FILLING a Prime Time Gap

hen a 14-team league at Plano Super Bowl in suburban Dallas didn’t return after pandemic restrictions were lifted in the fall of 2020, legendary proprietor Jamie Brooks put his new assistant manager, Tyson Branagan, in

“Jamie focuses very much on slow times because Jamie doesn’t have many slow times,” Branagan said. “He pointed out that at the time we had leagues from lanes 23 on up on Fridays; however, lanes 9-22 were a bare wasteland. Jamie said, ‘Why don’t you try filling it with a league?’ Ultimately, I said I didn’t want to do a league because I didn’t want people to have to commit. Sure, you could get 14 teams of trios on a Friday night, but a commitment on a Friday night is hard.”

Branagan knew this from previously managing a pro shop and working in sales

By Mark Miller

for Ebonite and US Bowling. After the pandemic hit, Brooks hired him to oversee Plano Super Bowl’s staff and events. Having long competed in tournaments in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, Branagan thought about what was possible. He knew of a successful summer eliminator sweeper series guided by Omar Arnett in various centers in Houston. So, he developed a modified, handicapped version of Arnett’s scratch tournament (80% of 225 and 90% for women and age 60+) and called it FUNetic Fridays.

The first one was held on October 29, 2020. “We expected 30 entries — maybe — and we got 49,” Branagan said. “I was going to go three per lane from 9-22 but ended up going seven per pair.”

Since then, FUNetic Fridays has expanded steadily to as many as 104 weekly bowlers on lanes 9-30. Branagan conducts events in three seasons: summer, fall, and winter/spring. Bowlers pay $20 dues each season to build the season finale prize fund, plus $65-$85 each week. There are also clean

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“It’s a happening. You get the people, and they hang. It has grown. It has sustained itself for almost two and a half years. If we had open play, we’d make more money. But we are trying to grow the sport, and we want people to get hooked on it. If we can get them hooked on it, that’s great.” game pots, strike pots, high game pots, brackets, and other options so most bowlers are spending $100 or more each week. And most keep coming back week after week.

“It’s a happening. You get the people, and they hang,” said Brooks, the USBC and BPAA Hall of Famer and Plano Super Bowl’s president. “It has grown. It has sustained itself for almost two and a half years. If we had open play, we’d make more money. But we are trying to grow the sport, and we want people to get hooked on it. If we can get them hooked on it, that’s great.”

Each competitor bowls three games with the top 45% moving on with pins dropped. They bowl another two games and cut to the top 45%, then compete in single-game elimination matches until a winner is determined.

Registration begins at 6 p.m., practice at 7 p.m., and bowlers generally are done around midnight. Branagan typically pays 18 spots for a field of 88 bowlers. Preregistration is required to get a spot and people drive from as far as Louisiana and Oklahoma to compete. He also conducts doubles events about once a month.

Sponsors including Storm, Roto-Grip, 900 Global, Dexter, Platinum Ford, Chris Warren’s Pro Shop, and other local businesses have helped create the impressive prize funds. In addition to a weekly $3,000 pool, bowlers earn points based on competing and place for the season finale prize fund, which can be as big as $12,000-$14,000, with the winner earning more than $2,000. Branagan utilizes a point system taken from the Professional Golfers Association with values increasing the farther a bowler advances.

“If they don’t sign up early, good luck!” Branagan said. “They can bowl when they want and not bowl when they want. Not bowling doesn’t get you any points. We range from 275 to 320 different bowlers each season.”

Bowlers of all ages have competed with youth who cash earning money that goes to their USBC SMART account. Branagan maintains a database of bowlers; their averages are based on a combination of USBC-certified competition and other tournament play. He employs a variety of mediumrange lane conditions based on Kegel.

“Because of this success, all of our other tournaments have grown greatly,” Branagan said. “All of them are getting close to full.”

Brooks knows bowling, and he knows bowlers. He follows the adage, “If you offer it, they will come.” A proprietor should never say never, and Plano Super Bowl proves that! If Jamie Brooks thinks Friday night tournaments are a good idea, why not give it a try?•

Mark Miller is a freelance writer, editor, and public relations specialist from Flower Mound, TX. He’s the author of Bowling: American’s Greatest Indoor Pastime available at Amazon.com or directly from him at markmywordstexas@gmail.com.

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