USBC Open to begin Saturday
“All of our bars, restaurants and hotels can’t wait for the tournament to get started.” Mayor Kip Holden
Two-hundred bowlers representing 40 five-member teams will take part in the opening shift of the 2012 United States Bowling Congress Open Championships on Saturday afternoon on specially-constructed lanes in the convention hall of the Baton Rouge River Center.
That’s one less team than the number that competed in the first Open Championship in Chicago in 1901 when six lanes were installed in a downtown building.
Now, the tournament, which is more than a century old, returns to Baton Rouge for the second time after a run in 2005. Some 60,000 bowlers will come to town looking to succeed on the shiny, new Brunswick lanes.
Before the bowlers take to the lanes, opening ceremonies set for 12:30 p.m. with the first team shift set to begin around 2 p.m. Admission is free.
It’s a ceremony full of introductions, but it will also feature fun involving the LSU cheerleaders, the Krewe of Artemis and live entertainment.
And there are traditions that will continue even in this most modern of bowling venues.
The 40 teams will march down a center aisle to their lanes with specially designed music and video displayed on the world’s largest mobile scoreboard.
The center aisle march has been a tournament tradition since 1954, not just on the opening shift, but for every team shift of the tournament.
Even older is the selection of one bowler from the tournament’s opening squad selected to fill the role of Joe Bowler. Each year since 1951, the honoree is dressed in crown, cape and scepter and throws out the ceremonial first ball, representing all the anonymous, everyday bowlers who make the tournament what it is.
Following that, one bowler from each team will roll what is called a “mass ball” opening shot. All will roll at the same time, opening the lanes. On many days until July 10, especially after the Mardi Gras holidays, the lanes will only be silent between 2 a.m. and 7 a.m.
Bowlers will compete in team, doubles and singles, usually bowling the three-game team event the first day, then three games of doubles and three games of singles the next.
There are two divisions based on skill level: the Regular Division for bowlers who average 181 or higher and the Classified Division for averages of 180 and below. The bowlers are competing for a prize fund that should top $5 million.
“We are extremely excited about the Open Championships being back in Baton Rouge,” Mayor Kip Holden said.
“All of our bars, restaurants and hotels can’t wait for the tournament to get started. The Christmas spirit is all around. People are waiting to see what Santa will bring, and USBC is Santa.”
The economic impact of what is the second-longest USBC Open Championship (151 days while Las Vegas in 2009 covered 154 days) is expected to be between $75-$100 million.
“The city of Baton Rouge has always been welcoming and eager to show bowlers its great hospitality,” USBC managing director of tournaments Brian Lewis said. “The downtown development and growth is just one of many exciting changes our bowlers can look forward to.
The city has partnered with USBC to make the Open Championships successful, and because of that effort, our bowlers and their families will have a great time.”
There are a few differences from 2005 and what was then the final championships under the banner of the American Bowling Congress, which eventually merged with bowling’s other groups to form the USBC.
New construction to the River Center has allowed changes to the vendors’ area location and entrances for the bowlers.
The oil pattern for the tournament lanes was announced Friday on a live webcast on BowlTV.com.
When asked how many people were involved in coming to the final decision on the pattern, tournament manager Duane Hagen said “the number was over 1,200, including all the local and area bowlers who came through the venue this past week in the shakedown squads and helped contribute to the final decision.”
Sometime Wednesday night, a group of five locked in the final pattern that was demonstrated on the lanes Friday afternoon.
There will be special events on the lanes that will change the routine in the first two weeks, but for the most part, team shifts are scheduled each day at 2:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. with doubles and singles shifts at 7 a.m., 9:20 a.m. and 11:40 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. and 11:30 p.m.