LONG ISLAND
PRIDE INVITATIONAL RULES

The Long Island Pride Invitational (LIPI) is a USBC certified tournament. All participants are subject to the USBC rules and jurisdiction for the event. The Tournament is a mixed handicapped competition open to men and women and is by invitation only. The tournament will take place at Bowlero in Sayville, NY from Friday April 4 until Sunday April 6, 2025.  Only registered bowlers or tournament/alley officials are permitted beyond the settee area.

All participants must be a member of USBC or international equivalent and be able to provide proof of membership (current sanction card or signed statement from league secretary verifying membership). If the participant is not a USBC member, they must pay for an associate membership which includes a fee of $15 for National dues PLUS any local or state dues (Rule 300c). LIPI permits the participation of associate membership bowlers, who shall use a minimum average of 130. Such bowlers shall be required to submit ALL league averages and tournament scores for possible re-rating. USBC permits the tournament manager to assign an average higher than the minimum average prior to participation (Rule 319b).

All participants must be members of IGBO. Any participants not currently a member of IGBO must fill out the application for associate membership and submit to tournament secretary along with $25 fee.

Long Island Pride Invitational will consist of Team, Doubles and Singles competitions. Each set will consist of three (3) games. Team competition will consist of four (4) bowlers (any combination of men and women). Each bowler may only participate once in each event.

All applications will be completed online through the tournament’s website. The entry fee is $135.00 which breaks down as follows: Lineage: $43.00 (for 9 games) Banquet: $48.00 Prize Fund: $36.00 Expenses*: $ 5.00

*Expenses include trophies, the $3 dollar per bowler IGBO fee, PayPal fees and supplies needed to run the tournament. Any unused expense funds will be added to the prize fund. Entry closing date is March 21, 2025, unless the tournament sells out sooner. Long Island Pride Invitational has a capacity of 40 teams or 160 bowlers. 

The following additional optional events will be offered at LIPI with 100% of the costs paid back as prize fund at a ratio of 1 in 10.

1. Handicap Events   

   1. A) Best 3 of 6: $10  (Best three handicapped games from the Saturday session)  

   2. B) Best 3 of 9: $10  (Best three handicapped games from the entire event)

   3. C) Optional Scratch Divisions as follows: Division E – 0 to 159 = $20 Division D – 160 to 179 = $20 Division C – 180 to 194 = $25 Division B – 195 to 209 = $25 Division A – 210 to 300 = $30.

The trophies and prizes for the tournament will be announced at an awards banquet.  Please note all monetary prizes will be calculated within the 30-day window following the conclusion of the tournament.  All participants and guests must select the awards banquet with tournament entry. Guests not participating in the tournament but attending the awards banquet must pay a fee ($50).

All cash awards shall be based on the total pins with handicap for the All Events, Team, Doubles, and Singles events as well as the optional Best 3 of 6, and Best 3 of 9. The prize ratio is at least 1 in 10 for all tournament events unless otherwise noted.

This is a handicapped tournament. Handicap will be calculated at 90% of the difference between the bowler’s average and 250. If a bowler enters with an average over 250, they will be assigned a handicap of ZERO. No negative handicap will apply.

Please submit all that are applicable, as the HIGHEST of the following will determine your entering average: (A) Current highest USBC certified league average based on a minimum of 18 games as of December 31, 2024. This includes games bowled on that date. If competing in more than one league, the bowler must submit the HIGHEST average of all leagues bowled. (B) Current IGBO tournament average (TAD - 18 games). (C) USBC 2023/2024 average (18 games minimum).  If none of the above applies, an average of 250 will be assigned. (Rule 319b) The above averages must be verified by one or more of the following methods: i. Using a league standing sheet, signed and dated by a league officer or a letter from the league president or secretary. ii. It will also be acceptable to submit bowler abstracts from bowl.com and/or provide league numbers/standing sheets from bowl.com or leaguesecretary.com, or a league’s official website. iii. If a bowler’s league is not sanctioned, or not posted on the two websites above or a league’s official website, or the bowler has chosen not to allow public access to their bowl.com profile, all average paperwork including any tournament results must be received by the tournament secretary within one week after application is received or by the March 21st deadline (whichever comes first), or the application is subject to rejection or the assignment of an average of 250. iv. It is the bowler’s responsibility to provide accurate and complete average information. The tournament will do its due diligence on each submitted average, but it is not our responsibility to do exhaustive research if the bowler does not provide the information that is required. v. If a bowler purposely provides false or misleading information to secure a lower average for the tournament, the application will be rejected, and that person will not be permitted to bowl in LIPI or any future Long Island Pride Invitational tournaments. (E) Averages from Sport Condition leagues are not acceptable currently.  Please submit the highest of A, B, C or D.  If you have additional information, you feel will help us determine a fair entering average for you, particularly if you have not bowled a league during the previous two years for any reason, please include an explanation in the Notes section when registering.  If you don't have an average from A, B, C, or D, please select E and include any information helpful toward establishing an entering average for you in the Notes section.  A score equivalent to the highest entering average will only be used in the event no averages are available and there is no reasonable method to determine a fair entering average for the bowler.  The final decision regarding the determination of any bowler's entering average is at the sole discretion of the Tournament Director.

USBC rules regarding the bowler’s responsibility to verify the accuracy of his/her submitted average, whether submitted by the bowler, team captain or other, apply to all bowlers.

Failure to report proper averages at the time of application or at the tournament registration period will disqualify the bowler if the submitted average is lower than the actual average as determined by Rules 10 through 12, thereby resulting in a lower classification or more handicap. Winnings will be based on the submitted average if it is higher than the correct average. (USBC Rule 319A, item 3)

The tournament management reserves the right to re-rate any entrant prior to bowling for reasons other than those set forth in Rules 11.

Substitutes meeting USBC requirements and Long Island Pride Invitational tournament rules may bowl at the discretion of the tournament’s executive committee.

Bowlers will be given ten (10) minutes of practice before each event.

Late bowlers will begin bowling in the frame in which they are ready with prior frames scored a zero (0) up until the completion of the 5th frame. It is the bowler’s responsibility to be at the lanes when bowling begins.

The Long Island Pride Invitational strictly abides by the USBC guidelines regarding equipment specifications. Specifically noting the USBC rule book Chapter 8, rule 7: Drilling Requirements.

No substitutions in the Doubles or Team event lineup can be made after a series has started without sufficient cause at the discretion of the tournament management. Changes to Doubles pairings must be made before the completion of the tournament registration period.

All prize monies will be paid out within 30 days after the completion of the tournament. A tie in any position will result in an equal division of the prizes.

Results will be posted to the tournament website within 30 days of the completion of the tournament. All financials and scores will be reported as necessary to IGBO, USBC and any other governing body.

After a score has been recorded, it cannot be changed unless there has been an obvious error in scoring or calculation. Obvious errors must be corrected by a tournament official immediately upon discovery. Questionable errors must be reported to a tournament official within two (2) hours of the error, and the appropriate action will be decided by tournament management. (USBC Rule 328)

A protest or appeal involving eligibility or playing rules must be filed with the tournament management, the local association or USBC before tournament prizes are paid. The protest or appeal must be in writing and the grounds for the protest or appeal briefly stated. An appeal regarding the decision of the tournament management or local association may be made to USBC. The decision of USBC is final and binding on all parties involved. Prizes for the positions affected cannot be distributed until the protest or appeal is resolved. (USBC Rule 329)

All average verification documents, both league and tournament, should be emailed to LongIslandPrideInvitational@gmail.com for secretarial purposes. They should be received by the tournament secretary no later than the March 21st entry close date.

All other USBC rules apply.