Our association (W.E.C.K.B.A.) has been awarded the Youth Provincial Championship Tournament and the Adult Provincial Championship Tournaments for 2020. What an Honour! This is the first time that one association will host both in the same year. The Association is mainly involved with running the Adult Provincial Tournament. The Youth Tournament is directed by the Provincial Youth Committee members. Our responsibility will be to help with lane corrections and collecting score sheets submitted to Tournament centre to be recorded. We have an outstanding team who work very hard and very well together. Without a group of very dedicated board members, it would be very hard to host Provincial tournaments. Not only do you need an efficient Tournament Director in charge to direct traffic to keep tournament squads on time, you need additional people to do the following:

• Arrange for hotel rooms for bowlers.
• Arrange for quick organized bowler registration and a well-organized tournament office.
• Take care of scoring issues on the lanes.
• Have people available to make sure bowlers keep pace with other lanes so all squads remain on time.
• Keep track of problem lanes (breakdowns) with the centre and those scheduling lanes. If a lane keeps breaking down, then it is problematic for a future squad. It will not be used unless it is fixed for next squad.
• May need to allow for a vacant pair of lanes for a breakdown (May not always be possible).
• Interact closely with bowling centre staff because they augment your tournament team.
• Work with bowling centre to provide people with adequate sources of food and water while they are bowling; due to the fact that some bowlers from out-of-town bowl squads back to back before they head home (IE. coming from Ottawa or Kingston).
• Make sure pro-shop stays open for bowlers.
• Arrange for recommendations of places to eat near the bowling centre.
• Arrange for people to sell merchandise.
• Arrange for people to run jackpots (Adults only).
• Arrange for replacements so same individuals are not working every squad.
• Set up a feedback mechanism for bowlers.
• Talk after the squad and after the tournament about what worked and what was a problem and how it can best be rectified for the next squad or next tournament. Bowlers are very appreciative if you are able to rectify problems for future squads – it shows that you listen to them and they have valuable input into your tournament.
• Tournament director needs to delegate responsibilities with a team of people to get the job done. The Director cannot do everything alone!
• Tournament director must trust the people working so they all work together as a team. People should be able to perform multiple tasks so they can help each other out.
• Do not wait to resolve a problem – know who to talk to or if possible, try and resolve issue yourself.
• Treat bowlers like your own family – exactly how you would like to be treated even though they may behaving a bad day.

Because the local association does what it does, tournaments are well organized and run very smoothly. We were asked to run and host the Canadian Mixed Championships in 2017 when we hosted the CTF Annual meeting that is usually run by CTF staff. It is very enjoyable hosting these events. The bowlers are great and like family to us. We try to make it fun for them. When they leave, they know that they have participated in a good tournament. Hopefully they will keep coming back.

Catherine Wilbur