Pretty soon we will be at full schedule, and the tournament lanes will be running nearly non-stop from 7 a.m. until 2 a.m. We did get a taste of it during the first two weekends, but luckily, there are a few slow days early on to ease into it and take some time to catch our breath.
Today, we had just three doubles and singles squads, and while they were eventful with John Gaines taking the all-events lead, I was able to escape from the venue early to share a tasty sushi dinner with my brother and some good friends. Then we made a spontaneous trip out to the Santa Ana Star Casino, one of our major sponsors for 2008. We had the opportunity to unwind a little and meet some of the nice folks at the casino. One of the pit bosses turned out to be a bowler and even had his very own PBA Experience 300 ring on.
Tomorrow, the only squad is the 2:30 p.m. team event , which gives me some time to run some errands and see something besides the tournament venue and my apartment. Actually, yesterday I made it to the gym, and tomorrow I get to bowl league at Mike Miller and Dana Miller-Mackie's center in Rio Rancho. As much as I enjoy being at the tournament and being around the bowlers, I do occasionally enjoy a chance to see some of the host city. Albuquerque has a lot to offer and a brand new culture to experience, and some day soon, I'll make it up in a hot air balloon.
Back to business now....
So far, we've enjoyed regular lead changes at the tournament, and we've been averaging two stories a day for USBCopen.com and the bowlers' hometown media. The best part has been the variety of bowlers from Regular to Classified, novice to experienced, local to well-traveled, first-timers to long-time participants, etc. I honestly believe that beyond just high scores, each of our 63,000 bowlers has a story to tell, and I wish I had time to hear them all.
Each day at the tournament has been like a reunion. I get to see people I've written about in the past, old friends, bowlers I competed against in college (I bowled for the University of Florida), people I met during my two years as a PBA member in the South Region or on the lanes in Milwaukee and even people who know me only from the message boards or this blog and just want to say hello. You never know who you're going to run into.
Back in the office, my two local Media Relations co-workers John and David, are quickly picking up on the ins and outs of the sport and the tournament. Sometimes I take for granted how much I've learned and experienced in my 21 years on the lanes, but it is rewarding to see them learn or understand something new. And I do believe David has become addicted to the webcams. With all that said, it's time for some much-needed rest.
For those of you about to leave for Albuquerque, please travel safely.
