Hansen Hardscapes looks for repeat at 2025 USBC Open Championships
May 08, 2025
PHOTO (from left): Ashley Ohlrogge, Jessica Cook, David Nelson, Christopher Cook and Eric Ohlrogge
BATON ROUGE, La. – After securing the win in Classified Team at the 2024 United States Bowling Congress Open Championships in Las Vegas, the members of Hansen Hardscapes returned to the tournament this week in Baton Rouge to experience the excitement that comes with a victory at the event.
The group – based out of Alexandria, Minnesota – was able to see their championship banner hanging above the lanes inside the Raising Cane’s River Center. They also were presented with their championship watches and able to see a gold cup next to their names on the scoreboard for the first time, recognizing their status as an event champion.
The team from the 2024 event – featuring Ashley Ohlrogge, Jessica Cook, Lauren Johnson, Christopher Cook and Eric Ohlrogge – recorded the win at the South Point Bowling Plaza with a 2,607 total.
The crew had a slight adjustment to the roster for 2025, since Johnson was unable to attend the tournament this year, but the addition of David Nelson resulted in the same outcome for Hansen Hardscapes.
The group took over the lead Wednesday at the River Center with games of 843, 743 and 836 for a 2,422 total and now has the chance to become the first team to successfully defend a title in the Classified Division.
Fat Dad’s 4 – also out of Alexandria – had held the lead since March 4 with 2,407.
Eric Ohlrogge led the way for Hansen Hardscapes with a 565 series, and he was followed by Jessica Cook (496), Ashley Ohlrogge (494), Christopher Cook (452) and Nelson (415).
The Classified Division was introduced at the Open Championships in 1916 and originally was known as the Booster Division. Until 1936, the teams competing in the division were restricted to the host city area.
In 1999, the name was changed to Classified as the tournament also introduced doubles, singles and all-events for the division.
George Blackburn of Sallisaw, Oklahoma, is the only competitor to win Classified titles in back-to-back years at the event, winning the team title in 2002 and following with a singles victory in 2003.
Mike Humes of Grove, Oklahoma, and Alan Iverson of Alexandria, Minnesota, are the only players to win multiple team titles in the division. Humes secured wins in Booster Team during the 1994 and 1996 events, while Iverson collected Classified Team titles in 2015 and 2017.
“It was really exciting to see the banner,” said Eric Ohlrogge, making his 16th appearance at the Open Championships. “It was kind of nerve-wracking, too, so I’m really glad we bowled away from the banner, so I didn’t have to look at it the whole time. But, the gold cup definitely reminded us we can do this. We’ve been here before, we can do it again.”
In the final frame of Game 3, Ashley Ohlrogge delivered a double from the leadoff position to put the team in a good spot to return to the top.
When Eric Ohlrogge stepped up to close the game as the anchor, he needed a mark to secure the lead. He delivered a flush strike on his first delivery and followed with an eight count and spare to close the team’s performance.
“We bowl together every other week in a mixed league, so we have built some great chemistry,” Eric Ohlrogge said. “We kind of know how to work through some issues when we’re not bowling the best – we struggled a little bit in the second game but came around.
“I knew the score – I follow the scores pretty closely when we’re going to bowl something. After the second game, we knew we were behind the number and had to pick it up. Going into the last couple shots, we knew we had a chance. Ashley set us up with a big finish, and I knew I wanted a better shot on Facebook this year, because I didn’t throw it very well in the 10th frame last year.”
The family ties are big for the team as well. Eric and Ashley are married, and so are Christopher and Jessica. David – making his first appearance at the Open Championships – is Jessica’s father.
They now will head back to Minnesota in the same position as last year, with hopes of a repeat in 2025.
“I don’t have any patience for waiting, so I’m going to look at the scores three or four times a day,” joked Eric Ohlrogge. “It’s crazy, though, and definitely surreal. I didn’t think it was possible. We joked about it but didn’t think it was possible.”
Classified Team features five-player groups with combined entering averages of 775 and below.
The Open Championships is celebrating its third trip to Baton Rouge in 2025 and scheduled to feature more than 58,000 bowlers and 11,600 five-player teams competing across 150 consecutive days at the River Center.
Visit us on Facebook at the official USBC Open Championships page.
BATON ROUGE, La. – After securing the win in Classified Team at the 2024 United States Bowling Congress Open Championships in Las Vegas, the members of Hansen Hardscapes returned to the tournament this week in Baton Rouge to experience the excitement that comes with a victory at the event.
The group – based out of Alexandria, Minnesota – was able to see their championship banner hanging above the lanes inside the Raising Cane’s River Center. They also were presented with their championship watches and able to see a gold cup next to their names on the scoreboard for the first time, recognizing their status as an event champion.
The team from the 2024 event – featuring Ashley Ohlrogge, Jessica Cook, Lauren Johnson, Christopher Cook and Eric Ohlrogge – recorded the win at the South Point Bowling Plaza with a 2,607 total.
The crew had a slight adjustment to the roster for 2025, since Johnson was unable to attend the tournament this year, but the addition of David Nelson resulted in the same outcome for Hansen Hardscapes.
The group took over the lead Wednesday at the River Center with games of 843, 743 and 836 for a 2,422 total and now has the chance to become the first team to successfully defend a title in the Classified Division.
Fat Dad’s 4 – also out of Alexandria – had held the lead since March 4 with 2,407.
Eric Ohlrogge led the way for Hansen Hardscapes with a 565 series, and he was followed by Jessica Cook (496), Ashley Ohlrogge (494), Christopher Cook (452) and Nelson (415).
The Classified Division was introduced at the Open Championships in 1916 and originally was known as the Booster Division. Until 1936, the teams competing in the division were restricted to the host city area.
In 1999, the name was changed to Classified as the tournament also introduced doubles, singles and all-events for the division.
George Blackburn of Sallisaw, Oklahoma, is the only competitor to win Classified titles in back-to-back years at the event, winning the team title in 2002 and following with a singles victory in 2003.
Mike Humes of Grove, Oklahoma, and Alan Iverson of Alexandria, Minnesota, are the only players to win multiple team titles in the division. Humes secured wins in Booster Team during the 1994 and 1996 events, while Iverson collected Classified Team titles in 2015 and 2017.
“It was really exciting to see the banner,” said Eric Ohlrogge, making his 16th appearance at the Open Championships. “It was kind of nerve-wracking, too, so I’m really glad we bowled away from the banner, so I didn’t have to look at it the whole time. But, the gold cup definitely reminded us we can do this. We’ve been here before, we can do it again.”
In the final frame of Game 3, Ashley Ohlrogge delivered a double from the leadoff position to put the team in a good spot to return to the top.
When Eric Ohlrogge stepped up to close the game as the anchor, he needed a mark to secure the lead. He delivered a flush strike on his first delivery and followed with an eight count and spare to close the team’s performance.
“We bowl together every other week in a mixed league, so we have built some great chemistry,” Eric Ohlrogge said. “We kind of know how to work through some issues when we’re not bowling the best – we struggled a little bit in the second game but came around.
“I knew the score – I follow the scores pretty closely when we’re going to bowl something. After the second game, we knew we were behind the number and had to pick it up. Going into the last couple shots, we knew we had a chance. Ashley set us up with a big finish, and I knew I wanted a better shot on Facebook this year, because I didn’t throw it very well in the 10th frame last year.”
The family ties are big for the team as well. Eric and Ashley are married, and so are Christopher and Jessica. David – making his first appearance at the Open Championships – is Jessica’s father.
They now will head back to Minnesota in the same position as last year, with hopes of a repeat in 2025.
“I don’t have any patience for waiting, so I’m going to look at the scores three or four times a day,” joked Eric Ohlrogge. “It’s crazy, though, and definitely surreal. I didn’t think it was possible. We joked about it but didn’t think it was possible.”
Classified Team features five-player groups with combined entering averages of 775 and below.
The Open Championships is celebrating its third trip to Baton Rouge in 2025 and scheduled to feature more than 58,000 bowlers and 11,600 five-player teams competing across 150 consecutive days at the River Center.
Visit us on Facebook at the official USBC Open Championships page.