LAS VEGAS – Few things in bowling match the excitement of a team coming together to take their shot at the lead during an event like the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships.

The crowd starts to form as the strikes begin to add up, fellow competitors take notice and those in the heat of the moment deliver some of the shots they dreamed of making when they first laid eyes on the championship venue.

It’s an electric moment for all in attendance, and it’s something that showcases team bowling in its purest form.

The members of Riding Kenny’s Coattails of Cincinnati put together an incredible display of team bowling, matched by their individual talent, during their appearance at the 2023 USBC Open Championships in Reno, Nevada.

The group won the Regular Team title with the second highest team series in tournament history – 3,578 – and finished the event 129 pins ahead of the next closest team.

The team – featuring RJ Pollard, Jeff Fehr, Kenny Abner, Charles Easton and Bill O’Neill – recently returned to the tournament alongside strong family support at the South Point Bowling Plaza to try and recapture the top spot after being recognized for their performance in Reno.

The teammates received their championship watches and were able to take their first look at the Joe Norris trophy donning their names prior to jumping into their team event, before quickly settling in to start another run at the top of the leaderboard.

Abner, who collected his third Eagle at the Open Championships with the victory in 2023, helped pace the group in Game 1, starting with nine strikes for 262 to push the team to 1,061.

The team started to strike a little more in Game 2, finishing with 1,123. As Game 3 progressed, the moment again presented itself for the members of Riding Kenny’s Coattails.

Four of the five team members struck in the sixth, seventh and eighth frames, and strikes across the board in the ninth gave them the chance to reclaim the top spot as they prepared for the 10th frame.

The pins didn’t cooperate the way they hoped in the final frame, however, as the team finished with 1,118 for a 3,302 total to move into fourth place.

Trip 4 Pro Shop of St. Clair Shores, Michigan, leads Regular Team at the 2024 Open Championships with 3,363.

Abner led the charge at the South Point Bowling Plaza, firing a 744 series. O’Neill had 734, Fehr rolled to 651, Easton posted 600 and Pollard finished with 573.

While every returning champion processes their moment coming back a little differently, the teammates felt like they settled in quickly after celebrating last year’s accomplishment.

“It’s difficult to get your brain in that spot, because you think back to what you accomplished and you’re kind of closing that chapter,” Easton said. “You quickly flip closing that chapter and starting the next event right away, but I thought we did really well. We worked together really well as a team and communicated really well. We had our moment. We had some rough starts and rough patches, but we really stayed in the moment and just kept trying to do our best.”

The celebration has been known to add some additional nerves and even expectations to those first couple of frames after the on-lane ceremony, but Fehr believed the group took everything in stride as the focus shifted to the next task.

“I had heard from a lot of people who have done it in the past that it’s really tough to get started,” Fehr said. “I didn’t feel that way, though. I thought I was going to be way more nervous after the presentation and during those first few shots, but they really weren’t there. It was kind of like a calm after the presentation, and I thought we all started off really well.”

In 2023, Riding Kenny’s Coattails was locked in from the start and hardly slowed down on the way to the lead, rolling games of 1,228, 1,188 and 1,162 at the National Bowling Stadium.



Fehr led the performance with a 778 series, while Easton rolled 300 in Game 1 to finish with 773. Abner had 723, O’Neill posted 692 and Pollard finished with 612 in Reno.

The appearance in 2024 tested their resilience at times, but they continued to show the chemistry that makes them click as a unit.

“As a team, we always communicate and get back together,” said Abner, who also won Regular Team in 2006 and Team All-Events in 2007 with Browning Pontiac. “We had so many moments that could have caused us to go south in team, and we still had a chance in the 10th frame to go get it. That shows a team that is able to stick through the tough times and challenges, and that’s what’s great about going to battle with these guys. Everybody always keeps their heads up and tries to work together to make the next good shot.”

As they made their way down the stretch in Game 3, the excitement of being in the moment presented itself once again.

“The third game – about three frames in – I was almost getting chills,” Pollard said. “We had a shot and might just do this again. Coming into the 10th frame, I looked around and noticed quite a few people were here watching. After I finished my 10th frame, I asked Kenny what we needed, and he said if everybody throws a double – we’re good.

“I’m very happy to be in fourth, and it’s awesome, but I want to win. That’s kind of where you’re at with the expectations, especially with this group.”

Although the final score was short of the leading tally, the overall performance in their title defense certainly is something to appreciate.

“With this many teams, you have to bowl such a perfect set in order to win,” said O’Neill, a 14-time Professional Bowlers Association Tour champion. “That’s what we did last year. This year, we had a couple rough games. It’s tough to put it all together to win this thing. You have to have everything go right, but we bowled really, really well. I’m happy we’ll probably end up in the top 10 again this year, which is hard to do.”

Easton added, “Going to battle with these guys, you always feel like you have a chance. Going into the 10th, we all knew there was a chance, but to just come back and feel like you gave it a run after everything, it meant a lot to us.”

Fehr said, “I think every team that comes out here says we should have had more. I felt we bowled well enough to take the lead, so it was a little bit disappointing to not leave on top. But, we made a really good run. It was awesome to be in that moment again. We gave ourselves a chance, and that’s all you can do.”

As the group transitioned to doubles and singles the following day, Abner continued to shine.

He rolled 299 to start singles on the way to a 753 series, and he added 682 in doubles to move into a tie for fifth place in Regular All-Events with 2,179. Derek Magno of Cicero, New York, leads with 2,255.

“Yesterday, I was nervous about team and told these guys I was hoping they would hold me together for Game 1,” said Abner, who made his 22nd tournament appearance. “Typically, when it’s flat like that, I usually struggle to where I’m going to go high several times. For some reason, everything really clicked.

“I felt better about singles and doubles because of that. They were a little different compared to what we expected – we had some spots that didn’t read down the lane the way we expected and had early hook in some other spots. We had to manipulate it a little, and I used seven bowling balls – six of which played at least five frames – so it was a little more of a challenge. But, I wasn’t waiting to see if something was going to work. If something doesn’t work, go to the next one.”

Abner also was able to reflect on his previous win in Regular Team competition. Although the experiences differed a bit comparing 2006 to 2023, few things compare to a team victory.

“This one was different,” Abner said. “The first one we got in 2006 with Steve (Fehr) – Jeff’s dad – we were in the 10th frame. It was a similar situation to what we were in here. We had to make shots in the ninth and 10th. Last year was different because everything just clicked. I’ve never been on a team that just bombed them like that. The second highest all-time and how far we were ahead – that’s not something you think you can do. The first one still for me, just because of that environment and we were doing it at 2 in the morning, but both were great in different ways.

“Team bowling is the best. This tournament is about team bowling. There are individual awards, but it was founded on team bowling. Being able to bowl with a group of guys like this is what makes it special.”

The win in 2023 also helped Fehr and Pollard build on their family legacies in national competition.

Both of Fehr’s parents – Steve and Nancy Fehr – are members of the USBC Hall of Fame. Steve earned five wins at the Open Championships and is the 1994 USBC Masters champion. Nancy has claimed three wins at the USBC Women’s Championships.

“It was unbelievable to see my name on the wall with the list of champions, right next to my dad’s name,” Fehr said. “It was a little bit surreal being here and being able to enjoy the moment with my mom and dad – they both came out for the trophy presentation. It was fun to have a moment with the family and share it with them.”

Pollard’s father, Ron, and uncle, Rick, are both USBC Hall of Famers and worked together to win Team All-Events at the 1996 Open Championships. His aunt, Vicky, and wife, Jamie, won Classified Doubles at the 2015 tournament, and at the Women’s Championships, his aunt, Regina Pollard-Strawser, is a three-time titlist.

“As a bowler, it means everything,” Pollard said. “I’ve been blessed to win many things, but this is the one you want to win. Especially with the tradition – not only the USBCs, but my family and Jeff’s family. It’s just really cool to look up there and see that gold cup next to your name.”

The 2024 Open Championships got underway Feb. 23 and will run through July 29 at the South Point Bowling Plaza. The tournament is scheduled to feature more than 11,000 teams and 55,000 bowlers making their way to compete in Las Vegas.

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