Tournament season is right around the corner
The USBC Open Championships is rapidly approaching and reservations are coming in fast!

The tournament begins Feb. 11, 2012, in Baton Rouge, La., and a sellout is anticipated. Make sure your bowlers know the prime dates are going fast and spots are limited. Visit BOWL.com/openchamp for available dates and reservation information. The entry deadline for the event is December 15, so be sure to get your entry in soon.

Bowlers also can take advantage of the new VIP package for the 2012 USBC Open Championships. The VIP package includes several gifts, discounts and other features combined into one great deal that can be purchased exclusively on BOWL.com for just $199.95. It is the perfect holiday gift or a special opportunity for a veteran competitor looking to enhance the tournament experience.

To purchase the Open Championships VIP package or for more information, please go to BOWL.com/vip.

Update now to WinLABs 10.0.4
For those associations that haven't already done so, please remember to upgrade WinLABs to version 10.0.4.  The latest version supports the new Grand Rings and allows for smoother updates to memberships, achievements, and awards.

As of Dec. 31, 2011, we will be expiring old awards and achievements from previous versions of WinLABs.  Some of the new awards only will work on the WinLABs 10.0.4 version. You will need to upgrade to 10.0.4 in order to continue to process awards such as 600 and 700 series, or 150 and 200 games.

In order to download the newest version of WinLABs, go to BOWL.com/associations. Please remember that associations will need their association number and supply order password to login.

Center Certification for 2011-12
There are still many centers that have not been inspected for the 2011-12 season. If an association is aware that a center does not intend to certify for this season, please send an email to us with the reasoning to the best of the association's knowledge. This will allow us to put the center on Inactive status until they again certify.

If a center has closed, please also update us by sending an email and let us know the center name, association name and number, and an approximate date the center closed. If applicable, please also let us know it there are any plans for the center to re-open in the future.

All correspondence can be sent to Steve Boyle at steve.boyle@bowl.com or by phone at 817-385-8407.

USA Bowling Webinar
Do you have a dwindling youth program? This can grow it. Looking to form a youth program? This can build it. The International Bowling Campus Director of Youth Development Chad Murphy and Youth Development Program Manager Emily Maier would like to welcome you to a free USA Bowling webinar.

They will be available to take your questions and explain how USA Bowling is designed to help turn the youth of today into lifelong bowlers. To view a short introductory video to USA Bowling, please click here.

The webinar schedules are as follows (all times Eastern):

• November 9, 3 p.m. 
• November 16, 3 p.m.

Please be sure to forward this information to any association officials or youth league coordinators that may not already be aware of this program. To receive webinar log-in information, please send an email toemaier@ibcyouth.com and include the webinar you wish to attend.