Well, the month of March roared in like a lion this year – for some it was a big reminder that it was still winter, be it in the form of rain or snow; for a lot of people it was the onslaught of political campaign ads that inundated us as Super Tuesday saw Democratic and Republican primaries and/or caucuses occur; for me, it took the form of being stricken with a kidney stone! It was the worst pain I have ever experienced in my life! No, I think that watching Britney Spears on the MTV Music Awards last month was actually a lot more painful, or maybe it was seeing Britney shaving her head, or maybe it was seeing the dress Tilda Swinton wore at the Oscars! OK, I am getting way off the subject! Let’s take this column back where it belongs – the upcoming 2008 SFGGC Tournament!

For those of you who read this column every month (I hope there actually are some of you out there), I apologize for the lack of the 2008 entry form on our website. We have been handling a lot of different aspects of the tournament these past few months, one of which was the updating of the entry form! Yes, we had planned to have it completed for inclusion with the February Director’s Corner, but……well, I don’t need to say any more, do I? So, I am happy to officially state that the 2008 entry form is now actually on the website and you can print out the entry form (it will fit on 8½ x 11 paper), fill in all the required information, especially those averages, stick it in an envelope, drop it in the mail and VOILA! In a few days you will be officially entered into the 2008 SFGGC Tournament! It is that simple! We will also be mailing the entry form package out to our 2007 entrants. If any of you have problems printing the entry form from the website, just drop us an email with your name and address, and we will put one in the mail to you the next day!

As stated in previous columns, the tournament is being held this year at Classic Bowl in Daly City and they have 60 lanes. Therefore, we will be limiting the number of entries to a maximum total of 58 teams or 232 total bowlers. The best part of this will be having only 1 squad for the team event (Friday evening) and 1 squad for the Singles/Doubles event (Saturday morning to afternoon). I know that many of you participate in the Side Pots and this will result in higher amounts being won by those of you who bowl those winning scores! We will be offering Brackets, Mega-Brackets, Baby Brackets, and the return of the popular Ultimate Mega Bracket with a possible 1st place jackpot of $500! We have added a 6th division to the Scratch Masters so that more of you might take part in this exciting optional event! All of this can be found in the entry form package right here on the website.

The Handlery Union Square Hotel is ready to hear from you so that you can reserve your room at one of the unique San Francisco hotels. The Handlery is located just blocks from all the excitement that downtown San Francisco has to offer. Check out the information by clicking on the appropriate tab at the top of the webpage.

So before I end up being the April Fool (since it is March 22nd as I write this), thanks to all of you for your patience and support while we continue to work hard and finalize the many changes in preparation for the weekend of June 20 – 22, 2008 and the 24th annual San Francisco Golden Gate Classic Invitational Tournament and Scratch Masters. I look forward to welcoming all of you to our event!

Marc Gottschall
Co-Director, 2008 SFGGC