Terry Bigham
USBC Communications
Delegates voted to increase the national dues cap and also voted on three board positions as the 2016 United States Bowling Congress Convention and Annual Meeting concluded Friday at The Orleans Convention Center in Las Vegas.
Delegates approved bylaws amendments allowing national dues to increase up to a maximum of $15, and also approved amendments requiring non-merged local and non-merged state associations to be merged by Aug. 1, 2018. They rejected an amendment to allow state associations to have delegates for affiliate associations. Bylaws amendments required two-thirds of the voting delegates to approve to pass.
Leading up to the convention, the USBC Board asked associations to support the dues cap increase amendment and set a schedule if it was approved — national dues will not increase for the 2016-2017 season, national dues would increase to $13 for the 2017-2018 season, and national dues would not increase again before the 2022-2023 season.
Delegates also approved a tournament rule amendment requiring bowlers to report any previous tournament adjustment/rerate unless tournament rules state otherwise, but rejected two league rule amendments. League and tournament amendments required a majority vote to pass.
Five candidates ran for the three open positions on the USBC board. Current USBC President Frank Wilkinson of Staten Island, N.Y.; incumbent director Mark Martin of Waterford, Mich., and Jeffrey Ussery of Tonganoxie, Kan., were slated by the USBC Nominating Committee, while incumbent director Anthony Colangelo of Twin Falls, Idaho, and Yvette Davis of Charlotte, N.C., ran from the floor.
Wilkinson (701 votes), Martin (629) and Ussery (536) were elected on the first ballot. Colangelo received 355 votes, while Davis received 259 votes. Wilkinson, Martin and Ussery each will begin a three-year term starting Aug. 1.
Kendra Gaines of Orlando, Fla., also will join the board for the 2016-2017 season. Gaines, the general manager at Aloma Bowl and a former Team USA member, was elected by Team USA athletes earlier this year. She replaces Andrew Cain, who termed out this year.
The International Bowling Campus Youth Committee members also were determined earlier this year. Melissa McDaniel Morrow of Raleigh, N.C., who served as the chair of the IBC Youth Committee last season, was approved by the boards of the Bowling Proprietors’ Association of America and USBC for a new three-year term. Morrow will be joined on the IBC Youth Committee by Chrissie Kent of Newark, N.J., and Kelly Marlin of Murfreesboro, Tenn.
Full coverage of the convention will appear in the June issues of Bowlers Journal International and Bowling Center Management.
