased that NET is going to tape this year's State Finals again. Here's a press release that we put together to accompany NET's press release on the broadcast.

For the fifth year in a row, the Nebraska High School Bowling Federation (NHSBF) State Championships will be taped for broadcast by Nebraska Educational Television (NET).

Lincoln’s Sun Valley Lanes hosts the event February 12-13. NET will tape the final round of the tournament from within the specially constructed “arena” inside the bowling center on Sunday, February 13.

Opening rounds of the tournament take place Saturday, February 12, at Hollywood Bowl, Parkway Lanes, Madsen’s Bowling & Billiards and Sun Valley Lanes. The cooperation among Lincoln’s bowling centers is one of the keys to the continued success of this event.

“The NHSBF partnerships with the Lincoln Bowling Association, the Nebraska Bowling Proprietors Association, QubicaAMF, and the Alan and Marcia Baer Foundation, make an event of this size and scope possible,” according to NHSBF Commissioner John Losito.

Losito adds, “The volunteer group that handles recording scores, managing the gate admissions, constructing the arena, and everything in between, is the reason this tournament remains the premier bowling event in Nebraska.”

Recognition for high school bowling by the Nebraska School Activities Association (NSAA) is the main goal of the NHSBF. “We have the support of many athletic directors across the state,” noted Losito, “but we continue to urge parents and students to talk with their school administrators about approving bowling as an NSAA-recognized sport.”

NET’s broadcast schedule for this year’s State Championships is Sunday, February 20,
8:00 – Noon Nebraska High School Girls Bowling Championships (taped) and Sunday, February 27 8:00 – Noon Nebraska High School Boys Bowling Championships (taped).

Updated District Sites

2011-01-25T10:07:00.002-06:00

To correct the error I made in the January Nebraska Bowler column, here are the correct District sites and dates.

A-1 Westbrook Lanes, Columbus, 1/29, 11am
Lincoln Northstar
Columbus
Lincoln Northeast
Omaha Westside
Lincoln Southwest

A-2 Westside Lanes, Grand Island, 1/29, 1pm
Lincoln East
Lincoln Southeast
Grand Island
Lincoln High

A-3 Cedar Bowl, North Platte, 1/29, Noon
Scottsbluff
Kearney
North Platte
Norfolk

B-1 Maplewood Lanes, Omaha, 1/29, 1pm
Lincoln Pius X
Elkhorn Mount Michael
Blair
Roncalli
Plattsmouth
Waverly

B-2 Sunset Bowl, York, 1/29, 1pm
York
Gretna
Adam Central
Aurora

B-3 Strike and Spare Bowl, Lexington, 1/29, 1pm
Lexington
Grand Island Northwest
Elkhorn
Seward
Elkhorn South

B-4 Doyle's Cedar Bowl, Sydney, 1/29, Noon
Sidney
Hastings
Ogallala
Alliance

C-1 King's Lanes, Norfolk, 1/30, 1pm
Wayne
Norfolk Catholic
Hartington
Plainview
Wakefield
Crofton

C-2 Cairo Bowl, Cairo, 1/29, 1pm
Burwell
Wisner/Pilger
Boone Central
Centura

C-3 Riverview Lanes, St. Paul, 1/29, 1pm
Ravenna
McCool Junction
Grand Island Central Catholic
Wood River
St. Paul

C-4 Cedar Bowl, North Platte, 1/29, Noon
Chadron
Doniphan
Blue Hill
Chase County
Minden
Kearney Catholic

D-1 Girls, Hilltop Lanes, Dodge, 1/29, 10am
Alma
Clarkson
McCool Junction
Dodge
Newman Grove
Scribner/Snyder

D-2 Boys, Hilltop Lanes, 1/29, 2pm
Dodge
Humphrey/St. Francis
Leigh
Clarkson
Newman Grove
Alma

Good luck to everyone!

Time to Energize

2011-01-16T12:43:00.003-06:00

I took a quick look at the Nebraska High School Bowling Coaches website the other day. Normally, there's not much new on the site, but this statement jumped out on my last visit.

More Teams

are need to keep the

NHSBCA Tournaments

Alive & Running

6 & 8 Teams in a division aren't profitable.

Even though our two organizations differ on the direction high school bowling should take, I'm sorry to read that participation numbers are dropping down to these levels. Without knowing the reason for the decline in participation, there's no reason to gloat about this turn of events.

From the beginning, the NHSBF has never wanted the Coaches Association tournaments to go away completely. Did we want them to go away from the Winter sports season? We did, because we thought it would be more beneficial to have this kind of competition, traveling tournaments, during the Spring and Summer. This would bring bowling into line with other sports, where the club teams play off season.

Yes, I know we're all just clubs right now, but since we're the only organization in the state that is working toward NSAA recognition, all we were trying to do was create a plan for bowling that would work once NSAA recognition became a reality.

I still think this plan has merit, and if it works, I also think it will energize our high school bowling programs all across Nebraska. And, judging by the statement I saw on the Coaches Association website, it looks like some energy is needed.

Districts

2011-01-12T19:32:00.002-06:00

It looks like I wrote too soon about the District sites and dates. I took the dates off our website before the this year's sites were announced. My apologies for any confusion that comes about because of my error.

I will get the correct dates and sites up as soon as all sites are finalized.

A Return to Regular Writing

2011-01-08T07:39:00.005-06:00

It's a new year, and one of my resolutions is to keep the bowling column updated for people who don't see a Nebraska Bowler paper.

I'll do my best to stop by the blog and see if anyone's reading, and to add some of the latest news we're working on.

We're currently looking for a person interested in helping us take high school bowling around the final turn to the finish line, NSAA recognition. Are we really that close? I think we are, although sometimes the progress we make seems to be slow and insignificant.

The schools know we're out there, and I think the administrators see the good in what bowling has to offer their student-athletes. The challenge for many of them is balancing what they know to be good about bowling with the two big issues they face daily. Money and time.

To get us to the finish line, we're hoping to attract a retired AD with enough passion for bowling to get this rock pushed the rest of the way up the hill. The thinking being that someone with knowledge, and some empathy for the demands on the athletic director's time, will be able to make the inroads we have only been able to do slowly and slightly.

If a retired AD can't be identified, we'll need to get someone with the energy and determination to work the schools on a daily basis to make the case for adding the sport we love to the NSAA's roster of activities.

Stay tuned.

January Column

2011-01-08T07:36:00.000-06:00

January 2011

One of the cool things about being involved in high school sports is the revolving door aspect that comes with students moving through the program and then graduating. Every year has the potential for brining a new crop of students and parents into the fold.

With that in mind, this seems like a good time to re-introduce the Nebraska High School Bowling Federation to those student-athletes and parents new to high school bowling.

A Quick History

The NHSBF formed eight years ago, after Kris Zahn, then the USBC High School Bowling Director, came to a meeting of coaches to talk about the national movement to get high school bowling into the schools as a sanctioned state-administered sport.

A few of us thought this was an idea worth exploring in Nebraska, so the NHSBF was formed with the primary goal to be getting high school bowling in to the schools as a state sanctioned sport.

What is the NSAA?

The Nebraska School Activities Association administers high school activities, and with the input of the athletic directors from the member schools, determines the fate of sports like bowling that want to become a part of the high school community.

Getting a new sport added to the roster of activities sponsored, or sanctioned, by the NSAA, is a lengthy process.

A proposal to add a sport has to be submitted by a school administrator prior to November District meetings. Ideally, the proposal gets introduced in each of the six legislative districts. Getting statewide support for adding a new sport is the key here.

If the proposal is approved in at least one District meeting, it becomes an agenda item for all the Districts to vote on in their January meetings.

If the proposal is approved in three of Districts at the January meetings, it goes to the annual April meeting to be voted on by all the District delegates.

What’s the Hold Up?

As easy as the process described above sounds, adding a new sport is a bit of an uphill battle.

Money is a big obstacle to adding a new sport. Financially strapped school districts are reluctant to add more expense to their schools.

Time is another obstacle. The athletic directors in most schools already feel like there aren’t enough hours in the day to fit everything in.

What’s the Answer?

Bowling is a relatively inexpensive sport for schools to add. The NHSBF supports the creation of booster clubs to help offset the expense attached to putting a high school bowling program. The Nebraska State Bowling Proprietors have also done their part by donating the lineage needed for practices and matches.

The financial question is valid, but the foundation is in place to make bowling an inexpensive sport for schools to add.

Bowling would not need to be a huge time drain on athletic directors. Besides being a low maintenance sport, the NHSBF has also offered to handle a good portion of the administrative duties normally performed by the athletic directors.

How You Can Help

If you’re just getting involved with high school bowling, you can help the cause by speaking to the athletic director and/or the principal in your school. Let them know that your son or daughter is involved in high school bowling, and the positive impact it is having on their high school experience.

District Schedule

Class A District competition will take place on January 30 at Maplewood Lanes, Omaha; Kings Lanes, Norfolk; Westside Lanes, Grand Island.

Class B District competition is on the same day at Blair Bowl, Blair; Seward Bowl, Seward; Super Bowl, Grand Island. Valley Bowl in Scottsbluff hosts their Class B District on January 31.

For Class C, District sites are Kings Lanes, Norfolk (January 31); Pastime Lanes, Hastings; Super Bowl, Grand Island (both on January 30).

Hilltop Lanes in Dodge will host the Class D Districts on January 30.

All of this District action means that the State Championships are just around the corner. Opening rounds begin in Lincoln on February 12, with the arena finals scheduled for February 13.

More pre-State Championship information will be in next month’s Nebraska Bowler.

NHSBF Rule Changes

2009-10-17T19:44:00.002-05:00

As I wrote in the previous post, the Coaches Summit afternoon session was informative for the coaches and for the NHSBF board members.

A few rule changes for the JV State championships were proposed by the coaches in attendance.

The first proposal was to allow seniors to compete in the JV State Championships. This rule changed passed.

The second proposal was to drop the team size to four players for the JV State Championships. This proposal also passed.

Missed Deadline

2009-10-17T19:33:00.003-05:00

It seems like once a year I get busy and miss a deadline. Usually it's later in the season, but this year I've blown my first deadline. I missed October's cutoff for the Nebraska Bowler.

It happens.

Since the last column, we've held our Coaches Summit, which was well-attended and we were able to get close to 40 coaches the technical training they need. Bob Rea was on hand to deliver some of the more critical corrective techniques that coaches can use with their bowlers. Bob's one of the best at delivering this information. Thanks for being with us in Kearney!

In the afternoon session, John brought the coaches up to date on the progress to date with getting a proposal submitted in as many of the six NSAA legislative districts as possible. We've got two districts committed to submitting the proposal, so we'll see how the votes go in November.

I talked a little bit about the ASEP training, and was pleased to hear that many have either finished the course, or are getting started with the material. There will be a more official announcement on this, but I will be able to deliver the Coaching Principles course for ASEP beginning in November.

For coaches who want to take the course in a day, in a classroom setting, this is another option for you. As soon as I have more information on pricing and location of the class, I'll post it here and I expect that John will send out an e-mail blast to all coaches.

The Final Exam

2009-10-08T14:27:00.002-05:00

I'm back to writing after getting finished with the Coaching Principles text. I took the final exam last night, and I scored 97%. I was surprised and pleased with the score.

As an adult learner, I get a bit paranoid about tests. In this case, I needed to score at least a 90% to be eligible to become an instructor for ASEP. That created some additional pressure as I made my way through the 100-question exam.

The test is well written and well organized. There are 4-6 questions for each of the 20 units, with half multiple choice and half true/false. I spent about 90 minutes on the test, which might have been too long, but I wanted to make sure I understood each question and the answers I was choosing.

The next step toward becoming an instructor is ordering the teaching materials (lesson plans, text, and DVD) and then going through an orientation. Hopefully, I'll be ready to start teaching the course in November.

Share Your Stories

2009-09-24T11:57:00.004-05:00

This will be a quick post to solicit stories on how high school bowling has been a positive experience for Nebraska high school students.

We're looking for feedback from students, parents, and/or teachers, who would like to share their story on the benefits of being involved in high school bowling.

The goal is to have some stories to share with Athletic Directors on the positive aspects of being part of a high school bowling team.

Thanks in advance for sharing your stories with us.

Follow-up to October's Column

2009-09-18T10:02:00.005-05:00

After putting October's Nebraska Bowler column to bed, I got to thinking that I may not have made the coaching certification issue as clear as I could have. Hindsight being 20/20 and all.

So, I think I'll take another stab at it here and see if it makes more sense.

There are two types of coaches involved in high school sports in Nebraska. Those who are professional educators working for the school and those who are not. So far so good, right?

Because the educators hold a Nebraska teaching certificate, they have all the necessary requirements to be considered for a coaching spot in their schools. Certainly, an AD is going to look at the candidates knowledge of the sport too, but the teaching certificate is the main thing.

The NHSBF supports that criteria, so if you are an educator in Nebraska, you would really only need to register with the USBC's RVP program to meet our requirements.

Coaches who are not holding a valid Nebraska teaching certificate are also eligible for hire as a high school coach. There are some professional education courses to take, in addition to the ASEP courses we're requiring. This will give you a Provisional Certificate, which will allow you to coach.

The NHSBF does not require this group of coaches to take the professional education courses, but we do require two ASEP courses, Coaching Principles and Sport First Aid. These two courses, plus some type of recognized coaching class, plus the USBC RVP registration, will meet our requirements.

Personally, I think professional educators would benefit from the ASEP Coaching Principles course. We're not pushing the issue, because the NSAA isn't requiring it either. Still, nothing says a person can't exceed the minimum requirements, right?

Hopefully, this makes the whole certification requirement issue a bit clearer.

Old Habits Die Hard

2009-09-11T15:54:00.003-05:00

I'm down to the last two units of Coaching Principles course. To say it's been a great learning experience would be an understatement.

After going through one of the latest lessons, Principles of Teaching, I can see plenty of room for improvement in my methods.

This course stresses the use of the Games Approach to teaching a sport. The Games Approach simply says that you teach your technical skills and your tactical skills in the context of a game situation.

Within that approach, you modify the game by splitting the squad into pairs or trios and have them bowl Baker matches. This keeps your athletes engaged in the practice, instead of spending a large amount of time waiting to bowl.

Now, you can teach the skill you want to work on for that practice, within the context of a game situation. Drills are good for initial teaching, but getting them into the game mode to work on their skills is going to make the practice session more enjoyable for everyone.

I've leaned on drills more in the last few years. I thought that was the best course of action to take. We still bowled games, but that was not where we spent the majority of our practice time. This is an area I would approach differently in the future.

This lesson also spends a good amount of time going over the merits of planning. I can attest to the need for this. Like most of you, I balanced coaching with a full-time job. This forced me to layout a practice plan for the year, so I knew what we needed to work on with each practice. The plan would get adjusted as needed, but without a road map to follow, practices would've been a disaster.

Teaching the tactical skills is another area of importance. Here again, I wish I had spent more time on this than I did.

The tactical skills of bowling are centered around lane play and ball selection. We're trained to teach lane play once our athletes have the technical skill down pat. While there's some merit to that approach, I can see now where we're doing the athlete a disservice by not introducing lane play sooner.

These are some thoughts that I came to as I was reading the material and going through the on-line segment for this unit. This would be a great time for you to be reflecting on these ideas as you go through this course. The time you spend on this unit will pay real dividends for your program in the upcoming season.

Requirements for Making the Team

2009-09-04T16:32:00.003-05:00

There's been some back and forth lately about a high school bowling coach requiring that all players on the team sign up for the youth league at the host bowling center.

It's a bonus if a high school coach can also have their players participate in the host center's youth leagues. Especially if the coach is a part of the center's youth coaching staff. The decision to participate, however, belongs to the athlete, not the coach.

Much is expected of student-athletes when they wear the uniform of their school. Along with getting the athlete's best effort on the lanes, good sportsmanship and respect for the rules should also be expected.

Requiring the players to bowl in the host center's youth program during the season should not be a part of those expectations. Once NSAA recognition is achieved, this won't be allowed to happen anyway, but in the meantime, this is an unnecessary requirement to place on the student-athlete.

The bowling centers give their lineage to this program and that is appreciated. Many proprietors are also coaching, which is also much appreciated. The return on that investment may not come immediately. It may be 3-5 years down the line, depending on if the student-athlete chooses to leave town for college. If the student comes back and becomes an adult league bowler thanks to the positive experience he or she had as a high school bowler, everyone wins.

Now, it's possible that this requirement may have been made to get in a little pre-season practice without looking like a pre-season practice. Two schools in other sports have gotten themselves into a little bit of trouble with the NSAA recently over this issue, so I would advise any high school bowling coach looking to get an early start to think twice before organizing any pre-season practices. Granted, we're not an NSAA recognized sport yet, but the NHSBF rules mirror the NSAA rules just the same, so read up before thinking about putting together any informal "practice" sessions.

Part 2 is Completed

2009-09-03T12:25:00.003-05:00

I'm making good progress through ASEP's on-line Coaching Principles course. I wrapped up Part 2, which deals with communication, motivation, and managing athlete's behavior.
It's easy to forget sometimes that there's more to coaching than being able to show student-athletes how to bowl. Obviously, one needs the knowledge to show the proper technique, but how the coach communicates this information to his or her players goes a long way toward how succesful a coach will be.

Part 2 goes into great detail on the various communication styles used by coaches, and examples of which ones are successful and others, not so much.

Do you spend so much time talking that your athletes tune you out?
Is your feedback generally positive or negative?
Are you spending more time judging your atheletes than you are instructing them?
Is your communication consistent?
Are you a chatterbox during practice and during matches, to the point that your athletes can't get a word in edgewise?
Are you expressionless during practice and matches?
Do you talk down to your athletes when discussing their technique?
Are you all over the board when it comes to reinforcing the positive or negative behavior of your athletes?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, or you aren't sure why those questions are important, you're a good candidate for taking this course. Regardless of how much time you've spent working with student-athletes.

Part 2 goes on to talk about motivating athletes, and how to help them feel like they belong on the team and how to have fun while practicing and developing their skills.

The final unit in Part 2 discusses discipline and the importance of establishing a team culture and team rules. The key here is that discipline is not the same thing as punishment. As you go through this section, you'll find that we often treat those two terms the same.

Reading through the book and answering the questions on-line, I've found that much of the first two parts of this class have universal application, so if you are in any type of management for your career, much of what you'll learn here could be adapted on your job.

I'm spending anywhere from 30-45 minutes on each unit, between reading the material in the text and going through the exercises on-line.

Tomorrow I move onto Part 3, The Principles of Teaching.

Coaching Principles

2009-09-01T16:10:00.003-05:00

In the first column of the season, I listed out the criteria that the NHSBF wanted our coaches to meet to continue coaching.
This generated some interesting feedback, not all of which was positive. Generally, I think everyone that works with student-athletes wants to improve their coaching skills, but I also believe we have too many people who feel that because they've been coaching for 10, 15, or 20+ years, they know all they need to know about coaching.
This year, the NHSBF is requiring at least one coach from each program to complete the American Sport Education Program (ASEP) Coaching Principles course and Sport First Aid course. Both of these courses are offered on line to make it easier for our coaches to get the necessary certifications to coach.
I decided to take the courses too. I wanted to make sure I understood the time involved for someone to do this on-line, but I also want the knowledge. I've read the course text before, and found it to be most helpful when I was doing more coaching.
These days, I'm interested in teaching this course, so to do this, I need to pass the course with a grade of 90% or better.
I signed up for the on-line course last week, and today finished Part 1, Principles of Coaching. Despite having read the material before, I can see this isn't going to be a walk in the park. I've been reading two units at a time and then going on-line to review and do the lessons contained within each unit.
Each unit has a 3-5 question summary quiz to take before moving on to the next unit.

Principles of Coaching helps the coach come to grips with what their coaching philosophy is, how they would respond to different scenarios that test that philosophy, and also introduces the coach to the idea of Athletes First, Winning Second.
Everyone likes to think they would put their athletes ahead of winning, but this philosophy gets tested over and over in practice and competitive situations.

It took two days, approximately four hours, to complete Part 1. For any coach "offended" that we would ask them to take this class, Part 1 should make it clear why this ought to be a required course for all coaches, regardless of the sport they coach. I can also see application to business people who want to become leaders in their companies.

So, whine all you want about the requirement to complete this course. The bottom line here is that you'll be a better coach, which is what we're looking for, and you'll be doing your student-athletes a favor.

Moving Beyond a Monthly Column

2009-09-01T11:23:00.003-05:00

For several years, the High School Bowling Confidential column has appeared in the Nebraska Bowler. It's great getting the word out on what the Nebraska High School Bowling Federation is doing to get bowling accepted by the NSAA.

There are, however, some limitations to only publishing in print media. For one, there is a definite lack of immediate feedback. I hear through the grapevine that people get angry or agree with what I've written over the years, but it would be cool to get that feedback more directly, and be able to respond more immediately. The addition of this blog should help with that.

So, for those of you who read the column each month (I know there's a couple of you out there), let this blog be a place for you to read and comment. Also, you'll get a little bit more information than what I'm able to publish in the column. So, everybody wins, right?