Hey everyone,
We are now at full speed, which means squads from 7 a.m. until 2 a.m. every day until July 7.
So far, scores have been good, but we have not seen our first 300. Now that I said that, though, there's going to be a handful on the next squad.
It's probably a good thing that there hasn't been too much action, as those of you who read the message boards already know, I have had my hands full over there too. I do my best to provide prompt and accurate answers about our event, our rules, the venue, the city, etc. I usually spend about 30-45 minutes each morning reading the threads and answering where I can, providing information whenever possible and of course, putting an end to any rumors before they get out of hand.
And while there are thousands of bowlers who read and/or post on the message boards, I know most of them only by screen name. Luckily, I am in the venue at some point every day, so I often get the chance to meet some of the folks whom I've corresponded with online. It makes me realize the value in what I do each day in providing a daily account of the action at the USBC Open Championships. And it definitely makes me feel like a celebrity in my own mind.
I also recently had the chance to talk about the tournament on the "Let's Go Bowling!" show, which I believe is broadcast in Florida, but can be heard on the Internet. Here's the link, which also features interviews with some of the most famous and influential people in our sport. I am thankful for the opportunity to have been included among them (for 10 minutes at least).
Let's Go Bowling Show
I know I mentioned it in an earlier post, but I really enjoy getting to see so many great bowlers and good friends each day at the tournament. Last week for example, Bryan Komornik, Mitch Sacks, Ed Gallagher and their teams were in town and they all bowled great, which was fun to watch and write about.
But, as much as I enjoy work, I also enjoyed having some time off.
On Monday, we started our USBC Open Championships employee league at Leisure Lanes. This year we have 10 lanes, so the league is trios. And because it is so late in the season, we bowl four games so that the folks who travel to the tournament and may not participate in any leagues at home, are are able to get at least 21 games in for an official average. Although I don't get to bowl much this half of the year, I still felt relatively sharp and shot 218, 236, 242 and 279 for 975. I also had 40 clean frames. Not a bad start to the season and a great opportunity to relax and unwind away from work.
I was thinking about testing my skills at the PBA regional event that will be in town on March 15 and 16, but I knew it would never work with my schedule, which requires me to be in the venue from 9 a.m. on every day but Wednesday. I had anticipated sitting on the edge of my seat wondering what was going on at the regional and wondering how I would have done, but I just looked it up, and they will be bowling on the Cheetah pattern. Ever since my PBA regional days in 2003 and 2004, the Cheetah has been my nemesis. At this point, I think it's all mental more than anything, but now I won't worry so much about not being there. I did recently spend about three hours at the Turbo 2n1 Training Center in Michigan practicing on this pattern with USBC Gold coach Lou Marquez, but I've never tested the results of that session in actual competition.
I definitely did see some drastic improvement in my game while I was bowling in the regionals every week back then, and I saw similar results in my two PBA Experience leagues this fall in Milwaukee. There really is no better way to prepare for events like the Open Championships than to challenge yourself week in and week out on tougher conditions that force you to be more accurate, make better shots and convert spares to be successful. And I also think the recent addition of PBA Experience tournaments will be a great thing too.
With that said, I'm going to go watch some bowling.
Just a heads up, we will have some real celebrities in the building in the coming weeks.
First, USBC Hall of Famers Jimmy Schroeder and Glenn Allison will be here on March 15 and 16. Both are members of the 100,000-pin club, and Jimmy will be participating in his 60th Open Championships. Along the same lines, active pinfall leader and hall of famer Bill Lillard will be in town on the 17th and 18th. He will be making his 61st consecutive tournament appearance. It's always a pleasure to sit and talk to these gentlemen. They have so much knowledge and so many memories about the sport and our event.
On March 16, we'll welcome Chip Aki, the first of our defending champions. Chip won Regular Singles last year with 814. He also will be the first champion to see the new championship banners that we've added to the long list of tournament traditions.
