Alaska 700 Club Kickoff

November 30, 2011

2011 700 Club Champion Larry Lanehart

The Alaska 700 Club is kicking off its 2011-2012 tournament season by sponsoring one of many planned tournament events for this season in an effort to give its members more events and more chances at added money for their annual $25 membership fee.  This will be the first of many smaller, locally designed tournaments and it gets underway at 9:00 am at Eagle River Bowl in Eagle River and is limited to the first 48 entries received.  The tournament entry fee is $85 and entries close at 8:30 am.  Called Shenanigans, the tournament offers a format that is not only one-of-a-kind, but extremely random.

Shenanigans is a singles tournament combining not only some singles scores, but some scotch doubles scores, and some baker trios scores.  And the best part is in all the team portions, you blind draw new teammates for each of those games.  So there is very little consistency or predictability built into the tournament.  The only thing that is for sure is that with $1,000 in added money, somebody will win the $400 top prize.

The finals will include the top 8 players and the prize ratio will be one cash prize for every two entries.  Last cash in the tournament will also receive at least $100, which is a profit over the entry fee of $85.  All told, it’s the kind of tournament that you have to participate in to understand.   And it’s the kind of tournament designed to give all players a real chance at victory if they can catch a few good team games and bowl decent during the singles games.

Shenanigans is the first tournament The Alaska 700 Club is sponsoring this season in an attempt to really grow its membership base.  Typically, the club has only run two tournaments; the annual Alaska 700 Club Tournament held annually in the Anchorage/Eagle River area during February which pays out over $22,000 in prize money and the Fairbanks Classic, held in early December with upwards of $2,000 in added money for Fairbanks area players.

Over the last few years the Club has pushed its focus on growing their annual membership and has succeeded recently with events like a side pot they ran during the State Tournament in 2011, which pushed their membership numbers in excess of years prior.  They’ve also started a Facebook page www.facebook.com/Alaska 700BowlingClub and have developed an email database to allow for easier distribution of information.

With a goal of modest goal of 200 members for the 2011-2012 season, the club plans to hold more events called Satellite tournaments with between $500 to $2,000 in added money in other Alaska communities including Fairbanks, Palmer/Wasilla, Kenai/Soldotna, Juneau, and Kodiak.  Details on those tournaments will be released as they become available.