Collegiate champion adds 300 to resume at 2022 USBC Open Championships
July 04, 2022
LAS VEGAS - Collin Smith of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is no stranger to bowling's biggest stages.
The 25-year-old right-hander was part of two national championship teams while bowling for McKendree University, and he's spent the past two seasons working as a graduate assistant for the men's and women's teams at Mount Mercy University.
As such, there is very little that Smith hasn't seen or done on the lanes at one time or another.
Nevertheless, when he stepped onto the approach with an opportunity to bowl 300 at the 2022 United States Bowling Congress Open Championships, Smith was more than a little nervous.
But as skilled bowlers often do, Smith came up big when it mattered most, taking advantage of a friendly hit on the 10th ball before delivering high-flush strikes in the 11th and 12th to shoot 300 during Game 2 of team at the South Point Bowling Plaza on Saturday.
"This was probably the first time since my first 300 that I couldn't feel my legs as I stepped up for the first shot in the 10th," said Smith, who helped McKendree win the 2016 and 2018 Intercollegiate Team Championships. "I threw that first ball in the 10th frame really slow, so my focus on the next two was throwing it a little faster than I threw the first one. I was fortunate that those balls went through the pins the right way and struck for me."
Smith's 300 was the 46th of the 2022 USBC Open Championships.
The perfect game gave Smith a 741 set and helped Not Your Grandpa's Pro Shop 1 of Lafayette, Indiana, to a 3,244 total, which was good for a tie for 71st place in Regular Team.
The Regular Division is for teams whose combined averages total 876 and above.
"We came in with a pretty good game plan and trusted each other," Smith said. "We all lost the picture for a minute or two somewhere in there, but we found it again and were able to execute some really good shots."
Smith seemed to have a firm grasp on the picture and was executing good shots all night long.
He struck on six of his first eight shots during Game 1, but a pair of late opens forced him to settle for 215.
Things changed as the page turned to Game 2, however, as Smith got lined up quickly and began striking at will.
"My ball started to go sideways off the friction toward the end of Game 1, so I knew that I had to make a change at the start of Game 2," Smith said. "I trusted the ball choice I made, that it was the right move and fortunately enough, it was a pretty good guess."
Smith followed up the 300 with a nine-strike performance during Game 3, but a pair of opens once again slowed his momentum, causing him to finish with 226.
The opening 741 helped propel Smith to a career-high 1,950 total in Regular All-Events. He added 623 in singles and 586 in doubles.
The Regular Division is for bowlers with averages of 176 and above.
But Smith leaves Las Vegas with more than just a good game and career-high all-events total to reflect upon; he leaves having made his mark in Open Championships history, which is something that can never be taken away from him.
"This was the first time that I'd ever had a legitimate shot at 300 at the Open Championships, so it definitely means a lot that I was able to pull it off," said Smith, who made his fifth tournament appearance. "To do something like this on this big stage is something that will always be very special to me."
Visit us on Facebook at the official USBC Open Championships page.
The 25-year-old right-hander was part of two national championship teams while bowling for McKendree University, and he's spent the past two seasons working as a graduate assistant for the men's and women's teams at Mount Mercy University.
As such, there is very little that Smith hasn't seen or done on the lanes at one time or another.
Nevertheless, when he stepped onto the approach with an opportunity to bowl 300 at the 2022 United States Bowling Congress Open Championships, Smith was more than a little nervous.
But as skilled bowlers often do, Smith came up big when it mattered most, taking advantage of a friendly hit on the 10th ball before delivering high-flush strikes in the 11th and 12th to shoot 300 during Game 2 of team at the South Point Bowling Plaza on Saturday.
"This was probably the first time since my first 300 that I couldn't feel my legs as I stepped up for the first shot in the 10th," said Smith, who helped McKendree win the 2016 and 2018 Intercollegiate Team Championships. "I threw that first ball in the 10th frame really slow, so my focus on the next two was throwing it a little faster than I threw the first one. I was fortunate that those balls went through the pins the right way and struck for me."
Smith's 300 was the 46th of the 2022 USBC Open Championships.
The perfect game gave Smith a 741 set and helped Not Your Grandpa's Pro Shop 1 of Lafayette, Indiana, to a 3,244 total, which was good for a tie for 71st place in Regular Team.
The Regular Division is for teams whose combined averages total 876 and above.
"We came in with a pretty good game plan and trusted each other," Smith said. "We all lost the picture for a minute or two somewhere in there, but we found it again and were able to execute some really good shots."
Smith seemed to have a firm grasp on the picture and was executing good shots all night long.
He struck on six of his first eight shots during Game 1, but a pair of late opens forced him to settle for 215.
Things changed as the page turned to Game 2, however, as Smith got lined up quickly and began striking at will.
"My ball started to go sideways off the friction toward the end of Game 1, so I knew that I had to make a change at the start of Game 2," Smith said. "I trusted the ball choice I made, that it was the right move and fortunately enough, it was a pretty good guess."
Smith followed up the 300 with a nine-strike performance during Game 3, but a pair of opens once again slowed his momentum, causing him to finish with 226.
The opening 741 helped propel Smith to a career-high 1,950 total in Regular All-Events. He added 623 in singles and 586 in doubles.
The Regular Division is for bowlers with averages of 176 and above.
But Smith leaves Las Vegas with more than just a good game and career-high all-events total to reflect upon; he leaves having made his mark in Open Championships history, which is something that can never be taken away from him.
"This was the first time that I'd ever had a legitimate shot at 300 at the Open Championships, so it definitely means a lot that I was able to pull it off," said Smith, who made his fifth tournament appearance. "To do something like this on this big stage is something that will always be very special to me."
Visit us on Facebook at the official USBC Open Championships page.