08/20/2022
Good afternoon bowlers. I would like to take this opportunity to share some recent developments with you. At the request of Strikers, USBC has granted an association change to Fairfield County. As we no longer have a center to serve, this means that Greater Danbury USBC will disband as an association.
I would like to reiterate that this change was at the request of the center, not the board itself. As a group, we have continued to serve the bowlers and Strikers until our services were no longer needed. The main reason expressed to us was a desire for Strikers to be part of a larger association, which could provide some opportunities that a one facility association simply couldn't.
As the final president of this longtime serving Association, I can only tell you that the board members I have worked with these last few years have been giving 100% in fulfilling their duties. Between 2010 and 2015, we lost almost all of our veteran board members to retirement, a desire to move on or passing away. The group left behind has been small and somewhat inexperienced, but everybody has given their all and I'm proud of that time. There will be critics of our efforts, but that's part of competitive bowling and we understand that.
I want to thank our final board Pete DePace, Roger Bates Sr, Ed Mathey, Irving Fox, Tom "TBird" Marron, Pete Battista and Tony Santonastaso. Also John Paul Jones & John Hawley who were with us in recent years.
A special thank you to long-time manager, board member and friend Joel Reichin who has been a part of Danbury bowling for many years. He's knowledgeable and given a lot of his time to the game. Thank you Joel!
In closing, I wish Joe, Janice, Strikers, FCUSBC and the bowlers the best going forward. I have accepted an appointment to a board spot for Fairfield County, to help with the transition. Hopefully, this is smooth and seamless for our bowlers. If anyone has questions, please reach out.
Thank you,
RJ Bates
President
Greater Danbury USBC
