proudbowlingmom

Just curious as to what everyone thinks about the changes this year for the State Tournament for individuals and teams. The new straight to stepladder finals for individuals after the cut to 6 and the all sport shot for teams and individuals.

Well if it was my team I would try one more time and then I would go to the media. I no longer have a child in high school bowling but I find this unacceptable. The roof collapsed at Smyrna while the tournament was scheduled that is noone's fault and couldn't be foreseen, however with that said no team should be penalized for not being able to meet the rescheduled date due to other school activities. It isn't the schools fault..they were there when they were suppose to be, TSSAA cancelled the tournament not the schools. I'm sure those schools would have went anywhere else that day to bowl. They didn't really care where it was at, they were just thrilled to be there. I happen to know that several other bowling alleys offered their centers to finish the tournament, maybe they weren't convenient or maybe it had to be finished at Smyrna, I don't know but before the date was set you should have made certain it doesn't interfere with other already scheduled events. Shame on TSSAA for depriving this team their chance. Again my advice would be to try once more then I would contact the local news stations, public opinion can say alot. Also to everyone on this board call TSSAA and voice your outrage...remember this could have been your child or school in this situation and then you would do everything you could to make it right.

Wow I certainly didn't mean to stir up this much drama but I do think it's good that it did. Feedback is important on any event. I have read all the post. I must save some upset me and some educated me but most have good points. The issue to me seems to be that the bowlers themselves do not understand this award or what is expected of them to acheive it and since this is about the kids shouldn't they understand it? Maybe the way they are going about it is not the best way, but I kind of see their frustration. They have worked really hard as well as probably a 100 other kids and in their mind they have done everything asked of them. To my knowledge and please correct me if I'm wrong but after the vote there is no feedback to the bowlers who didn't win, maybe there should be. I'm not saying they need to know who voted what but a kid with a high 200 average a 3.5 GPA and 100 hours of volunteer work who didn't get selected should be told why. Maybe the other kid had a 3.6, a 200 average and 200 hrs of community service. Again feedback is just as important to our young people. Sometimes adults forget that they are just younger versions of us and they have the same emotions and thoughts we do. If we felt someone wronged us we would want to find out why, that is all these bowlers are trying to do. I don't agree with how they are going about it some of the comments were just wrong and hurtful, but again they are younger than us and with age and experience they will learn how to address issues with more respect, hopefully. I do think some changes are needed because this should always be about the young men and women representing our sport and their opinion and feelings do matter no matter what manner they are expressed in. An award that causes this much controversary seriously needs to be looked at. (on a note this is not the first year there has been comments made, I have heard them every year from bowlers from all over the state). If you had standard requirements for submission such as at least an A GPA ( I think that is a 3.4 but not sure, at least a 200 average for boys and a 185 for girls, and 100 hours of community service, each bowler would know what is required to even be considered and then it becomes the bowler's choice as to how much they are willing to work for it. I like the idea that it be selected after the first day of individual competition because anyone can look good on paper, but watching them bowl and seeing how they carry themselves and how they represent their schools or the sport is important. I would also like to see it go to a senior, a goal to work for all 4 years and take into account what they have accomplished their entire high school career. By no means am I taking away from the finalist this year or the past years, they all deserve it and everyone should congratulate them. I would hope for this year we can all come together and congratulate these fine young men and women. To them this is exciting and if you were one of them you would feel the same way, so please respect the bowlers and let them enjoy the spotlight.

Congrats to both your girls and boys teams and good luck in the final round. 3849 is a great score!

Commandopride--thank you. CHSbowler-thank you. Bowlingrules--you don't deserve a response but if you have ever read my post you would know that I don't like the bashing of anyone. Sounds to me like maybe you didn't get the award and you are bitter. Not sure and don't care. You have no right to belitte anyone who did receive the award or the nominations or the qualifiers. My child was nominated as I'm sure a ton of others were, just because I think they are the best doesn't mean they are. If it is based off the season and a sophomore accomplishes more then they should get it. I think the whole award should be explained better because I didn't know any of the things that were typed on here and I myself thought it should go to seniors, as something you should work for your entire high school career. So perhaps the confusion over how it is awarded should be explained better then maybe there wouldn't be hard feelings. Anyway congrats to all the finalist, I'm sure they all deserve it.

Does anyone know who is up for the awards in either Division?

Hendersonville boys and girls are both holding their own this year. The boys are in a rebuild year but will probably have 1 or 2 in individuals in state. The girls are just as awesome as last year and several of them will be at state and should be hard to beat. For surprise teams, I wouldn't count out Gallatin girls who have had a great season as well or Station camp boys who were predicted to win our district. Page was the surprise team last year and one of these 2 teams might be it this year. They both have the ability.

Time for a positive post! To all the high school seniors who plan to continue their bowling in college, if you can say where you are going let us know. I know there were alot of scouts at state and I know a few bowlers who were talked to and can't say yet, but it would be interesting to see who is going where. Where ever you go good luck!

Is this issue ever going to end. pepe10 is the only person who has stated they got caught up in the moment and they really didn't excuse the behavior. What should be said was unless you are one of the individuals who were involved in the incident (not a fan on either team watching) then you have no right to judge anyone. There are 2 sides to every story and then there's the truth which typically lies somewhere between the 2 sides. This issue lies with the parties involved. I do not know what happened before the match, during the match, or after the match that led to this incident, but the actual people involved do. Maybe something was said or done in the past that was taken the wrong way and out of context. By not having all the facts, people tend to react in the wrong way. The example would be the Hixson/Hendersonville issue..Hendersonville parents were mad after the comments about our coaches, however, our parents and players were not aware that we had offended the Hixson fans and players by screaming while Allie was on the approach. (Just to be clear whether it happened for the last 100 years in a row, it doesn't matter. Two wrongs do not make a right. Just because one team supposedly did it doesn??™t mean it is okay to do it back to them. I don??™t know if Hixson did the same thing the last 2 years, I don't remember.) Our cheering was by no means meant to be disrespectful to Allie or the Hixson team. But our actions and the way they were interpreted by others, led to comments we found offensive. Our team had no idea why these comments were made about our coach, but one simple post on this board got to the issue. People need to take the time to get the facts instead of reacting on emotions. There are other facts in the WS/Soddy issue that no one but the parties involved know and therefore none of us have the right to judge them. The parties involved should resolve this issue.

Amen LadyR and thank you. Let's all put this behind us and congratulate all the bowlers on a great season. Next year will be awesome.

I have been reading the comments on this site for several years and I must say I'm a little ashamed of the fans involved in these discussions. I??™m referring to the comments that are personal attacks on individuals who most do not know well enough to be making the comments. Seeing a glimpse of how someone acts in this type of competitive environment with emotions as high as they were and then making a rash decision about who they are as a person is just wrong. Not one of you addressing these issues knows what was going on with those individuals at that particular moment and each saw 1 or 2 things that you interpreted based on your personal beliefs or feelings. If the incident with the gesture in the parking lot happened, then the person(s) involved should apologize, but I'm curious did the gesture happen after their vehicle had been keyed? I'm not saying I would have reacted the same way, but if someone had keyed my $30k - $40K vehicle, saying I'd be a little upset would be putting it mildly especially after the loss in such an emotional match. Every parent and coach at State wanted the best for their players and sometimes emotions get the best of people whether good or bad. Each and every one of us has reacted in a way we are not proud of at some time in our life and if we could go back and change it we would. To the individual(s) who keyed the vehicle, step forward, apologize and pay for the damages you caused. One day you might be in the same situation, and wouldn??™t you expect that much at least. I did not see the Soddy Daisy girl??™s match that everyone is talking about but I can say when Hendersonville bowled Soddy Daisy boys, their fans were polite and very supportive of their team. Exactly how it should be! Their players and coaches were very respectful to our boys and fans. I also watched Hillary from Soddy Daisy bowl in the individuals and the way she carried herself during that time speaks loudly about her parents and coaches. Be very proud of her. So to the Soddy Daisy teams, congrats on making it as far as you did. Do not let one questionable incident of a few reflect on you as a team. You're a great team and hold your heads up because your accomplishments this year are something to be proud of. To address the Hixson Hendersonville issue, the "A" word was said to describe our coach. I realize that the Hixson team took this loss hard, as hard as Hendersonville girls did last year when Hixson knocked them out, however the response was different. So to those people who judge a coach by something he/she does or says during a highly intense emotional setting, you should be ashamed of yourself. Would you want someone to judge you in that amount of time under the same circumstances? Same can be said for the people judging Hixson now. How would you have responded in the same circumstances? If our fans started cheering a little too early, then please accept our apologies. We would never intentionally cheer while a competitor was on the approach to bowl. Understand we were very proud of our girls as we realized how tough a team Hixson is. Hixson has a great bowling team and their bowlers and program should be recognized for their bowling achievements, not comments made by a few at a time of disappointment and heartache. From my understanding they had a lot of senior girls this year and every senior on every team wants to go out with a championship. Even though the comments may not have been appropriate, please try to understand the emotions that these individuals were feeling. Congrats to the Hixson team on a great season and good luck next year. We at Hendersonville know our head coach is hard for outside people to take sometimes, but you could not ask for anyone to love or support these kids anymore than he does. There is a reason our team makes it to state every year, it is because of the hard work and determination he demands from his team, parents, and fans. When you join this team, bowling becomes your life and this team is a very big part of your family. Our coach demands the same from every single player. Each person must be willing to work just as hard as the next and one of the first things you learn is when you put on that uniform you are representing your school, team and community and you should do it with pride. That uniform means something to each person who has ever worn it. Does he demand discipline and commitment, YES. He holds our bowlers, parents and fans accountable. What I have realized in young people today, is that most aren??™t held accountable for their actions and most do not learn the consequences that come along with those actions. Is he bold and sometimes demanding yes, but he knows what to say to each bowler to get the best out of them. I just want my children to give their best in everything they do. Don??™t you? So to the Coaching staff at HHS, congrats and keep up the good work. You each bring something to the table and I hope my child takes something from each of you. To Hardin County (one of my favorite teams) congrats on your season. You should be proud of your teams and bowlers. I hated that the second match on the boys was between our two teams but am glad the final on the girls was between us. Both teams in that girl??™s final match deserved to be there. You are truly an amazing bunch of young people and you truly represent the whole concept of sportsmanship. Your team, coaches and fans deserve to be recognized for that as well as the bowling accomplishments you have achieved. Congrats to Megan on her accomplishments. I can??™t wait to see you guys next year. Congratulations to Columbia Central. You guys are an awesome team and your supporters are just as awesome. We knew the match would be tough, but what I didn't know was what an amazing team and coaching staff you guys have. When the match was over, everyone shook our player??™s hands and your coaches took the time to address some of our players by their names. The fact that your coaches took the time to do that even though they were excited to win, says something about the class of your program. Your fans cheered for us just as loud as we did when the trophies were being presented and it was nice after all the other conflicts this year to have both teams act the way they should and be supportive of each other. Way to go parents and players on both teams! To Michael and his parents, congratulations on everything you have accomplished. To Hendersonville Girls, congrats you are truly amazing young women. To Hendersonville Boys, be proud of yourself and team. There is no shame in coming in 2nd to a team as talented as Columbia Central. Way to go on a super season. To all young people reading this site or others: Do not let something negative someone says on a message board affect you in any way. You show strength and courage every time you step up on those lanes or post a comment on this site. Hold your heads up high and be proud of who you are. Each of you was created in your own special way and no one can take who you are away from you unless you let them. I??™m proud of every individual who has the courage to step up and try something that most in the sports community don??™t consider to be a real sport. They don??™t realize the time, effort, dedication and level of skill involved in this sport. Congrats to every school, team, and individual who competed this year. Whether you won every point or none, you at least tried where so many others don??™t. Thanks to every coach this year that dedicated their time to our young people.