Oregon State USBC

Throughout the year at the state tournaments and the Summit meeting, the Oregon State USBC raises money for a charitable organization called the Bowlers to Veterans Link (BVL).  The money Oregon bowlers raise is then submitted to the national BVL office.  After processing, the majority of the money is then returned to Oregon for distribution.

The money we receive goes to the following places:  

•  The Dalles Veterans Retirement Home ($3739)
•  The Portland VA Hospital ($3739)
•  The Roseburg VA Hospital ($3739)
•  The White City VA Hospital ($3739)
•  The Grants Pass Veterans Club ($500)

The total amount raised in the 2008-09 season was $20,264.94, with $15,456 staying right here in Oregon to directly support our veterans.  Oregon ranked 5th in the United States in charitable giving to the BVL, just behind California.

Pictured above is Oregon State USBC 1st Vice President Chris Maitrejean of Grants Pass making the check presentation to the Roseburg VA Hospital. 

If you're interested in donating to the BVL or would like more information, please visit the forms page to download a charity form, or contact us for more information.

Perfection!

By Jerry Thompson, Cottage Grove Sentinel Sports Editor  

“My knees were shaking and I got up there and just tried to stay as focused as I could––I didn’t want to screw up or anything,” said Cottage Grove High School bowler David Garcia, describing his feelings before attempting to bowl his team’s twelfth straight strike.  Garcia and his teammates pulled off a rare bowling feat Sunday, as five of them in a “Baker game” format rolled a perfect 300 game.

District 5 high school teams from Willamette, North Eugene, Reedsport, Siuslaw, North Bend, Thurston and Springfield high schools had finished competing Sunday morning, with Cottage Grove bowling last. As the Lions kept rolling strikes, the pressure mounted, and everyone at the Cottage Bowl focused their attention on the five CGHS bowlers: Matt Owen, Daniel Stewart, Daniel Zajic, David Garcia and Corbett Stewart.

Daniel Stewart had started it off for the Lions inauspiciously in the first frame with a “Brooklyn” strike.  His older brother, Corbett, was up in frame two and rolled a pocket strike. Daniel Zajic followed suit in frame three and the pressure began to mount. “Even on the fourth frame I was nervous,” said fourth place bowler Matt Owen. 

Owen’s strike was followed in frame five by Garcia, the team’s “anchor.” 

The CGHS girls’ bowling team was seated next to the Lion boys and they began screaming and yelling after each strike.

“Everybody knew it could be a perfect game after everyone had thrown one strike, but no one wanted to jinx it by talking about it being a possible 300,” said Corbett Stewart. At the ninth frame everybody stood up and crossed their fingers.”

 “It was exhilarating,” said Owen, who was up in the ninth frame. “Everybody was looking at me and staring.  I was thinking how exciting it would be to roll a 300, but you never know if you could leave a split and fall apart. I was standing there at the line ready to throw the ball and thought I could make this or miss it. I could taste it. I was really shaky and weak at my knees and thought I was going to fall over. I threw the ball and didn’t think I threw it well at all and whoa! Another strike!”

The tenth and final frame was next, which meant Garcia would have to bowl three straight strikes (a total of four in the game) to fulfill the dream.

“It was quiet when I got up there,” Garcia said. “It was pretty nerve-wracking. Nobody else in the alley was throwing, but as soon as I threw it and the ball hit the lane everybody started cheering. It was awesome. 

I just stepped up on the lane and approached it how I always do. I took it one frame at a time. I didn’t look at the scoreboard. I didn’t think about it. I just went up there and did everything I had to do. 

The twelth frame was when I got most nervous. I just let it go. As soon as I let it go, I knew it was a good shot and hoped for the best.

Everybody in the alley went crazy and started celebrating with friends. I knew how big it was. It was amazing. There’s not many teams in the nation who’ve done that, so I knew we’d done something special.”

The perfect game had quite the effect on the Lions’ coach, Kevin Carver.

“Coach Carver couldn’t talk,” Owen said. “He left the bowling alley for a little while and when he came back in he was still shaky.”   

“It came as a big surprise,” Carver said. “We have a really good group of boys who are working hard and there’s a good chance they will qualify for state."

 Jo Zaklan, the District 5 tournament director, confirmed that the CG boys’ 300 is the only one that has ever been bowled in District 5 history.

Very few occur in high school or college bowling, according to Natalie Cardoza, who bowled competitively in high school and college.  The Lion boys will be receiving plaques for their rare achievement. 

The 300 game was bowled just before noon on Sunday in a qualifying round. The Lions wound up third overall in the tournament.

Albany bowler and Mid Valley USBC board member Ron Hall was recently honored as the National Bowlers to Veterans Link volunteer of the month for the month of December. 

Click Here to read the article.

Congratulations Ron! And thanks for all your hard work for our veterans!

The Willamette Valley USBC is currently looking for an Association Manager.  This is a part time, salaried position. 

If you're interested, please click HERE to download an application.  Applicants must be at least 18 years of age.

Questions about the position can be directed to wvusbc@gmail.com.

Over the next two weeks, Association Manager Josh Keihl will be making his way around the state to visit nearly every bowling center in Oregon.  On his way, he'll be dropping off State Championship Tournament entry forms for the Open, Women and Youth.  Make sure to stop in a pick up your soon.

In addition, he'll also be delivering some free promotional magnets.  They are limited in supply, so make sure to get your as soon as you can.

Here is a tentative schedule of his trip:

November 16: Mid Willamette Valley

November 18: Northern Coast 

November 19-21:  Portland Area

November 22:  Eugene Area

November 23-24:  Southern Oregon/Coast

November 25:  Central Oregon

The 9 Pin No Tap Annual Bowling Tournament for women was held at Tillamook Lanes on November 8th, 2009 with 38 women participating.  This is a Handicap - 4 game tournament.

30 Tillamook area women were joined by 8 women from Scapoose, Astoria, Cloverdale, McMinnville, Sheridan and Dallas.

The Top Finishers were:

1.  Cheryl Widener      1,048 pins  (pictured)

2.  Susan Taylor          1,000 pins

3.  Ellie Culp                   993 pins

4.  RahNell Seward         985 pins

5.  Doris Nelson              974 pins

6.  Rosan Hallstrom        958 pins

7. Patti Barrett               947 pins

8.  Shirley Wooden         939 pins

9.  Joyce Wren               936 pins

10.  Christine Hurliman  933 pins

During the event, Becky Holler achieved an almost impossible feat:  she picked up the 7-10 split.  

On November 14^th and 15^th, 29 of the best female scratch bowlers from around Oregon made their way to  Molalla Bowl to compete in the Oregon State USBC Queens Tournament.

Saturday saw all 29 bowlers shoot twelve games of qualifying with the top 16 in cumulative pin total moving on to Sunday’s match play.  The top qualifier for Sunday’s match play was Lori Eskew of Hillsboro who averaged a 214.5 over the 12 games.  Last year’s Queen Penny Fentiman of Sweet Home rounded out the cut averaging a 188.6.  The Sunday match play featured a double elimination bracket with two game matches and a step ladder final for the final five left standing. 

After several grueling hours of head to head matches, the final match came down to Loree Burkholder of Aurora versus Kathy Tribbey of Dundee.  Burkholder came out firing with a 244 the first game versus Tribbey’s 229.  The final match saw Kathy Tribbey come roaring back, stringing the first five strikes in a row to score a 226 against Burkholder’s 185.  The final match score:  Kathy Tribbey 455, Loree Burkholder 429.  Kathy Tribbey was crowned the 2009 Oregon State USBC Queen.

“I just ran out of juice.”  Burkholder said after the match.  This marks the second year in a row that Loree has come in second place.  When asked about her unique style of ball delivery she stated that she prefers “unorthodox.”

This is Tribbey’s third reign as Queen, having won in 2000 and 2005.  As the new Queen, Kathy Tribbey will represent Oregon, having earned a paid entry into the National Queens Tournament to be held next spring in El Paso, Texas.

A big congratulations to Kathy for her victory as well as all the other competitors who came out to shoot for the crown.  For more information on the Queens tournament, please visit www.osusbc.com.

1 Kathy Tribbey
2 Loree Burkholder
3 Marcella Schulte
4 Donna Stewart
5 Camille Baker
6 Sandy Currie
7 Natalie Decker
8 Penny Fentiman
9 Sue Herring
10 Lori Eskew
11 Teri Copeland
12 Jill Croucher
13 Colleen Padilla
14 Samantha Kessler
15 Jaime Lorey
16 Ane McKee
17 Candyce Driggs- Alternate

The results of the 2009 Senior Qualifying Tournament are now available on the Senior Qualifying Tournament Page.

The entry forms, rules and schedule for the 2010 High School District Tournaments are now available on the High School Tournament page.

Some changes have been made to the rules for the 2009 Queens Tournament in an effort to make them clearer. The new rules are available for download on the Queens Tournament page.

The 2010 Youth Championship Tournament entry form is now available on the Youth Tournament page.

This year's tournament will be at Lava Lanes in Bend beginning on March 20th and concluding April 4th.  

For more information on Youth bowling in Oregon, please visit the OSUSBC Youth Website.

Congratulations goes out to Ryan Waddell of Madras for throwing back-to-back perfect games at Madras bowl on his Tuesday night league last week.  Ryan followed up his performance the following night by throwing a 299. 

Ryan was featured in a story in the Bend Bulletin, written by Katie Brauns as well as the Madras Pioneer.  Click Here to read the article in the Madras Pioneer.  Once again, Congratulations!

If you know someone who has an outstanding bowling accomplishment and you would like to see them featured on the front page of this site, send us a short write up and a photo via email or regular mail.

Only the brisk air, rain, and occasional Oregon snow separate us from tournament season.  Now is the time to start putting your teams together for spring.  Entry forms for the Open, Women's and Youth Championship tournaments should be available in your local bowling center by the middle of October.  

As always, entry forms are available on the website for download as soon as they are ready.  You can currently get the Open and Women's entry forms on the tournament page.

Entry forms for the 2010 Open Championship Tournament are now available for viewing/download on the Tournaments Page.

Team captains from the 2009 Open will be receiving an entry in the mail sometime this week.  If you were not a team captain last year, but would like a form mailed to you, please contact us.

Entry forms for both tournaments will be available at your local bowling center before the end of the September.

The Open consists of 5 person teams (any combination of average/gender) who compete in this divisional scratch tournament based on your average totals.  The tournament also features Singles, Doubles, and All-Events.

Please encourage teams from your local centers to come to Medford and take their shot at over $80,000 in prizes and the chance to be named State Champion.

Hey ladies!  It's that time again.  The new and improved Queens Tournament will be held November 14-15, 2009 at Molalla Bowl in Molalla, Oregon.

Come take your shot at proving your the best female scratch bowler in the state.  The winner will receive a paid entry into the 2010 National Queens Tournament in El Paso, Texas to represent Oregon.

Entry forms are available on the Tournaments Page, sign up today!

Visit the Tournament Page to download or view the Women's Championship Tournament entry form and rules. 

Forms will be available at your local bowling center between September 14th and 30th.

In an effort to reach new league bowlers, the Oregon State USBC has launched the iBowl media campaign.  The first leg of this campaign are radio ads to be aired for this week, August 31st to September 6th on 105.1 The Buzz in Portland and 104.7 Kduk and 101.5 Kfly in the Eugene area. 

Listen to the first ad here, and the second, here.

The second part of the campaign will be free iBowl stickers or magnets which should be available at your local bowling center towards the middle to end of September.  If you get a sticker, make sure to put it somewhere where people can see your bowling pride!  

The campaign hopes to encourage those people who have never bowled in a league to consider it as a possibility.  Like the radio commercial says, "Come roll with us in the Oregon State USBC- and bring a friend!" 

National Bowling Week is coming August 29th - September 5th.

On September 5th, all people who download a free game coupon at bowl.com will be able to bowl at their local participating center.  Bowl a game for free and take part in the world record breaking event!  For your efforts, you will also receive a certificate to verify your participation.  Click here for your free game coupon and be sure to pass this information along to your friends.

The USBC recently released a promotional video to encourage participation in a USBC league.  Click here to view the video.

You can now download application forms for the Volunteer of the Year and Hall of Fame on the forms page.  More forms will be added in the near future as well.

If you are interested in seeing the final standings and payouts from the 2009 Senior Mixed Tournament, visit the Tournaments page and click on the Senior Mixed page.

The new State Merged Bylaws as of August 1st are now available for downloading or viewing on the OSUSBC Bylaws page.  

Congratulations to the 2009 State Award Winners who were recently honored at the Oregon Bowling Summit.  

Kevin Croucher-  Hall of Fame Inductee, Superior Performance

Twila Niemi-  Hall of Fame Inductee, Meritorious Service

Mark Mattecheck- Proprietor of the Year, North Bend Lanes

Peggy Van Horn- Volunteer of the Year

Karah Croucher- Mabel Marrs Scholarship Winner

Cody Jurgens- Ray Wise Scholarship Winner

Many thanks to all of you who made the trip down to the Red Lion in Eugene to take part in the first ever Oregon Bowling Summit.  The Summit marked the first time the OSUSBC & OSBPA (Oregon State Bowling Proprietors Association) had their annual meetings together.

The Summit featured the traditional Annual Meeting and Awards Banquet, but in addition, a presentation on the Future of Bowling, presented by BPAA President and USBC National Director Jim Sturm, was given along with a class on 990's and a Youth presentation.  

The delegation voted in new Board President Steve Byers from The Dalles, 2nd Vice President Linda Wells from Aloha, and Directors Doug Nowlin (St. Helens), Edith Noteboom (Tillamook), Sherri Schmaling (Clackamas), Tim Lein (Creswell), Jo Zaklan (Springfield), Robert Warrick (Coos Bay), Christy Herman (Hermiston) and Gary Davis (Bend).  

The upcoming tournaments for the state have also been decided.  For up-to-date information on all of the tournaments, please visiti the tournament page.  

On a special note, the Board of Directors has approved a new tournament date for the Queens Tournament, which will be held yet again in 2009, the 2nd weekend of November, at Molalla Bowl in Molalla.  Keep an eye out for entry forms sometime in August.

The 2010 Summit location has yet to be decided, but it appears that our meeting together was a success and the beginning a new and imporved working relationship with the OSBPA.  The location for the next Summit will be posted on the Summit page as soon as it is decided.  You are all encouraged to attend next year and take part in the future of the bowling in Oregon.

In an effort to keep the awards program fresh and interesting, the USBC has introduced a new 11-in-a-row award for the upcoming 2009-10 season.  The old award of a plaque will no longer be available.  

This trophy marks the first of many award changes that the USBC has in mind for the coming year.  This year will also mark the introduction of new youth awards with updated patch designs revolving around the Bowlopolis theme.

On Tuesday, July 14th, Greater Portland Association Manager, Al Whiteman passed away after a battle with cancer.  Al served as the Greater Portland Association as manager for 4 years and helped lead the association through it's transition into the USBC.  His service, dedication and enthusiasm for the sport of bowling will be remembered for many years to come.  He was recently honored by having his "jersey" retired at the Greater Portland Annual Meeting Banquet, to remember his many years of service.  He is survived by his wife Cindy and 6 children, 10 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren, and will be missed by all.

If you would like to honor Al, it is requested that a donation be made to St. Jude's Hospital, his favorite charity.

Did you know that joining the USBC does more than just give you access to official leagues and tournaments?  Being a member also opens the door to several discounts through popular merchants around the country.  Click the logo on the left to find out all the different benefits you have as a member of the USBC.

The two proposed changes to the Oregon State USBC Bylaws are now available for viewing on the Summit page.  

The USBC will introduce a new series of lane conditions for certified competition starting next spring. The new patterns will be identified as Red, White and Blue.

The patterns, which will vary in degree of difficulty, will be designed to provide bowlers a better description for the difficulty of scoring on traditional “house” conditions. The USBC Red pattern will be the most forgiving condition, USBC White will be more challenging and USBC Blue will be the most difficult of the new “house” conditions. USBC Sport Bowling conditions will continue to be the most challenging level of oil patterns.

The new condition categories, which are scheduled for testing later this year in cooperation with the Bowling Proprietors’ Association of America and should be available for tournament use in spring 2010 and for the fall 2010 league season. Use of the patterns will be optional, and they will be available to interested proprietors at no cost.

To promote the new series of lane conditions, the USBC is sponsoring the Red, White and Blue Open presented by USBC, a Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour event that will take place, Dec. 7-13 at Northrock Lanes in Wichita, Kan. The finals will air Jan. 3 on ESPN.

The State Nominating Committee has submitted their report for the 2009 Summit Meeting as well as the Qualifications of the Candidates up for election this year.  Feel free to check out both as well as all the other Summit information on the Summit Page.

If you're not familiar with what the Summit Meeting is, please do visit the Summit page.  Each year at the state level, we elect people to fill our open seats on the Board of Directors.  Every Oregon State USBC member is eligible to run for one of these seats.  It's a great opportunity to find out what goes into growing and maintaining our sport.

If you are interested in running for a board member spot next year, the 2010 Board of Directors applications are currently available on the Forms Page.

The Open Tournament unofficial prize payouts are now listed on the tournament page.  Results should become final on Monday the 22nd with checks being issued sometime during the 4th week of June, pending no changes due to incorrect score recording or divisional placement.  Please report any scoring discrepancies to tournament director Josh Keihl.  Congratulations to all the winners and thank you to all of the 430 teams who participated this year.

The USBC Youth Standard Membership dues structure for the 2009-10 season is as follows: $17 total - $14.50 national, $2 processing fee to association or center, $.50 to state association. The state association fee is mandatory and cannot be deducted. It will be used to support the state association’s mission and service its youth membership.

The USBC Youth Basic Membership is $5.00 and includes $4.00 for national and $1.00 for local processing with no state dues. Basic membership dues are on a per-league basis for seasons that are 12 weeks or fewer only.

Youth members participating in multiple leagues in more than one center will pay the $17 standard membership through their original league only; thereafter, bowlers will pay a $2 processing fee in each additional center in which they bowl.

Starting Aug. 1 for the 2009-10 season, all youth league membership processing, whether it be Standard, Basic, or Sport, will be processed on the new web-based system on bowl.com. WinLABS will no longer be used to process USBC Youth memberships.

After 2 months of competitive bowling at Valley Lanes in Beaverton, the Open Championship Tournament has come to an end.  Thank you to all of you who participated in the tournament, we look forward to seeing you the same time next year at Lava Lanes in Medford.  Entry forms for next year will be mailed to the team captains around the first week of September. 

You can view the tentative final standings of this years tournament on our tournament page.  The final cash prizes will be listed by June 18th on the tournament page as well.  

Congratulations to those bowlers who achieved honor scores at the tournament, they are as follows:

•  Brandon Blythe- 300
• Tim Myers- 300
• Corey Husted- 300
• Russ Perini- 300
• Bobby Larkins- 300
• Frank Dietz Jr.- 300
• Dan Stinnett- 300
• Vince Greget- 300
• Rich Corwin- 826 Series- Team Event
• Tyler Smith- 807 Series- Singles Event

2009 Senior Mixed entry forms are now available for download on the tournament page.  They will also be available for pick up at your local bowling center by June 12th.  

The Hall of Fame page is finally up as part of an ongoing effort to make the website a one stop tool for everything OSUSBC.  If you ever have any suggestions for the website, don't hesitate to contact us.

The results are in! 

Click here to to see the final prize standings for the Women's Championship Tournament.  Please also take a few moments to read the letter below from the Tournament Director, Linda Scott.

May 25, 2009

Dear Tournament Bowlers (present, past and future):

We’ve all survived, and hopefully enjoyed, another tournament.  You can see the results of the survey we conducted during the tournament.  There were more than 1,000 surveys returned, and we thank you for your participation and for sharing your opinions.  My goodness, you do have opinions!

I’ll share with you what I intend to submit to the board as a result of reading all those opinions.  I will suggest that we continue with the small gift for each bowler.  Each year it becomes more difficult to find something that would be appealing to you and yet stay within our increasingly limited budget, but I’ll give it my best shot. 

I’m going to suggest to the board that we go back to three divisions and sort those divisions based on the averages that entered the tournament this year, so that there will be approximately equal numbers of entrants in each division.  That may mean that Division 1 will be 158 and up, but it will be handicapped, and there will be a healthy prize fund because it will include about 1/3 of the entrants.  That should give a better and hopefully equal payoff in each of the three divisions.  I’m also going to suggest that we continue to offer the $10 Optional Scratch Singles and to add a $20 Optional Scratch Doubles.  If these prove to appeal to the higher average bowlers, I would like to look at a $40 Optional Scratch Team in the future.  Remember – all these ideas are subject to board approval.

I was puzzled by your response that you preferred the March to May time frame, since very few of you signed up to bowl in March.  I came to the conclusion that you didn’t like the possibility of July times.  The tournament dates for next year are already set, but what I’m thinking is that you would prefer to bowl in April and May, and I will attempt to get the tournament scheduled during those time frames in the future.

You have indicated that you want to hear the high scores announced, so I will create a form for you to list your scores to be announced, and they will be announced next year and in the future.

Wow!  You almost all agree that you want a dress code, and you want it enforced.  I’ll really try.  I’ll try to get some kind of poster that can be placed where all can see it when you enter the tournament.  Please help me out by reminding your own teams and checking to see that everyone is dressed appropriately.  This is an ongoing problem and a difficult issue for a tournament director.  Any suggestions on how to address this problem would be appreciated.  (Any volunteers to be the dress police would have my undying gratitude!)

Many of you had comments and suggestions, and I read every one of them.  Thank you to the many who had kind remarks – they are very much appreciated.  The many suggestions were all read and considered, but unless there was a prevalence of the same opinion, it’s difficult to take action on them.  Many, many of you were upset that we didn’t have photographs this year, and so was I.  Randy and Linda will be pleased to know how much they were missed, and I’m sure they will be with us next year.  There just wasn’t any place in the bowling center that they could take pictures without the flash disturbing those still competing.  

I understand that you’re unhappy that you have to write your own scores.  It takes many volunteers to run the tournament, and it was stretching beyond the capacity of the associations to secure volunteers to manage one for every four lanes.  In the last few tournaments, we often had to ask spectators to write scores for us, and they were reluctant to do it and were making many errors.  This year, with the bowlers writing their own scores, we had almost no incorrect scores entered.  We got a printout from the lanes for every squad, and the Emerald Valley volunteers checked every recap sheet against them, so there was no chance of a bowler deliberately falsifying her scores.  The only errors found were almost always a lower score had been entered.   I’m very pleased with the efficiency of doing it this way, and I think we will continue with this system.

Thanks to those who bowled the early weekends and let me know that I should be introducing the teams.  I took your suggestions and began introducing the teams.   I really am open to suggestions, and I’m trying to make you happy.

I’m impressed that so many of you were willing to try the brackets that we offered for the first time this year.  Emerald Valley ran the brackets and agreed to divide their proceeds with the state.  We were able to add $510.00 to the prize funds for the five team divisions with the state’s share of the bracket money.  I hope we will be able to continue to offer brackets every year at our tournament.

The final prize list is available on the website.  Congratulations to all the winners and to all who cashed.  We are currently working on getting the checks out to you.  One event that isn’t listed on the prize list is the winner of high scratch all events.  Samantha Kessler took that honor, with her scratch all events score of  2036.  Samantha will be receiving a paid entry into the 2010 OSUSBC Queens Tournament.  Congratulations to Samantha – great bowling!

All in all, I’m pleased with my first year as your tournament director.  I made several changes and most of them received no comments, which I take to be a positive sign, so I’ll continue with them next year.  I learned a lot from you, I got to know many of you and hope to make more friends in the future.

 Linda Scott

osusbclinda@aol.com

Click here to see the results of the survey given at the tournament.

The Oregon State USBC Nominating Committee has extended the deadline for applications for State Board of Directors and the Delegate to the National USBC Convention to June 1st, 2009. 

The current positions available on the Board are President, 2nd Vice President, and Directors from every district. 

If you would like to attend the National USBC Convention in Reno, Nevada in 2010 and experience how our organization is shaped, don't miss your opportunity to put in your application.

Applications are available for download on the Forms page. 

Did you know that every USBC certified Youth bowler who pays the standard membership dues of $17 this 2009-10 season will receive a USBC Youth Jersey? The jersey will be made of performance material similar to cotton with the look and feel of a soccer jersey.

If you have questions regarding the changes to the Youth program, please read this article, or contact us. 

You can now follow the Oregon State USBC on Twitter and get updates on meetings, tournaments, and other info just by clicking the Twitter logo in the right sidebar.  Not sure what Twitter is?  Take a look at the video below.

By most accounts the USBC National Convention was a success.  Events ran on time, the classes put on were informative, and people got their questions answered. 

Some of the major topics covered were:  The new bowl.com which will be launching soon; The changes in the Youth dues to $17 as well as the age limitations from 22 to 20 starting August 1, 2009; Relationships with proprietors and how to improve them, and the new USBC staff and the move to Arlington, Texas.

The goal of the convention was clear:  Grow the sport of bowling by moving forward technologically, improving proprietor relations, and keeping the Youth involved.  There was a very healthy agenda put forth by the USBC to accomplish all these things.  The proposed national dues increase failed, which may hinder the advancement of some of these programs, but we in Oregon are still in a very good position to move the sport forward. 

Oregon is currently a test state for a USBC high school program, which is being lead by Director Colleen Padilla, and we are also looking for other opportunities to continue to be progressive in efforts to grow the sport statewide.  

Oregon State USBC sent two official delegates, President Jan Davies and Director Cindy Forrest.  Association Manager Joshua Keihl was also in attendence for the state, as were Directors Robert Van Horn and Gary Davis, sent by their local delegations.  If you have any questions about the events of the National USBC, please contact the Association Manager.  Questions can also be answered at the Summit Meeting this July 24-26 in Eugene, were everyone is welcome to attend and see how the Oregon State USBC functions.

Due to the USBC National Convention beginning this week in Reno, there will be no Open or Women's Championship Tournament action this weekend.  Check out the Tournament Page to see the current standings.  Action will resume on May 9th and 10th.

This past weekend marked the opening of the 2009 Open Championship Tournament at Valley Lanes in Beaverton.  The tournament started with a bang with 3 perfect games being rolled on the first day on 3 different lanes by 3 different bowlers.  As the tournament progresses, check back here on our tournament page for updated standings on Monday of each week.  

This Saturday, April 18th, marks the opening of the 68th Annual Open Championship Tournament at Valley Lanes in Beaverton.  Bowlers from across the state will make their way to Beaverton to compete in the largest state bowling tournament in Oregon.  The format is a divisional scratch tournament, with bowlers competing in team, doubles and singles events.  Check back throughout the tournament, which runs until June 14th, for current standings on our tournament page. 

If you missed your chance to bowl in this years Open, don't miss out next year when it will be held at Lava Lanes in Medford.  Registration forms will be available in the fall and registration is expected to begin October 1st.

Congratulations to Penny Fentiman of Sweet Home who took home the crown in this years Queens Tournament!  After qualifying in the 8th position, Penny went undefeated through double-elimination match play, defeating Loree Burkholder of Aurora 225-205 for the title.  

Check out the Photo Gallery for a few snapshots of the qualifiers and click here to see the scores from the qualifying games.  The final standing, last game score, and payouts are below.  

 Here are the final standings for the top 16 qualifiers:

1. Penny Fentiman (225) $210
2. Loree Burkholder (205) $185
3. Jenifer Ross (189) $170
4. Laura Harvey (227) $150
5. Cindy Lou Lawless (179) $120
6. Samantha Kessler (248) $115
7. Lela Larkin (237) $110
8. Cindy Whiteman (181) $105
9. Kathy Tribbey (231) $100
10. Teri Sunell (227) $90
11. Angela Sally (171) $85
12. Marcella Schulte (169) $80
13. Jill Croucher (198) $75
14. Jennifer Riedy (195) $70
15. Bonnie Cox (183) $65
16. Donna Stewart (171) $60
17.  Janie Hartman (Alt) $40

USBC Coaching is pleased to announce an upcoming Bronze coach certification conference in Salem, OR on May 1st-3rd at Firebird Lanes.  If you or someone you know is interested in this conference, download the registration form HERE.

On April 4th, the best female bowlers in the state will gather at Linn Lanes in Lebanon to decide who will reign as Queen of bowling in Oregon.  Last year, Kelly DeLisle (pictured left) of Grants Pass took home the crown.  Will it be you this year?  The tournament is scratch, the entry fee is $75, and entry forms are available on the tournament page.  Gary Heintzman, owner of Linn Lanes, has generously donated an extra $500 to this years prize fund.  Don't miss out on your opportunity to claim the crown.  Entries will be accepted until April 4th, or until 60 bowlers have entered, don't wait!

The results for the High School All Star Tournament, held this past weekend at Emerald Bowl in Eugene, are posted on the OSUSBC Youth website.  A few pictures of the winners from the tournament are available on the Photo Gallery page.

The current standings for the Women's Championship Tournament can be viewed under the tournament page in pdf format.

The Women's Championship Tournament's opening weekend starts tomorrow at Firs Bowl in Eugene.  If you're in the area, feel free to come by and watch.  The tournament runs every weekend through May 17th with the exception of the April 11th and May 2nd weekends.

A survey widget has been added to the this page's right hand column at the bottom.  Check back on each visit to give a quick answer to the survey that will help inform us what you as bowlers want to see change or keep the same with bowling in Oregon.

Visit the OSUSBC Youth website for the complete final standings of the 2009 High School Championship Tournament. 

First place for the girls team event went to Grants Pass, second to Bend, and third to Willamette.

First place for the boys team event went to Mazama, second to Crater, and third to Liberty.

Congratulations to boys champion Eryk Jensen, girls champion Karah Croucher and coaches champ David Dimoff.  Check out the photo gallery for a few photos from the event.

USBC members can save money on products and services through a new USBC Member Rewards Program. Members can now save money on popular goods and services thanks to the new USBC Reward Center presented by PerkSpot.  Click here to find out more.

Due to the low amount of entries received, the entry deadline for the 2009 Open Championship Tournament has been extended from March 2nd to March 16th.  Please have your entries into the association office before then.  The entry form is still available for download on the tournament page along with the correct address to send the form.

The USBC will be holding Town Hall meetings all around the United States in the coming weeks.  This weekend, on February 28th, in Olympia, Washington Oregon bowlers will have there best chance to attend one of these meetings.  It will be held at the Phoenix Inn at 415 Capitol Way N in Olympia, beginning at 11 a.m.  The meeting will be hosted by Steve Wunderlich, USBC Director of Membership Development and a member of the USBC Task Force.  A Q&A session will follow the meeting.

The Youth Tourament entry deadline has been extended to March 7th.  The entry form is available for download on the tournaments page or visit www.osusbcyouth.com.  

The 2009 Queens Tournament entry form is now available for download on the tournament page.  The tournament is being held on April 4th at Linn Lanes in Lebanon.  Feel free to contact tournament director Gary Davis with any questions.  His information is available on the entry form.

There are only about 2 weeks left to register for both of the Championship Tournaments.  Make sure to get your entry forms and checks in the mail ASAP.  Please make sure to check the Tournaments page for the correct address to send the forms for the Open Tournament since the office moved from Medford to Corvallis in December.

The 2009 Youth Tournament entry form is now available for download on the tournament page.   

If you're interested in becoming more involved in the Oregon State USBC, your chance is here.  There are two opportunities currently available for those interested, an opportunity to sit on the state Board of Directors or become a delegate to represent Oregon at the 2010 USBC National Annual Meeting.  The forms are available for download on the forms page.  Anyone who has an active interest in seeing bowling thrive in Oregon is encouraged to apply!

If you're a Facebook user, make sure to headover and join the new OSUSBC group.  Tell your bowling buddies, add some pictures, start a discussion, or just say hello by writing on the wall.  You can reach the page by clicking on the logo at the top.

Corvallis, Oregon – The Oregon State United States Bowling Congress (OSUSBC) has appointed a new Association Manager to oversee its operations and tournament play.

On Saturday, November 22 at Emerald Lanes in Eugene, Oregon, the OSUSBC board of directors, appointed Corvallis resident Joshua Keihl as their new Association Manager.

Interim Association Manager, Peggy Van Horn of Vancouver, Washington, who was present Saturday at the appointment said, “We’re very excited to have Josh take over the position, our hope is that his youth will be an asset to the organization and that a positive change will take place for the sport of bowling in Oregon.”   

Keihl, originally an Ohio native, came to Oregon in December of 2000 to pursue a degree at Oregon State in New Media Communications.  During his time at Oregon State he bowled in a Thursday night mixed league at Highland Bowl on 9th Street in Corvallis.

“I’m a people person and I think life is about developing relationships,” Keihl said,  “I’m really looking forward to getting out to all the bowling centers in Oregon and talking to the proprietors and bowlers and getting feedback from them on what they like and would like to see change about bowling.”  

The OSUSBC will host its annual Open Tournament this year from April 18th to June 14th at Valley Lanes in Beaverton.  This will be the first Open Tournament for Keihl and his first opportunity to meet many of the seasoned veterans in Oregon bowling.

In addition to the Open, Keihl is looking forward to being part of the other large state tournaments such as the Women’s Championship, held March 14th to May 17th in Eugene at Emerald Lanes, and the Youth Tournament at Hanscom Lanes in Klamath Falls from March 21st to April 5th.

“The thing I love about bowling is that anyone can do it, men and women, young and old, and people from every fitness level,” Keihl said.  “My grandmother bowled until the day she died, the tradition and history we have in this sport is invaluable.”

Keihl also expressed his excitement in the opportunity to work with the youth.  He hopes to not only get more kids into bowling, but to inspire them to reach goals beyond the lanes.  “I’m only 27-years-old, well below the average age of most state Association Managers.  I hope that kids will see a younger person in charge, and that will inspire them to set goals for themselves they might not have otherwise thought possible.”  He added.

For additional information on Joshua Keihl’s appointment as the Association Manager please contact Josh at manager@osusbc.com or visit www.osusbc.com

The OSUSBC is the governing body of bowling in the state of Oregon and operates under and in coordination with the United States Bowling Congress and its bylaws.