The USBC Open Championships have been around since 1901. The tradition and history of this tournament makes it unlike any other. Personally, I have only bowled this tournament 4 times, with this seasons trip to El Paso, TX being my 5th. While I have been able to witness some outstanding performances at the USBC Open Championships, I have also been along the front lines to the grumblings that come through the bowling community in regards to this event. People are sick of Reno, only 30 or so teams legitimately have a chance at winning, the conditions are too difficult or too soft ect. It is a never ending conversation that gets brought up year after year. So, instead of joining into the conversation complaining about the tournament, here is what I would do with the tournament to help entice more bowlers.
1 – Break down the event into State divisions
How many of you have gone to the USBC Open Championships (OC) and looked at the scoreboard and thought you have absolutely no chance? I know I have done it. Heck, Matt McNiel posted a score high enough after 8 games to take out my best All Events total at the OC. While my chances of obtaining a coveted eagle are slim, I still go to the OC with personal goals. This may be enough for me to come back year after year, but for many it is not. So, what if the OC allowed the State Associations to run side events by using scores posted at the OC. I know here in North Dakota, bowlers take pride in being the highest finishing team/individual from our state. The state association could accept entries and award players at seasons end. For some states, this could provide bowlers with much more attainable scores. While in other states like Wisconsin, the competition would be intense. Either way, It would add more incentive for bowlers to attend the OC each year. There would have to be many kinks worked out to make this work, but you get the overall idea. If there was a state specific side event at the OC, would you enter?
2 – Release patterns 2 weeks before the start of the event
I have been saying for years that the bowlers that attend the OC in the first couple weeks are at a disadvantage. They don’t get to bowl on the lane conditions before hand and they don’t get to watch other teams bowl via live stream. I have always been a supporter of events not releasing lane conditions, but at this event that is not even possible. Someone will always know. With that said, why not release the pattern 2 weeks to a month before the first shift? This would give everyone a fair shot at preparing for the event. I also think the live stream should quit showing the practice portion on their webcasts. Teams put in a lot of work in trying to figure out the best way to break down lanes. Is it fair to them to have their specific strategy shown to the world via live stream?
3 – Have a difficult pattern and a semi easy pattern
Now that the OC have gone to two separate patterns, I think they should create a standard within the tournament. The team pattern should ALWAYS be difficult. For most teams, Team Event is the reason they bowl the OC and teamwork is required to be successful. I think this should be the precedent for the tournament. All bowlers will then expect a tough pattern for team each season. At the same time, I feel like the Doubles and Singles pattern should always be noticeably easier. This would allow the average Joe to post a decent score that they can feel proud of. In years past, the D/S patterns have been easier and they have been tough. Regardless, big scores have always been posted. It will always take 790-820 to win singles. (Unless you are Ron Vokes and Bo Goergen) So, if you are worried about huge scores in minors, it always happens. So why not give those bowlers who aren’t able to contend for an eagle a fighting chance at maybe shooting 700 in Singles if they have a good day? You can’t satisfy everyone with the difficulty of lane conditions, but with two different patterns you can do your best to try.
Team NDBowling.com will take the lanes at the EL Paso convention center on Tuesday May 19th at 5pm local time. Like us on Facebook and Follow us on Twitter for updates from El Paso, TX.