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Illinois bowling alleys sue Pritzker over COVID-19 capacity restrictionsLOCAL NEWS
Posted: Jul 14, 2020 / 08:41 AM CDT / Updated: Jul 14, 2020 / 08:41 AM CDT
LINCOLNWOOD, Ill. (WTVO) — Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker is facing a legal challenge from bowling alley owners, suing over COVID-19 capacity restrictions at their facilities.
The Illinois State Bowling Proprietors Association filed the lawsuit in Lee County on Tuesday. The suit asks the state court to invalidate Prtizker’s “unconstitutional and improper” exercise of authority to issue consecutive emergency declarations and restrict the number of people allowed in a bowling alley.
“Our members are suffering serious and irreparable harm in the form of insolvency or the permanent loss of their business and reputation as a result of these illegal orders,” ISBPA executive Director R. William Duff said. “While we tried to work cooperatively to find a solution, the state was unwilling to work toward a fair solution, so we were left with no choice but to seek a court order. We believe that we have both the facts and law on our side, and we look forward to presenting our case to the court.”
Under Phase 4 of the governor’s plan to slow the spread of coronavirus, bowling alleys are among the businesses restricted to allow a maximum of 50 people inside at any given time.
“Frankly, Gov. Pritzker has thrown a gutter ball on this one. Even medical experts agree that bowling is not a highly dangerous activity with regard to COVID-19 spread,” said R. William Duff, Jr., executive director of the ISBPA.
“Our members are active and engaged members of dozens of communities in the state,” Duff said. “From Chicagoland to downstate Illinois, bowling centers play an important role in the civic life of the places they call home, and the governor’s orders are hurting them.”

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If COVID-19 was a tunnel, are we seeing the light at the end?

Who’s ready to bowl?  Subject to the state-mandated social distancing restrictions established by Governor J. B. Pritzker’s Restore Illinois Plan, our Greater Lake County Bowling Association is in District 3. For the sport of bowling, this will allow our local centers to reopen June 26, 2020. 

I do know some centers in our association have updated their centers to conform to the health and safety requirements expressed by the State, CDC, and the Bowling Proprietors’ Association of America in preparation for a return to business.

The next part is up to us who enjoy the sport of bowling! Typically our sport experiences a substantial reduction in participation during the summer. As your local association, this is a formal appeal to ask you to consider bowling as a source of recreational activity this summer in support of our local centers. Who knows, a few days on the lanes this summer could have you in the mid-season form a little sooner than you anticipated for the 2020-2021 season!

 Association

The annual meeting that was scheduled and rescheduled has been canceled for this year. 
The association will still be holding a pre-season workshop in August. Once we secure the date, we will be posting it on our website, Facebook, and will also send e-mails to the last known league officers of record.
The 2020 Hall of Fame event has also been cancelled. The GLCUSBC will still be offering Star of Tomorrow scholarships to the youth bowlers. We are working on plans that will include recognizing the youth bowlers awarded in 2020 during the 2021 Hall of Fame event.

 Youth

The SMART program has seen some positive changes we believe all parents and youth bowlers should review as promptly as possible. Under the new guidelines, the use of funds has been expanding for student-related expenses.  SMART scholarship funds can be used for the following:

1. Reimbursement for needed supplies, such as books and computer;
2. Off-campus housing paid directly to the provider;  and 
3. Student loan paid directly to the loan company.

However, the use of SMART scholarship funds may be against the regulations of your school or sport governing body. It is your responsibility to ensure compliance with all regulations if you are a student athlete. Please follow this link for more information from the USBC. https://bowl.com/News/NewsDetails.aspx?id=23622334456

SafeSport and RVP

Coaches and youth assistants, we encourage you to please log-in to your SafeSport account. Additional testing will need to be completed before you renew your RVP status. The USBC has also updated the Find A Registered Volunteer utility at Bowl.com. RVP status and members can be searched by name, location, and local association.  There is also an updated Handbook on the USBC website you should download and review: http://usbcongress.http.internapcdn.net/usbcongress/bowl/rvp/pdfs/AthleteSafetyRVPHandbook.pdf
Association director, Angie Cevallos, has reported the renewal fee for RVP is going up effective August 1, 2020.  The cost of the two-year renewal will be  $30 (a $1.25 processing fee will be  applied). Follow this link for details about who is required to become a Registered Volunteer.
https://www.bowl.com/Registered_Volunteer_Program/RVP_Home/Information/

 USBC Tournament News

While the Open Championships and Women’s Championships for 2020 have been impacted by COVID-19, there will still be a tournament this year! Team Captains, please check with the tournament directors of this event for updated details. The big news is the 2021 Women’s Championship Tournament comes to Illinois!. The event will be at Stardust Bowl in Addison,  April 18 through July 4, 2021!  Registration for entries will open on July 6, 2020.

2019-2020 Bowler Accomplishments

Following are a few highlights from our bowlers this season:

• Triplicate games were recorded by Stephanie Engel, Kevin Heffernan, Prateek Patel and Robert Wojnarowski. 
• The completion of the 7-10 split was accomplished by both Cotie Holbek and Jeremy Moll.
• Donna Sternberg and Joan Morris both had All-Spare Games.
• 38 bowlers were reported as having received 11-in-a-Row awards.
• Colin Ames and Cotie Holbeck each recorded three (3) 300 games.
• William Krieg, Cody Mendez, James Kedroski and Shawn Morris each recorded two (2) 300 games.
• Robyn Konrad bowled a 300 game December 17th, her first and the only one by a women this season.
• Eleven bowlers recorded a series of 800 or better with the high series going to Christopher Zange for his 834 series.

A complete list of the bowlers recognized by the GLCUSBC during the 2019-2020 season can be found here: https://www.greaterlakecountyusbc.com/news/2019-2020-bowlers-accomplishments

 Bowl.TV and other Bowling Podcast

While the COVID-19 Pandemic has kept us off the lanes, there are plenty of ways to supplement our bowling knowledge, gather insight about our sport and enjoy the people and stories that are a part of our sport. 

• The USBC has the Bowl TV website with a show hosted by our Executive Director Chad Murphy at  http://www.bowltv.com/
• The Brad & Kyle Podcast https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUf8pyBxiCWZXVeGf4eVn3g/featured
• Above 180, Talk about Bowling Professionals, collegiate coaches, and industry insiders. http://above180.com/category/podcast/
• The Bowlers’ Journal Podcast, hosted by BJI Editor Gianmarc Manzione at https://soundcloud.com/user-658733792
• Sweep the Rack Bowling Podcast at https://www.blogtalkradio.com/sweeptherack
• Inside Bowling Show with Mike Flanagan and Matthew Farber at https://anchor.fm/insidebowling.

Some of these podcasts can also be found on other media streaming services than the links provided above.

On behalf of the Greater Lake County Bowling Association, we wish you and your family a safe and healthy summer!