2023-2024 ENTRIES, SCHEDULE, FORMAT & PRIZE MONEY
(Event format, schedule and prize money are all subject to change)

The National Classified Online Championships is open to ALL Fivepin and Tenpin Adult & Senior league bowlers bowling in a Bowl Canada member centre.

  • Entrants in the event must be nineteen (19) years of age or over at September 1st, 2023.
  • Members of Youth Bowl Canada are eligible to participate if they meet all eligibility requirements.
  • Entrants in the Seniors divisions (Fivepin & Tenpin) must be 55 years of age or over at September 1st, 2023 to participate. Bowling Centres may wish to allow entry in the Seniors division only to Club 55 registered bowlers at their discretion.
  • Entrants must be domiciled in Canada.
  • Bowlers must enter at a Bowl Canada member centre where they bowl in a league (Fivepin league for Fivepin entrants and Tenpin league for Tenpin entrants)
  • Travelling leagues are ineligible for entry and averages established in these leagues are excluded.

TEAM ENTRY:

  • Team Franchises must be purchased and managed by bowling centre management.
  • 80% of all Team Franchise entry fees received are allocated to the Prize Fund, which will be paid out 100%, with 20% of Team Franchise fees going towards administration of the event. The Prize Fund for each event will be pro-rated based on each event’s entries collected. Example, if the Fivepin Seniors event generates 25% of the entry fees, it’s teams will receive 25% of the overall prize fund.
  • Single entry fee is $5 with multiple entry allowed.  See bowling centre management for Multi-Entry pass fees.
  • National Classified Fivepin Teams (non-seniors’ event) are comprised of 5 players.
  • All Seniors Teams & all Tenpin Teams are comprised of 4 players.

Teams are not gender-based and may be comprised of all men, all women or any combination of men and women. All bowlers must meet the eligibility requirements as above.

MODIFIED SCHEDULE FOR FIVEPIN SENIORS EVENT:

NOVEMBER 6, 2023 – JANUARY 14TH, 2024 – Singles Qualifying (in-centre)
JANUARY 12 – Entry Deadline & Team Registration
JANUARY 15 – FEBRUARY 11 – Bracket Rounds (4 weeks)
* This division has 16 teams entered and all teams advance directly to bracket round of 16 (no 3 week qualifying period required).


SCHEDULE FOR REGULAR FIVEPIN & TENPIN EVENTS:

NOVEMBER 6, 2023 – JANUARY 14TH, 2024 – Singles Qualifying (in-centre)
JANUARY 12 – Entry Deadline & Team Registration
JANUARY 15 – FEBRUARY 4 – Online Qualifying Rounds (3 weeks)
FEBRUARY 5 – MARCH 10 – Bracket Rounds (5 weeks)


NOTE:

  • ALL SCORES MUST BE SUBMITTED ONLINE PRIOR TO THE FOLLOWING TUESDAY AT 9:00AM (EASTERN). ALL DEADLINES ARE STRICTLY ENFORCED.
  • BRACKET FORMAT MAY BE ADJUSTED ON AN EVENT BY EVENT BASIS, DEPENDENT UPON NUMBER OF ENTRIES RECEIVED IN EACH EVENT.


• Bowlers must enter the event using their highest league average (from all leagues in the bowling centre of entry) from the previous season (21-game minimum).
• Bowlers who do not have a previous season’s average may only enter once they have a 15 game average in the current season.
• Any averages established in travelling leagues are excluded.

IN-HOUSE LEAGUE QUALIFYING ROUND:

Qualifying dates at each bowling centre shall be decided by bowling centre management during the period of Nov. 6 to Jan. 14.  Bowling centres shall post the selected in-league qualifying dates as well as the number of Team Franchises purchased (and available to qualify for) in advance of the qualifying round.

Bowler’s shall pay an entry fee of $5.00 for each week they wish to enter their scores towards the centre’s League Qualifying Round scoreboard. Bowling centres may offer a Multi-Entry pass (check with bowling centre management for details), which would entitle the bowler to enter scores for each of the decided number of weeks the Qualifying Round will run.

Bowlers who bowl in more than one league in a centre may enter in any of their leagues if they wish, but must pay the entry fee (or Multi-Entry pass if applicable) to have the scores from each league go towards the House Qualifying Round scoreboard. Similarly, bowlers who bowl in a league in more than one Bowl Canada member centre may enter the event in each centre if they so choose, using the scores bowled at the respective centres towards those Qualifying Round (and potentially online) scoreboards.

IN-HOUSE HOUSE FINAL:

Bowling centres shall announce the date for their House Final early on in the House Qualifying Round, along with the number of bowlers in each class who will advance from the league qualifying round to the House Final.

Bowling centres, at their discretion, have the option of conducting the House Round as a Team event or as a Singles event:

  • If bowled as a Team event, all the advancing bowlers from the league round shall be placed on teams based on their league qualifying scores, with all the highest qualifying bowlers in each class making up Team 1, the second highest qualifiers in each class comprising Team 2, etc. until every advancing bowler has been placed on a team, and each team has one bowler representing each of the available classes. The top teams at the House Final shall advance to the National Qualifying Round online (number advancing based on the number of Team Franchises purchased by the bowling centre).
  • If management decides to run the House Final as a Singles event, all advancing Class 1 bowlers will compete against each other with the highest scoring bowlers advancing to the National Qualifying Round. And the same applies to the other Classes.  The highest score of each Class shall make up Team 1, the second highest score in each Class shall make up Team 2, etc. until the centre has filled the number of teams to match the number of Team Franchises purchased by the bowling centre.

For either format, bowling centre management shall decide the number of games to be bowled, with lineage to be paid by the bowler.

ONLINE NATIONAL QUALIFYING ROUND (NOT REQUIRED FOR FIVEPIN SENIORS DIVISION):

All teams decided at House Finals shall then compete in the National event online, with each Team comprised of 1 bowler from each of the available Classes. The National Qualifying Round will run from January 15 to February 4 (3 weeks) with bowlers using the first 3 games bowled in their league towards the online scoreboard. Bowlers who bowl in more than one league in the centre must use the scores bowled in the league through which the bowler qualified for the House Final.

The top 8 teams (plus ties) each week will advance to the Bracket Finals. Additionally, a maximum of 8 wildcard spots will be awarded at the end of the 3 week qualifying rounds, thereby advancing a total of 32 Teams to the Bracket Finals in each event. Wildcard spots will be awarded to the teams with the highest 3 week cumulative total (9 games) who did not already qualify for the Bracket Finals. The total number of Wildcard spots will be reduced should there be any ties for the last qualifying spot each qualifying week.

Wildcards can only be determined once all scores for the Qualifying Round have been reported, so teams are encouraged to keep tuned-in until all Wildcard spots have been declared.

ONLINE BRACKET FINALS (SEE SPECIAL NOTE BELOW FOR FIVEPIN SENIORS EVENT):

The top 8 teams each week (plus any teams tied for the last qualifying spot each week) will advance to the Championship Bracket Round. These 24 teams (plus ties) will be seeded according to their 3 game qualifying score with the highest total earning the #1 seed, second highest total will become the #2 seed, etc. If there is a tie for any seed, the team with the highest single game team total (in their qualifying week) will become the higher seed. If there is a tie for highest single game team total, all 3 qualifying scores will then be compared on a game by game basis, and the team with the highest score 2 out of 3 games will earn the higher seed.

Wildcard spots (maximum of 8, less any weekly ties as described above) will also advance to the Championship Bracket Round. Wildcard spots will be seeded below the top 24 (plus ties) and seeding will be based on the team’s 9 game cumulative event total. If there is a tie for any wildcard seed, the team with the highest single game team total (over all 9 games) will become the higher seed.

All 32 teams who advance to the Bracket Finals will compete in a head to head elimination format. Bracket sizes may be adjusted for each division as required based on the number of entries received in that division.

In case of a tie in any bracket match, all 3 scores bowled by a team will be compared on a game by game basis with the tied team’s scores, and the team with the highest scratch score 2 out of 3 games will be declared the winner. If the tie cannot be broken by this method, the highest game team total will determine
the winner.

One half of the successful teams through each week of the Bracket Finals will advance to the next week (elimination) until a Champion is declared in each event.

SPECIAL NOTE FOR FIVEPIN SENIORS EVENT: All 16 teams that entered the event will advance directly to the Bracket round of 16 and bypass the 3 week qualifying round. All teams will be randomly seeded into the brackets. See “Schedule” tab above for timing.

Prize Fund will be shared amongst the top 8 teams in each event (based on entries generated in each event).

REPORTING OF SCORES:

Regular weekly league scores will be used for all phases of the National Classified Online Championships. Scores must be reported online, prior to the deadline date & time each week by a bowling centre representative.

Pre-bowled scores are allowed (using House rules). All prebowls must be verified and documented by the Proprietor, and retained for possible audit by the tournament committee. Additionally, a 90% doe score will be used when a competitor misses league bowling and has not pre-bowled. For leagues that bowl more than 3 games each week, only the scores from the first 3 games bowled are to be used.

ALL SCORES MUST BE SUBMITTED ONLINE PRIOR TO THE FOLLOWING TUESDAY AT 9:00 am (EASTERN). ALL DEADLINES ARE STRICTLY ENFORCED.

In each of the 4 events (National Classified Fivepin, Tenpin & Both Seniors Events Fivepin/Tenpin) a portion of every Entry Fee will be diverted to that event’s Prize Pool.

Each event’s Prize Pool is built solely from Entry Fees paid for that event (example; The National Classified Seniors Fivepin Prize Pool will be comprised of funds derived solely from National Classified Seniors Fivepin entry fees).

In the case of all ties, prize money will be split between tied teams evenly. Prize money will be mailed to applicable bowling centres at the end of the event.

#1 The general playing rules and conduct rules of the Canadian Tenpin Federation (Tenpin) and the Canadian 5-Pin Bowlers Association (Fivepin) will be in effect where Bowl Canada rules are not specified.

#2 All bowlers who compete in the National Classified Online Championships must abide by ALL rules of the Championship. Failure to comply with these rules may result in automatic disqualification.

#3 Multiple entry is allowed.

#4 Ties shall be broken to determine advancement as per the tie-breaking methods outlined in the Format section. Should a tie remain in play after those methods have been exhausted, the Tournament Directors, at their sole discretion, shall determine further methods to break the tie(s).

#5 Bowl Canada reserves the right to authenticate the scores and averages of all participants in the event. Any falsification or misrepresentation of scores or averages, knowingly or unknowingly, may result in automatic disqualification.

#6 Bowl Canada reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to disqualify or disallow any entry in the championship where it can be reasonably shown that a bowler’s average (and Class placement) is inconsistent with the bowler’s ability or past performance.

#7 Substitution / Disqualification:

Substitutions shall not be allowed in the National Classified Online Championships. Absent bowlers may prebowl, and if no prebowl score is available a doe score of 90% of the bowlers average (per these rules) may be used. Should a bowler be disqualified at any stage of the championship, only the scores of the remaining bowlers on the team shall be counted. No doe score shall be allowed for the disqualified bowler(s).

#8 Cancellation & Refunds:

If cancelling Team Franchise purchase(s) prior to the Entry Deadline, Franchise fee(s) will be refunded 100% and the affected event’s prize pool will be adjusted accordingly. As of the Entry Deadline date, no refunds will be provided.

#9 In case of any dispute, the decision of the Bowl Canada Tournament Committee will be final.