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FAQs
*A: Glynn Arceneaux has been coaching the ULL Bowling Team for over 30 years. He was a member of the team during his college years, and helped to earn a spot in national competition. Dane Morgan is the assistant coach as well as a former team member.
*Q: Is there a women's bowling team at UL Lafayette?
*A: If there are at least 5 girls who make the team, we will have a girls team. If only one or two girls make the team, they can still bowl with the team.
*Q: Is either team NCAA sanctioned?
*A: As of right now, neither team is NCAA sanctioned. We have been trying for some time to get our women's team sanctioned, but at this time, neither team has received NCAA status.
*Q: Are there any scholarships available for bowling?
*A: There are no scholarships awarded by ULL for participation in the bowling club. Some collegiate tournaments pay out scholarship money to the top finishing teams. This is usually less than $1,000. Because this is awarded to the team as a group, any scholarship money won at a tournament is turned over to the team account to help cover the cost of travel and lodging.
*Q: What are the academic requirements needed to participate on the UL Lafayette Bowling Team?
*A: Each bowler must carry at least 12 credit hours per semester. This means that at ANYTIME, if a bowler drops below 12 credit hours, they are ineligible until they get back to 12 credit hours, or they must make up for the lost credits in the following semester. You must also maintain at least a cumulative 2.0 GPA to be eligible for competition. If any transfer students have competed on another college bowling team, they must sit out at least one year before competition.
*Q: If I have bowled or currently bowl in an Adult league, can I still bowl in college?
*A: Yes. Since our program in not NCAA certified, there is no distinction between youth and adult sanctioned bowlers.
*Q: When and where are try-outs held?
*A: Try-outs are held late in August into early September at Acadiana and Lafayette Lanes. Tryouts consist of multiple games bowler at different bowling centers on different nights of the week. We do this in order to make the conditions different all the times and to see which bowler(s) do good on which oil patterns. There are a minimum of 12 games required to be bowled for try-outs.
*Q: How good do you have to be to make the team?
*A: This is a hard question. There isn't any cut off point for average exactly. Just as a reference, our men's team ranged in average from about 150 to about 200, and our women's team from 120 to 170 (Conference Teams included). Because averages can be deceiving, much more is considered. Each bowler will fill out a "bio" sheet listing any and all bowling accomplishments through your career. Don't worry if there aren't many to list. The final decision is based on performance during try-outs, as well as attitude, willingness to learn, potential, past performance and also the cohesiveness with the team. That last one if really important, as we will be traveling together on long drives, and sharing hotel rooms. Team chemistry is important. Through the year, we receive instruction and practice time, so coachability and the potential for improvement is also very important. However, if you don't have your own bowling equipment (bowling balls, shoes, etc...), this might not be the club for you. Each player has 4 years of eligibility, as with any other college sport, so there is plenty of room for improvement from year to year.
*Q: How many people make the team?
*A: Depending on the number of bowlers trying out, we try to have at least an 8 person Tournament team for each of the men's and women's group. If the numbers will allow it, we will try to form a second team for each. This is what we call our Conference Team. They will only travel to the four SWIBC (South West Intercollegiate Bowling Conference) events in the year, while the Tournament Team travels to every event. So for each team, we like to have at least 6-8 bowlers.
*Q: I missed try-outs in the fall. Can I still make the team?
*A: The first thing you should do is contact a member of the team or the coach and explain the situation. You should be ready to give them any bowling credentials you may have. You should be asked about setting up an "audition" at one of the practices. There are no guarantees that you will make the team, as the line-ups have most likely been set. But yes, you can still make the team at anytime during the season.
*Q: When and where do we travel?
*A: From August to April, we travel to about a dozen events throughout the Midwest and East Coast. We drive together in rented vans and/or cars and are reimbursed for gas. The events always take place on weekends, except for holiday trips (not require to attend). We usually leave Friday afternoon/night, bowl Saturday and Sunday before returning home. Our list of events is basically the same from year to year, so the schedule is fairly predictable. Here is a list of the events that we usually attend:
- Central Florida Classic (Orlando, FL)
- Brunswick Southern Classic (Marietta, GA)
- SWIBC I (Arkansas)*
- SWIBC II (Houston, TX)*
- SWIBC III (Austin, TX)*
- SWIBC Championships (Dallas, TX)
- National Collegiate Team Match Games (St. Louis, MO)
- Keystone Quaker Classic (Maple Shade, NJ) (Holiday Trip)
- Nittany Lion Kegler Classic (Allentown, PA) (Holiday Trip)
- ITC Sectional Qualifier (Chattanooga, TN)
*Q: What does a tournament consist of?
*A: Conference events are held in one day, making for a long day of competition. The first part of these tournaments consist of 6 team games with 5 members bowling each game. The afternoon will consist of about 10 baker games. The standings are based on total pin fall, with some events awarding bonus points for baker match wins. Team points are earned for each team you beat in the FINAL standings. The more teams in attendance, the more potential for points. The points are accumulated throughout the year to help teams earn a sport in the post-season. Each tournament format may vary in the amount of team and baker games.
*Q: What kinds of shots do you bowl on?
*A: The shots for each tournament differ from each other. Most tournaments will have a Sport Condition, including Tier I events and Sectionals.
*Q: What is a Tier I event?
*A: A Tier I event is a tournament that has been held for several years, and has at least 50 teams in attendance. There are very important, as the potential for points is very high.
*Q: What is the competition like at these tournaments? Are there divisions and classes?
*A: Every team in college bowling competes against each other in one group. There is no division between those schools that are fully funded and those are simple club teams. The events are very competitive and can get very intense.
*Q: What is Baker Format?
*A: The Baker format of team play is a format in which each member of a 5 member team bowls two frames of a single game. The first bowler will bowl frame 1 and frame 6. This makes for a very "team oriented" style of play and requires focus and cooperation. Sectional Qualifiers and the IBC are strictly Baker games.
*Q: Can I bowl for UL Lafayette after transferring from another school in which I have bowled collegiately before?
*A: For any student who transfers to ULL who has bowled for another school on the collegiate level is require to "sit out" for one year before he/she can bowl with ULL. Rule 203-Collegiate
*Q: How does the Power Point system work?
*A: For each team you beat in a tournament, you earn a point. These points are then entered into a formula that accounts for the number of events you attend, your average points per event, and the average number of events any team attends. This final total is used to rank every team in the nation.
*Q: How do you qualify for the Intercollegiate Bowling Championship (IBC)?
*A: The top 64 men's and women's teams (based on Power Points) earn a spot in one of four Sectional Qualifiers. The top 16 teams are divided up among the four sections, which are filled with 16 teams each. Sectional competition consists of 64 Baker games over two days. At the end of the 64 games, the top four pin totals in each Sectional qualify for the IBC. These 16 men's and women's teams compete for the National Championship.
*Q: How does the Power Point system work?
*A: For each team you beat in a tournament, you earn a point. These points are then entered into a formula that accounts for the number of events you attend, your average points per event, and the average number of events any team attends. This final total is used to rank every team in the nation.
*Q: How do you qualify for the Intercollegiate Bowling Championship (IBC)?
*A: The top 64 men's and women's teams (based on Power Points) earn a spot in one of four Sectional Qualifiers. The top 16 teams are divided up among the four sections, which are filled with 16 teams each. Sectional competition consists of 64 Baker games over two days. At the end of the 64 games, the top four pin totals in each Sectional qualify for the IBC. These 16 men's and women's teams compete for the National Championship.
Hopefully you have found answers to any general questions you may have. If you still have any unanswered questions, feel free to email Dane Morgan or Glynn Arceneaux and someone will get back to you with an answer.
