. Tournaments Guarantee Expansion
. For, . Shuffleboard
tions realize the full income possibilities
By C. T. Girdner
on these boards.
The tournament is still the best idea to
We are on the way to making shuffle·
maintain player interest in shuffleboard and
also to keep adding new players and fans ' board as popular as bowling, or a number
of other sports. These sports have all de·
of the game. We who have watched shuffle·
rived their chief popularity from con tests
board spread so far and wide in recent
between teams, through formation of
years and have been attracted to invest our
leagues of players, and through tourna·
money in it, whether operators, distribu·
ments that grow to take in larger and
tors or manufacturers, must consider the
larger areas. Shuffleboard can grow into a
tournament as the best promotional method
national pastime in the same way, giving
yet developed to keep the business on its
great pleasure to players and at the same
upward course.
time yielding a profit to those who pro·
Player interest in tournaments is real and
vide the means for such a sport.
it is also growing all the time. It is now a
There is no limit 'to the size or direction
common thing in regions where shuffleboard
that tournament play may take. Even
is well established for players to travel 50
operators can well promote team contests
to 70 miles, or even farther, to take jJart
in, or among locations. A city·wide tourna·
in a tournament. This is proof enough that
ment in Chicago is reported to have in·
players have a real interest in such con·
cluded about 30,000 participants, with at
tests and it is also very encouraging from
least 200 players winning trophies, and
the standpoint that it suggests tournaments
about 1,200 locations being included by
can be successful in regions that do not
having teams represented in the tournament
have the big cities as A center.
period.
, A lot can be said about the advantages
The league which promoted the Chicago
of tournaments and the main thing is that
tournament is now planning a much bigger
it has already proved the key to make the
affair, to include four states. Prizes in cash
business a permanent success for those who
and other awards will total about $15,000,
,have invested in it. Players expect some
it is said. This is proof that tournaments
such outlet to show their skill and also to
can get to be important regional affairs
enjoy the sport to the fullest degree. In
and obtain newspaper publicity as bowling
catering to the wishes of the players we
tournaments do. .
have the opportunity to increase the shuffle·
But we must not lose sight of the fact
board business and to increase earnings for
that the great bulk of shuffleboard players
the location and the operator.
will also want to enjoy the smaller contests
We have found that the distributor is
in their favorite location in the home town
the key man in all promotions of play, of
and that many variations in leagues, and
tournam ents, and of other ideas to stimu·
teams, and local contests can be planned.
late interest in shuffleboard generally. This
The big regional tournaments help to get
is the reason ' why manufacturers of the
national attention to shuffleboard but the
boards must give full consideration to their
local teams and minor leagues keep every·
distributors and work through them in every
body enjoying shuffleboard from day to day.
way possible to promote tournaments. It is
This may be illustrated by reports which
already well understood in the coin machine
appear every week in the Southern Cali·
trade how distributors in various territories
fornia Shuffleboard News, a small weekly
take a place of leadership in promoting the
paper for fans which reports on league
business in general. This is holding true in
games, placing of boards in new locations,
shuffleboard and we must give full credit
and various ideas that increase the public
to the men who thus help to interest more
enjoyment of the game. A typical report
players, and in that way help operators and
reads as follows:
locations.
"Bamboo Sways To Top Past Hi Ho In
The distributor has, in the usual business
San Fernando League Standing. The breeze
practice, a given territory and will thus
from the flying weights last Tuesday night
have a definite field in which to work. Re·
in the Original San Fernando Valley League
gional tournaments have proved a natural
set the Bamboo to swaying and Weuves
arrangement for getting teams from vari·
ous locations together in some center and
engage in a contest to select winning play·
ers and teams. Distributors are in a posi.
tion to work through a number of opera·
tors, his customers in particular, and
through them to get the full cooperation
of locations in planning and conducting
tournaments .
. Manufacturers of boards must keep the
distributor in mind always and give him
help in planning and conducting tourna·
ments. But the main appeal must be made
to distributors ' who handle shuffleboards to
be fully convinced of the value of tourna·
ments in promoting shuffleboard play. It
is one thing to sell shuffleboards and then
another job 'to see that operators and loca·
c. T. (Happy Jack) Girdner. the author of
the article on this page. heads the shulfie·
board manufacturing firm of C. T. Girdner
Co .. Venice. Calif. The boards made by his
firm have the trade name of Royal and a
large aviation plant is devoted to turning them
out. Girdner is a firm believer in shuffleboards
01 the highest quality. He knows the coin
machine trade from years of experience as an
operator.
MAY, 1949
was the luckless victim of an 8 to 1 tally.
This landed the Bamboo team in first place,
passing up the HiHo by a 2 game margin.
Hi Ho had a rough time with a spirited
Ardis & Way crew, taking the match by a
close 5 to 4, dropping them to second place.
"Rainbow topped Pepper Tree, 7 to 2
holding to their third place, just thre~
games out of first. Perry's played a good
match and took the top part of a 6 to 3
tab from Ritchie's. Blue and Gold tabbed
Kopper Keg for a 6 to 3. Watch these
three top teams fight it out. It's going to
be rough."
It is like reporting the national sports
like baseball, in the newspapers and tha~
is what we want. The situation is that of a
shuffleboard league formed in a district
with teams from the various locations in th~
area. In this particular report there were
teams from ten locations taking part in the
evening contest. It is easy to picture the
spirited contests that took place during the
evening, but back of this is the contests
among players through many days and
evenings in the various locations in the dis·
trict. , The fact that a league' contest will
be held at intervals lends spirit and zest
to all the play in the many locations from
day to day. For every player will have some
~ope of getting on a team that will play
III the league contests. And then the big
tournaments.
Your editor has asked me a number of
questions about the rapidly growing inter·
est in shuffleboard, and how to keep the
puhlic interest at a high level. The tourna·
ment is the answer and when thinking of
tournaments, it must be kept in mind that
players who enter tournaments demand the
best in boards. A good player will quickly
detect the slightest warp in the playing
board and will not use such a board. Good
players are always demanding the best that
we manufacturers can build, and in tourna·
ments we are catering to the skillful
players.
Many locations 'have already learned that
they lose by having inferior boards, espe·
cially if there are leagues and tournaments
to encourage players to improve at- the
game. Players who want to get on winning
teams soon recognize that poor quality
boards are a handicap and they will go to
the locations that have the best precision
Interesting interior 01 Tack Tre.skes· shuffleboard parlor in Tacoma. Wash .• showing 8 National
Shuffleb.oards and the c;onven!ent arrangement 01 relreshment bar tables and chairs. Several
otber pIeces of automafJc equJpment are used. including a Dew AMI phonograph shown above.
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