Pin Perspectives: Lessons Learned at the 2024 USBC Open Championships

Welcome, dear BTM readers! I hope that you have been enjoying your summer so far. Perhaps some of you competed in the USBC Open Championships tournament, which was held in Las Vegas this year. I bowled in my second Nationals, and now that I have resettled into my work, practice, and summer sport shot routines, my thoughts have crystallized.

After last year’s first-ever trip to the USBC Open Championships, I felt I’d learned quite a bit and prepared in consequence. Some things worked well, some did not; some were expected, and others were not. Here’s what I learned this year.

Practice at home

After bowling my first Nats last year, I was determined to get a head start this year and take advantage of as many sport shot opportunities as I could find. I thought doing so would help me transition from house shot angles of targeting away from the pocket to playing straighter and more direct angles, which is often demanded on sport shots.

However, the timing of my trip on Memorial Day weekend was problematic. In my area, collegiate bowling on patterns ends in February, summer sport shot leagues don’t start until June, and I was stuck smack dab in the middle.

Further, the Junior Gold league I was able to practice with last season could not allow me to do so this season because the center they bowled in butted up open-play bowlers right next to the Junior Gold bowlers, so there was no room for me.

What was I to do? I reached out to everyone I knew, but whether due to bowling center logistics or revenue concerns, I had precious few options. Thankfully, word of mouth led me to a fellow bowler who was able to arrange for a sport shot to be laid out every ...

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