[Updated 8/17 with last minute changes]
Email just went out to all the teams, so if you didn't get it check your junk & spam folders! Or read below for basically the same content.
Overall the rosters are pretty similar to least season, but here's a rundown of what's changed so everybody knows:
- Team 1, the defending champions from last season (formerly ChuckaScoot), replaced Jonathan Vigliaturo with Nick Kinney.
- Team 2 - Balderdash (formerly Going Going Bald) replaced Chris Windham with Michael Gordon.
- Team 3 - Sun Dolphins (formerly the rotating three members of Wally McWallingtons) have spun off to form their own team, welcoming new league member Ray Scott to complete their roster. (This team replaces Flamboyant Fluffykins, 3/4 of whom were unable to bowl this season.)
- Team 4 - (formerly Splits & Giggles), replaced Luke with former sub Jo Correia. (Congrats on the promotion!)
- Team 5 - (formerly the two permanent members of Wally McWallingtons add new league members Jim Koger and Jeromy Harris to replace their teammates who spun off to form Sun Dolphins.
- Team 6 is last season's Glory Bowl, the only ream completely unchanged.
THERE’S A DECISION TO MAKE: We are considering bringing back Fun Week at the end of the season, so instead of a rushed dinner before bowling and a rush prize hand-out after bowling we can have a night of just-for-fun bowling and a real awards ceremony run by the winning team like we used to. See the bottom of https://www.gutteralley.com/schedule/ to see how adding Fun Week would affect the schedule. If we add this, we will ask that each bowler pay an extra $10 at some point during the season to cover the cost of renting the hall that extra night. To cast your vote if you haven't already, email bowling@gutteralley.com.
OTHER NEW STUFF
The scoring tablets have been updated with bigger, easier to use buttons. Other new features include that you can now officially mark fouls, and if you want to track splits so that people can get credit for picking them up, you can do that too. I’ve also added [W]in / [T]ie and /[L]oss indicators on the recap screen on the tablets to match the scoreboards, and I *THINK* I have finally resolved the issue where the tablets stop working as smoothly when the wifi goes out and we have to switch to mobile data. (Though just because it now works at my house doesn’t mean it will work at the bowling alley, so cross your fingers.)
The sudden closure of North Kansas City Pro Bowl that forced our relocation, combined with the fact that there is no longer anyone from VML actively bowling in the league, has brought us to the realization that last year marked a transition to where GutterAlley is no longer the VML Bowling League and is now just a league of good friends who enjoy bowling together on Tuesday nights. So while we will be keeping all the legacy records on gutteralley.com and continue to do so, we’re also going to be doing a few new things starting this season to set this new iteration of the league apart. Included in this, watch for some new Top 25 lists and the resurrection of the Hall of Fame at some point later this season!
