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RULES

GREAT 2025 Rules

The GREAT (Greater Rochester Eastern Area Tournament) is a USBC certified tournament. All participants are subject to the USBC rules and jurisdiction for the event. The Tournament is a mixed handicapped competition open to men and women and is by invitation only. The tournament will take place at ABC Gates Bowling Gates, NY from Friday May 2 until Sunday May 4, 2025.

NOTE: This is an adult event. It is strongly advised that children are not present. Only registered bowlers or tournament/alley officials are permitted beyond the settee area.

USBC/IGBO Membership

  1. All participants must be a member of USBC or international equivalent and be able to provide proof of membership (current sanction card or signed statement from league secretary verifying membership).

    • If the participant is not a USBC member, they must pay for an associate membership which includes a fee of $15 for National dues PLUS any local or state dues (Rule 300c).

  2. All participants must be members of IGBO. Any participants not currently a member of IGBO must fill out the application for associate membership and submit to tournament secretary along with $25 fee.

GREAT 2025 EVENTS

  1. GREAT will consist of Doubles, Singles and Team competitions. Each set will consist of three (3) games. Team competition will consist of four (4) bowlers (any combination of men and women). Each bowler may only participate once in each event.

  2. All applications will be completed online through the tournament’s website. The entry fee is $135.00 which covers the following items ( All funds collected through the entrance fee will be used for all purposes of executing the tournament at the discretion of the Tournament Committee):

    • Lineage:  (for 9 games)

    • Banquet: 

    • Prize Fund: 

    • Expenses: 

    • IGBO fee: 

    •  

  3. EARLY BIRD GIVEAWAY: All entries received and paid in full within 30 days of opening of registration will be placed into a drawing for free entry to the following year’s tournament. This refers to the entry fee only.

  4. Entry closing date is April 13, 2025, unless the tournament sells out sooner. GREAT has a capacity of 44 teams or 176 bowlers.

  5. The trophies for the tournament will be awarded at an awards banquet. All participants and guests must select the awards banquet with tournament entry. Guests not participating in the tournament but attending the awards banquet must pay a fee ($70).

  6. All cash awards shall be based on the total pins with handicap for the All Events, Team, Doubles, and Singles events as well as the optional Best 3 of 6, and Best 3 of 9.

  7. The prize ratio is at least 1 in 10 for all tournament events unless otherwise noted. Cash awards will be mailed to participants in the form of a check, in US currency ($), within 30 days of the completion of the tournament, pending any protests.

  8. Results will be posted to the tournament website within 30 days of the completion of the tournament. All financials and scores will be reported as necessary to IGBO, USBC and any other governing body.

OPTIONAL INDIVIDUAL SCRATCH EVENTS

  1. GREAT will offer both Optional Scratch and Scratch Masters Events to all participants using 5 divisions. Divisions for both events are the same and as follows:

    • Division A – Averages up to 149

    • Division B – Averages between 150 and 169

    • Division C – Averages between 170 and 189

    • Division D – Averages between 190 and 209

    • Division E – Averages 210 and above

  2. Detailed rules for Optional Scratch can be found here ß hyperlink “here” to OS rules page

  3. Detailed rules for Scratch Masters can be found here ß hyperlink “here” to SM rules page

OPTIONAL INDIVIDUAL HANDICAP EVENTS

  1. The following additional optional events will be offered at G.R.E.A.T. with 100% of the costs paid back as prize fund at a ratio dependent upon the number of entries.

    • Best 3 of 6 – Best 3 games from Doubles/Singles events

    • Best 3 of 9 – Best 3 games from Doubles/Singles/Team events

  2. The optional events listed above may be entered with your tournament application or at tournament registration. It is recommended that you enter any of these events with your application. G.R.E.A.T. will also offer Brackets, Mega Brackets, and other side events during the tournament.

AVERAGE/RE-RATE/VERIFICATION RULES

  1. This is a handicapped tournament. Handicap will be calculated at 90% of the difference between the bowler’s average and 250. If a bowler enters with an average over 250, they will be assigned a handicap of ZERO. No negative handicap will apply.

ENTERING AVERAGES

  1. Please submit both A and B below if applicable:

(A) Current highest USBC certified league average based on a minimum of 21 games as of December 31, 2024. This includes games bowled on that date. If competing in more than one league, the bowler must submit the HIGHEST average of all leagues bowled.

(B) Highest 2023-2024 book average from USBC certified Fall/Winter league with a minimum of 21 games.

(C) If neither A nor B applies, an average of 250 will be assigned. (Rule 319b)

(D) The above averages must be verified by one or more of the following methods:

i. Using a league standing sheet, signed and dated by a league officer or a letter from the league president or secretary.

ii. It will also be acceptable to submit bowler abstracts from bowl.com and/or provide league numbers/standing sheets from bowl.com or leaguesecretary.com, or a league’s official website.

iii. If a bowler’s league is not sanctioned, or not posted on the two websites above or a league’s official website, or the bowler has chosen not to allow public access to their bowl.com profile, all average paperwork including any tournament results must be received by the tournament secretary within one week after application is received or by the March 29th deadline (whichever comes first), or the application is subject to rejection or the assignment of an average of 250.

iv. It is the bowler’s responsibility to provide accurate and complete average information. The tournament will do due diligence on each submitted average, but it is not our responsibility to do exhaustive research if the bowler does not provide the information that is required.

v. If a bowler purposely provides false or misleading information to secure a lower average for the tournament, the application will be rejected, and that person will not be permitted to bowl in GREAT or any future GREAT tournaments.

(E) Averages from Sport Condition leagues are not acceptable currently

  1. If a bowler’s reported December 31, 2024, league average (Rule 10A) is 10 or more pins less than his/her final 2022-2023 Fall/Winter league average (Rule 10b), a 50% re-rate will be applied (10 pin drop rule). Tournament Averages/Re-rate procedures It is the bowler’s responsibility to report tournament averages as listed below. These rules apply to all bowlers. Any bowler who is re-rated will be notified via confirmation email to be sent approximately one week prior to the start of the tournament. Any re-rated bowler is entitled to withdraw from the tournament and receive a full refund of tournament entry fees if he/she chooses. The bowler must withdraw before his/her first scheduled event.

  2. If any bowler has bowled any tournament games between May 1, 2024 and February 1, 2025, the bowler must report his/her scores for all tournament games bowled (sanctioned or not, IGBO or not, including all Scratch Masters games):

    • If the tournament average (with 18 games bowled or more) is 1 or more pins higher than the verified league average, the tournament average will be used for handicapping purposes.

    • If the tournament average (with 9 to 17 games bowled) is 1 or more pins higher than the league average, a 50% re-rate will be applied.

    • No re-rate will be applied for bowlers with less than 9 tournament games bowled.

    • Any bowler whose entering average is re-rated based upon Rule 11 and whose tournament average meets any of the conditions listed under Rule 12, may be subject to an additional re-rate.

    • The tournament directors may re-rate any bowler who falls under a USBC rule not listed here. It is the individual bowler’s responsibility to know all the USBC re-rate rules for tournament play.

  3. USBC rules regarding the bowler’s responsibility to verify the accuracy of his/her submitted average, whether submitted by the bowler, team captain or other, apply to all bowlers.

  4. Failure to report proper averages at the time of application or at the tournament registration period will disqualify the bowler if the submitted average is lower than the actual average as determined by Rules 17 through 19, thereby resulting in a lower classification or more handicap. Winnings will be based on the submitted average if it is higher than the correct average. (USBC Rule 319A, item 3)

  5. The tournament management reserves the right to re-rate any entrant prior to bowling for reasons other than those set forth in Rules 18 and 19.

  6. Substitutes meeting USBC requirements and GREAT tournament rules may bowl at the discretion of the tournament’s executive committee.

  7. Bowlers will be given ten (10) minutes of practice before each event.

  8. Late bowlers will begin bowling in the frame in which they are ready with prior frames scored a zero (0). It is the bowler’s responsibility to be at the lanes when bowling begins.

  9. No substitutions in the Doubles or Team event lineup can be made after a series has started without sufficient cause at the discretion of the tournament management. Changes to Doubles pairings must be made before the completion of the tournament registration period.

  10. After a score has been recorded, it cannot be changed unless there has been an obvious error in scoring or calculation. Obvious errors must be corrected by a tournament official immediately upon discovery. Questionable errors must be reported to a tournament official within two (2) hours of the error, and the appropriate action will be decided by tournament management. (USBC Rule 328).

  11. A protest or appeal involving eligibility or playing rules must be filed with the tournament management, the local association or USBC before tournament prizes are paid. The protest or appeal must be in writing and the grounds for the protest or appeal briefly stated. An appeal regarding the decision of the tournament management or local association may be made to USBC. The decision of USBC is final and binding on all parties involved. Prizes for the positions affected cannot be distributed until the protest or appeal is resolved. (USBC Rule 329)

  12. All average verification documents, both league and tournament, should be emailed to registration@bowlgreat.org for secretarial purposes. They should be received by the tournament secretary no later than the April 13, 2025 entry close date.

  13. All other USBC rules apply.

 

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OPTIONAL SCRATCH RULES

Optional Scratch is open to all participants using 5 divisions as follows:

  • Division A – Averages up to 149

  • Division B – Averages between 150 and 169

  • Division C – Averages between 170 and 189

  • Division D – Averages between 190 and 209

  • Division E – Averages 210 and above

Scores used in the Optional Scratch event will be the nine (9) scratch games bowled during the handicap portion of the tournament (i.e. singles, doubles and team events).

Awards in the Optional Scratch event will be given to the highest single scratch game from any event, the highest scratch three (3) game series from any of the events, and the highest scratch All-event total of all 9 games. The award ratio for Optional Scratch will be a minimum of 1:10 per division. One hundred percent of the prize fund from each division in the Optional Scratch event will be returned to that division.

Entry into the Optional Scratch event must be submitted before the first ball in the Handicap division of the tournament. Entry fee will be $25 USD for all divisions.

 

SCRATCH MASTERS RULES

Scratch Masters is open to all participants using 5 divisions as follows:

  • Division A – Averages up to 149

  • Division B – Averages between 150 and 169

  • Division C – Averages between 170 and 189

  • Division D – Averages between 190 and 209

  • Division E – Averages 210 and above

The six (6) game scratch total from Singles and Doubles events will be used to determine the six (6) qualifiers per division. If a tie exists for the sixth position, the bowler with the highest three (3) game scratch series will be the 6th seed.

  • All six (6) qualifiers will bowl two (2) games. The top three (3) bowlers in each division will advance to a step-ladder. If a tie exists, there will be a 10th frame roll off.

  • The 3rd seed will bowl the 2nd seed. The winner will advance to bowl the 1st seed.

  • In the step-ladder matches the higher seed chooses who bowls first. If a tie exists in either step-ladder match, the tie breaker will be a 10th frame roll off.

Entry into the Scratch Masters event must be submitted before the first ball in the Handicap division of the tournament. Entry fee ($USD) varies by division and is as follows:

  • Division A/B: $25

  • Division C: $30

  • Division D: $35

  • Division E: $40

In the event any division does not have at least six (6) entries, entry fee will be refunded to participants when prize checks are mailed.

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