Bowling Highlights Column

USBC Open Tourney At Baton Rouge

With help from Mayor Kip Holden, construction on the venue that will be home to the 2012 United States Bowling Congress Open Championships got underway in Baton Rouge, La., recently.
Holden and Baton Rouge Area Convention and Visitors Bureau President and CEO Paul Arrigo helped snap the official string line and turned over the keys to the Baton Rouge River Center as dignitaries, supporters and media got their final look at the empty convention center before construction crews turn it into a state-of-the-art bowling stadium.
"We are excited to welcome the 2012 USBC Open Championships back to Baton Rouge," Arrigo said. "It is a pleasure to host the largest indoor participatory sporting event in the world. We look forward to the bowlers and their families returning to our city to enjoy our culture, cuisine and hospitality."
Earlier this week, the USBC tournament crew welcomed the first of more than 40 truckloads of materials needed to transform the River Center into the biggest stage in bowling. Construction is scheduled to be complete during the first week of February.
The finished venue will include 48 tournament lanes, four showcase lanes, squad room, locker room, concession area, offices and vendor space that will be bustling with nearly 60,000 bowlers during the tournament's 151-day run from Feb. 11-July 10.
So far, more than 11,300 teams are registered to compete in the 2012 Open Championships, which will be the event's second visit to Louisiana. It first was held there, also in Baton Rouge, in 2005.
"We're excited about being back in Baton Rouge, and we can't wait for the bowlers to see all of the changes to the city and the River Center since we were here in 2005," said Brian Lewis, USBC Managing Director of Tournaments. "We truly enjoyed the southern hospitality the first time around, and the community has rolled out the red carpet for us again this year. It has been nice to see some familiar faces, and it has been even better to see the trucks rolling in."
The entry deadline for the 2012 USBC Open Championships has been extend to March 1, 2012, so interested team captains have time to sign up their teams. There still are some prime times available, but spots are filling quickly.
For more information on the Open Championships, or to register a team for 2012, visit BOWL.com/openchamp or call 800-514-BOWL.

A Blessed Holiday

To everyone we wish a Very Blessed Holiday.

The Bowling Tip
By Mike Luongo

This week's tip is for all bowlers, however, youth, new bowlers and bowlers who have not had a correctly fit ball will benefit the most.
Choosing the correct weight for a bowling ball is not rocket science although it is made out to be at times. A poorly fit ball (lane ball or hack job) will take excessive grip pressure to hold onto. This makes the ball seem too heavy.
A good rule to thumb, when getting a custom fit ball, is to go two pounds over what a poorly fit ball weighs. You will be surprised at how much lighter a fit ball will feel. When a ball is fit properly, minimal grip pressure is needed to hold the ball, allowing you to swing the ball without putting a death grip on it. This applies to both finger tip and conventional grips. Understand that gravity, not upper body muscles should control the swing.
For youth bowlers, always err on the heavier side for several reasons. First, it is instinct to grab a ball and throw it.....not roll it. If the ball is too light , it is hard to teach a youth bowler to use gravity as their friend and roll the ball. Second, children are still growing and you may get an extra year out of the ball before the youth bowler outgrows the weight. If a youth bowler is switching from conventional to finger tip grip, in this case I would not recommend going too heavy as you do not want to make it an unpleasant experience. The best recommendation would be to re grip the old ball and get used to the grip before drilling a new ball.
Note: If a bowler, youth or adult, is bowling to enjoy themselves, a conventional grip is best. If a bowler is interested in some form of competitive bowling in the future, the finger grip is the way to go. Remember, there is not substitute for a properly fit ball. Parents of youth bowlers, please have the fit checked every six months.
Mike Luongo is a certified IBPSIA Pro Shop Operator, Master Instructor, USBC Silver Level Coach and an Advisor-Special Events assistant with the Storm and Roto Grip Bowling Ball Company. Have a question, call him at 435-720-7939 or email at mikel@stormbowling.com

This column is written by Ed Townsend, a public relations consultant to the amateur-professional sport of bowling and to several bowling writers associations. League and tournament information and scores can be sent to 845-439-8177, via email at edwardctownsend@hotmail.com and by bax at 845-205-4474. We are also available at http://bght.blogspot.com/ and on Facebook.
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