WEDNESDAY NIGHT INVITATIONAL
LEAGUE RULES 2010-2011
1. Purpose Wednesday Night Invitational is an American Tenpin Bowling League. Its purpose is to provide the
structure for good sportsmanship and fair competition on an individual basis.
2. Management The Board of Directors shall be the governing body of the league and shall be composed of the
league officers (President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer) and team captains. The board
shall govern the league with the following provisions (USBC rule 103a):
A) A captain may name another team member to act as the team representative at board of
director’s meetings.
B) Each member of the board is entitled to one vote whether an officer of the league, a team
representative, or both.
C) A majority of the members of the board constitutes a quorum for the transaction of business.
D) The decision of the league’s board is final unless an appeal is made under the provisions of
USBC rule 119.
3. Elections & The general league membership shall elect officers (President, Vice-President, Secretary, &
Officers Treasurer) by written ballot for the following season 2 weeks before the end of the regular season.
They shall assume office after the last night of the current season and after the duties of each
outgoing officer are completed.
Note: Officers to be
nominated Weeks A) The officers are authorized to contract with the bowling center to secure the league’s schedule for
30 & 31, with the following season at the prevailing lineage rate.
elections Week 32. B) The Secretary will earn a salary of $700; the treasurer will earn a salary of $300.
C) The secretary & treasurer salaries will be paid on the last night of the season.
4. Sanction The league will be sanctioned by the United State Bowling Congress (hereafter referred to as
USBC) and will play by those rules as amplified herein. Sanctioning is to be paid on the first night of
bowling. All bowlers, including substitutes, must full out a sanction card for the local association
(Suburban Windy City Bowling Association), even if they are sanctioned through another league.
Each bowler is responsible for their own sanctioning fees, whether they are national or local
association dues. It is the team captain’s responsibility to ensure that all team members have a
completed sanction card on file for Wednesday Night Invitational.
5. Franchises The team captain shall hold the franchise as long as the captain is acceptable to the majority of the
board of directors, and may not be recalled during the season without sufficient cause. Team
franchises are subject to the current non-refundable Franchise Entry Fee, which is $50.00.
A) Each team is required to pay an annual Franchise Entry Fee, which becomes part of the league’s
prize fund.
B) The team captain shall notify the league secretary of their team’s intention to return prior to Week
36 of the season, and the captain can secure his/her franchise for the following season by paying
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the Franchise Entry Fee by April 27 . Control of any team that fails to pay the Franchise Entry Fee
by the aforementioned deadline reverts to the Board of Directors, per USBC Rule 104b.
C) Returning or new teams starting their year in the league will be required to submit their Franchise
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Entry Fee no later than the 5 week league session, if fee has not already been paid.
6. Practice No members of Wednesday Night Invitational may practice on any lanes that will be used during our
league competition that night. Any player who practices on league lanes after the lanes have been
oiled for that night’s league session will not be eligible to bowl that night. If it has been determined
that this rule has been violated and the bowler is currently in the process of bowling that league
session, the offending team forfeits all team and individual points for that evening.
7. Schedule The league starts on August 25, 2010, and competes for 36 weeks and ends on April 27, 2011.
Practice begins at 6:30pm and league play starts at 6:45pm. The Standard USBC league schedule
will be followed based on amount of teams in league. Competition is scheduled for three games per
week, except when necessary under Position/Playoff Tiebreaker Rules (rule # 13). Please refer to
League Format and Structure for additional clarification.
8. Averages & Wednesday Night Invitational will be a Handicap League.
Handicaps A) A player’s Entering Average will be used for their first 9 games, and is determined as follows:
1) Highest USBC sanctioned average from prior season (21 games or more)
2) Average after the first 3 games.
(Note: USBC Sanctioned average may be Men’s, Women’s or Junior’s average)
B) The 10 Pin Drop Rule will be in effect for a bowler’s first 21 games.
C) Handicap will be calculated as 90% of the difference between a player’s average and 220.
D) Maximum handicap for an individual bowler is 63 pins (Based on average of 150).
E) There is no minimum average; however maximum handicap rule (Rule 8d) applies to all bowlers.
F) Absent players that are subject to enforcement of Rule 8B or 8C will use their actual average (not
their 10 pin drop rule average) minus ten pins to determine their absent score.
G) Any player not reporting or falsifying an average will automatically forfeit any individual points or
team points earned while using the falsified average.
H) Any player who must establish a new average with the opposite arm or two handed delivery is
considered a “new bowler” and is subject to all eligibility requirements for Position Round and
Playoff competition. USBC 118e applies.
9. Teams Team rosters will consist of 5 playing members and each team is allowed to carry an additional 3
Rosters bowlers, designated as substitutes, for a total team roster of 8 members. A “6 man rotation” with 2
& Substitutes substitutes is allowed, however, you must inform the Executive Board of such arrangements.
A) Roster members are responsible for weekly league fees.
B) Substitutes:
1) Must have a sanction card on file for the league, per rule #4
2) Can only bowl for one team – “Roving” substitutes are not allowed
3) Are eligible for individual league awards, provided they meet the prize requirements
C) Any roster member or substitute that is removed from a team’s roster is ineligible to return to the
league, unless approved by a 2/3 majority of the Board Of Directors for sufficient cause.
D) Any roster member that is attempting to switch teams for sufficient cause must be approved by a
2/3 majority of the Board Of Directors.
E) All roster members and substitutes must satisfy the minimum game requirements for eligibility to
participate on Position Nights and Playoffs, as discussed in rule # 13. If a bowler is found to be
ineligible to bowl, all team and individual points earned while that player was competing are forfeit.
League Rule #17 applies.
F) Teams are prohibited from using a designated substitute unless there are five or more active
members already on the roster.
G) A substitute may not enter in the middle of a game for any reason. In the event that a bowler is
injured, the replacement bowler may not enter the match until the beginning of the next game.
USBC Rule 107c11 is over-ridden by this league rule. League Rule 14D applies.
10. Vacancies A vacancy bowler is not considered a “bowler”, and therefore is not counted toward satisfying a
“legal lineup”. Vacancy bowlers will have a game score of 150, and is entitled to the full handicap of
a normal 150 average bowler. Teams that use a vacancy score are still responsible for all prize
fund amounts due for all 5 roster positions, per rule # 11F.
11. Fees A) Each team is required to pay the Franchise Fee, as described in rule # 5.
B) Weekly individual fees will be $25.00, which will be broken down accordingly:
First 35 Weeks:
1) $10.70 – Lineage (paid to Brunswick Zone Roselle)
2) $14.30 – League Account (Prize Fund, Secretary / Treasurer Salary, Operations, etc.)
Week 36:
Note: Lineage th
1) Brunswick agrees to allow the league will bowl a 36 week at no lineage charge.
remains the same as
2) $25.00 – Full amount deposited into League Account
last season: $10.25 th
C) Fees for the last three weeks (Weeks 34-36) must be paid by the 7 Week.
Note: Sanction Fee D) Fees shall be paid in $25.00 increments only.
is $17.00 for E) All active roster bowlers absent for any league session(s), regardless if a substitute is used, is
National, $7.00 for
responsible for the full amount of the weekly league fee for each missed league session.
local association
only. F) Each team is responsible for the full amount of the prize fund of 5 bowlers at $14.30 per week for
36 weeks ($14.30 x 35 = $2502.50 + $25 = $2527.50), or $2527.50, regardless if the team roster
consists of less than 5 bowlers.
12. Arrearages An individual bowler may not be more than $50.00 in arrears.
A) Any team with a player in the line-up who is more than $50.00 in arrears shall be subject to the
following: Forfeit its team points and all individual points for the night’s session and each following
weekly sessions until the arrearage guideline has been met. A one-week grace period may be
granted at the discretion of the President. USBC rule 110a must be observed.
B) Any arrearage outstanding at the league season end will be automatically deducted in full from
each violating team’s prize money at the end of the season.
C) All teams are responsible for the full amount of the prize fund for each week they have a vacant
bowler(s) (rule # 10). Vacancy payments are also subject to the two weeks arrears penalty stated in
rule 11a. USBC rule 110a must be observed when invoking this rule.
13. League The league will be setup for competition as follows:
Structure A) The league will be divided into two divisions. Each team number and division will be determined
by a blind, random draw.
B) Team playing strength will be 5 roster bowlers per night, and participation eligibility is based on
(Rule Note: This rule the requirements of all other applicable league and USBC rules.
13C may have to be
C) Team position/standings to be determined by total earned points in weekly competition based on
modified, per USBC
rule, to winning the point system as prescribed in rule # 13D.
percentage in the D) The 33 point system will be used: 5 points for each handicap team game, 3 points for
event a team joins handicap team series, and 1 point for each individual handicap game match for the five competing
mid-season and they
team members). In the event of a tie for any point element in 13D, points will be split.
are not allowed to
make up the missed E) The regular season will be comprised of three -11 week periods (thirds).
games) 1) Divisional Position Rounds will be Week #6 and Week #11 of each third
2) The division winner of each third will advance to the Championship Bracket (Playoffs).
In the event that we 3) The team in each division with the most total points during the regular season not already
have an odd number
in the playoffs also advances (wild card team).
of teams in each
division, the last 4) Another wild card team(s) will advance for any repeat division winner.
place teams in each 5) The division winner with the most total points for the regular season will be ranked as the
division will compete #1 seed. Any other division winners are then ranked in order of total points, then any
against each other
on Position Rounds.
wildcard teams. No wildcard team may be ranked higher than any division winner.
(i.e. 18 teams, 9 per F) Weeks 34-36 are the playoffs, and are considered special competition weeks.
division), the 9th 1) Averages are frozen at completion of Week 33; league prizes are finalized (rule #18)
place teams in each 2) Scores are still eligible for USBC Honor Awards
division will face
G) In the event that there is an odd-number of teams, (USBC Rule 104d1) will apply. In order to
each other in
competition. earn the points for that match, individuals must bowl within 10 pins of their average, and teams must
bowl at least their team average less than 10 pins per player. The team bowling unopposed will be
considered the home team for its match regardless of lane number.
In the event that
H) In order to be eligible to bowl on Position Round or in the Playoffs a bowler must satisfy the
there is a Vacancy
Team, that team will minimum games bowled requirement for that week session.
earn points, however 1) The number of games required to bowl in the Divisional Position Rounds are:
they will always be st nd rd
3 games/6 games for 1 third, 6/9 for 2 third, 9/12 for the 3 third
listed on the league
standing sheets in
2) Playoffs = 15 games
last place of the I) Playoffs – The higher seed in any matchup will always be the home team.
division. 1) Championship Bracket
Week 34 – In each division the #1 seed plays the #4 & the #2 will play the #3 seed.
Week 35 – The winners play each other for the division championship
Week 36 – The division championships play each other for the league championship.
Losers will continue to bowl as part of the “loser’s bracket” for place and prize money.
2) Teams not in the Championship Bracket
These teams will continue to bowl for point, bracket or sweeper money as determined by
the prize fund during weeks 34-36.
I) Tie-breakers
Please see League
Rule 14 for
1) To determine Competition Position on Position Round: Total Scratch Pins
additional 2) To determine a Division (for any third), Wildcard, Playoff Match or League Champion:
clarification I) A one game roll-off will take place, based on the current point system.
regarding Lineups If at the end of that game there is still a tie each team will continue to bowl another
and Match Play.
game until a winner is determined.
Please refer to II) Roll-offs will be bowled on the same pair of lanes the first set was bowled on and
League Rules 8 & 19 there will be no re-oiling of the lanes.
for clarification of III) If the roll-off is between two teams that competed on different pairs during the
Averages & Awards.
night’s competition, a neutral pair of lanes (if available) should be used.
14. Lineups & Individual match play points are earned through direct competition of the lineup positions between
Match Play the two teams. (Bowler 1 vs. Bowler 1; Bowler 2 vs. Bowler 2, etc.)
A) Handicap Game scores to determine the winner of each point (1 point per position per game).
B) The team on the odd numbered lane is considered the home team. (Change of USBC Rule
100k). The even numbered lane must enter their lineup first; home team controls the match ups.
C) On position nights, the team ranked higher in the standings is the home team.
D) Lineups can not be changed during or between games. A substituted player that is used due to
injury or emergency leave of another team member will assume the spot in the lineup of the bowler
that is replaced. As stated in rule 9G, a replacement bowler may only participate from starting in
the first frame of any game they participate – at no time can a team change bowlers in a single
game.
E) In the event that more than one absent bowler is in a team’s lineup, USBC Rule 105e is to be
used. 105e3 applies if the absent bowler does not have an established average.
F) Per USBC Rule 100k4, in the event that each team has the same number of absentees and/or
vacancies, the players present must be placed in opposition to each other for the individual
matches, and the winning (game) team credited with the (individual match) points for the
absentees/vacancies (for that game).
G) If a player is lined up against an absent bowler, the absent bowler’s absent score (real average
minus 10 pins) + handicap will be used as the target score. (Change USBC Rule 100k3)
H) A team or individual that ties a game or series will split the point(s) between the two teams.
15. Tardiness A legal lineup is defined as a minimum of 3 live bowlers or approved pre-bowl scores (rule # 16).
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A) Teams have until the first ball of the opponent’s 5 frame) of a game to field a legal lineup.
B) A player who arrives late may enter the game provided their opponent has not thrown their first
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ball of the 5 frame. Frames missed may be made up.
C) The bowler must be in the bowling center by the cutoff time prescribed in rule # 15B to be eligible
to participate in the current game.
16. Pre-bowls / A) Pre-bowls are prohibited except when allowable under USBC rule 111b.
Inclement 1) The pre-bowl must be completed as a team.
Weather / 2) The opposing team must be given the option to bowl in opposition of the pre-bowl.
& 3) Arrangements must be made with the Executive Board prior to any pre-bowls.
Postponements B) A “Snow Day” may be declared by the Board of Directors in the event of inclement weather or
other similar circumstances, which may authorize a delay of the start time of the league for a
reasonable period of time. In the event a “Snow Day” is authorized, rule # 15 is waived and a
bowler may make up all missed frames of the current game.
C) In the event of inclement weather or other Act of God, a power outage or equipment failure at the
bowling center, or it if it is determined that it would be unsafe for the majority of our league
membership to attend our scheduled league session for any reason, the league session may be
postponed.
1) The power to determine whether to bowl/not bowl rests with the Executive Board.
2) The league schedule will be pushed back one week; the season will not be shortened.
3) The Executive Board will call team captains at/around 4pm to postpone a session.
17. Forfeits The earning and recording of point for a game/match that is subject to forfeit are as follows:
A) Individual points: Scratch score must be within 10 pins of the bowler’s average.
B) Team points: Team scratch total must be within a total of 50 pins of team’s total average.
C) Points earned will be reflected on standing sheet as follows:
1) Team that is forfeiting the points will be credited with a Loss for each point forfeit.
2) Opposing team will only be credited for Wins for points that are earned in accordance
with league & USBC rules (League Rule 17a and 17b). Any points that are not Won under
those terms are considered “Unearned” for that team and will be reflected as such on the
standing sheet.
18. Prizes A) The prize fund will be created by the Prize Fund Committee that will be made up of volunteers
designated at the league meeting or prior to bowling Week #1. The prize fund shall be ratified by
league wide vote by the end of bowling in Week #5.
B) All prizes shall be paid on the last night of the season. Special team or individual awards shall be
paid in handicap and scratch categories based on REGULAR PLAY (excluding playoffs). A team
may win only win one team award. An individual may only win one individual award (high average
award & individual points champion excluded). Handicap will have priority over Scratch. Awards
will be Handicap Series, Handicap Game, Scratch Series, and Scratch Game. All bowlers, including
substitutes must have bowled 2/3 (66 games) of the regular season in order to be eligible for any
prizes.
LEAGUE WEBSITE LOCATION: HTTP://WNIbowl.com
League League Office Officer Name Phone Number Email Address
Officers President: Mark Vicari 630-615-1536 (c) president@wnibowl.com
Vice President: Cindy Lund TBD vicepresident@wnibowl.com
Secretary: Ryan Mejdrich 630-650-6800 (c) secretary@wnibowl.com
Treasurer: Rich Wisniewski TBD treasurer@wnibowl.com
Additional Information taken from USBC Rule Book, available at: http://www.bowl.com
Team Captain’s Authority (USBC rule 104a)
A team captain is a member of the league authorized to organize and enter a team in league play. The captain is the team
representative and shall perform the following duties:
1. Determine the members of the roster and be responsible for the eligibility of the team and its members under the rules
of the league and USBC.
2. Collect USBC, state, and local association dues, where applicable, from each member of the team and remit such fees
to the league secretary.
3. Be responsible for the conduct and attendance of the team in league play.
4. Enter the lineup in the computer and/or on the recap sheet before the start of each scheduled series.
5. Sign the recap sheets and have the scores verified by the opposing team captain.
6. Be responsible for the collection of league fees from each member of the team for remittance to the league treasurer.
7. Pay each member of the team within 15 days after receiving prize money in accordance with verbal or written
agreements. The league’s board shall decide a dispute over prize money distribution.