There's a feeling at the Open Championships
February 25, 2010
There's a feeling. Unfortunately, it's nearly impossible to put into words. It's a combination of excitement, pride and bewilderment. It's about tradition and integrity. It's about possibility and the unknown. It's about making a name on the biggest stage. It's about heartbreak. It's about success. It's about watching dreams come true.
Five years and one month ago, I walked into the Baton Rouge River Center and felt that feeling. I've felt it many, many times since. Every time I tie my tie and walk into the USBC Open Championships, I feel that feeling. When I interact with bowlers on-site, I feel it. When I answer an e-mail, phone call or message board question, I answer with pride. I am proud that I can be a part of USBC, the Open Championships and the big-show experience for tens of thousands of bowlers every year.
Last year in Las Vegas, we had a near-record turnout for a record 154-day event. I watched three major scoring records fall. I got a little choked up when I watched my friends Stephen Padilla and Brenda Edwards set the doubles record. I watched in amazement when Ron Vokes, a regular guy I'd never heard of, throw strike after strike on the way to the Regular All-Events title. Then it was Bo Goergen's turn. He knew he had no room to miss if he was going to win Regular Singles, and he somehow regrouped and bounced back from a 4-6-7-10 split, tossing nine consecutive strikes to shoot the highest series in tournament history (862).
It's not just about high scores, though. I stood by as Anthony Malone, competing in his 60th tournament, came up 10 pins short in his bid for 100,000 pins. It was heartbreaking. But on the other side of the coin, I also had the chance to celebrate with active participation leader, Les Berry (66 years), after he joined the 100,000-pin club.
Each year, I talk to veterans, first-timers, hall of famers, champions and bowlers who are just here to have a good time with friends. I work with great people who are as passionate about this event as I am, like Dale McCoy, a hard-working guy who does his part every day to make sure each bowler he encounters has a memorable experience. He's just one example, and it would take all day to name everyone and explain why they are so important to this event. We are all just part of the puzzle.
Sometimes, though, the daily grind gets frustrating. Sometimes, things don't work quite right. Technology intimidates me. Change angers me. The evolution of the media relations field makes me wonder where my career is headed.
And then I'll have a day like last Saturday. It was Opening Day at the 2010 Open Championships. There were 52 teams of eager bowlers ready to take the lanes. The tournament staff was clearly excited about things getting underway. I immediately thought back to my first day as a competitor at the Open Championships (1999) and the first day I had a chance to look behind the scenes.
Standing at Center Desk, I looked on as a USBC promotional video played on the giant scoreboards at the National Bowling Stadium. I watched some of the greatest bowling moments of the last few years, while Eminem's "Lose Yourself" played in the background.
That is by far my favorite bowling video of all-time, and I can't lie, that song makes me want to compete. It makes me want to succeed. It makes me want to feel what the champions on the screen are feeling, just once, just for a minute. It makes me want to be that good. It makes me want to strive to be better. I watched that video, which I've seen in various forms, hundreds of times, and I felt "the feeling."
I was reminded that I am a part of something special. I get paid to do something that doesn't even feel like a job most of the time. I get to share in some of the sport's greatest moments and meet some truly incredible people, both Joe Bowlers and some of my bowling heroes. I know I've mentioned it before, but I still get a little star struck when I get a call from Bill Lillard, kudos on a story from Carolyn Dorin-Ballard or a dinner invite from Leanne Barrette (Hulsenberg) and her husband, Gary. There's a moment like that for me every day.
It may take a reminder every now and then when things get hectic, but in the end, I'm just a bowling fan with a dream job.
I look forward to what 2010 has in store for me, and I am excited about seeing 70,000 of my closest friends. Travel safely, everyone.
That's the news for now. See you on the lanes.
Five years and one month ago, I walked into the Baton Rouge River Center and felt that feeling. I've felt it many, many times since. Every time I tie my tie and walk into the USBC Open Championships, I feel that feeling. When I interact with bowlers on-site, I feel it. When I answer an e-mail, phone call or message board question, I answer with pride. I am proud that I can be a part of USBC, the Open Championships and the big-show experience for tens of thousands of bowlers every year.
Last year in Las Vegas, we had a near-record turnout for a record 154-day event. I watched three major scoring records fall. I got a little choked up when I watched my friends Stephen Padilla and Brenda Edwards set the doubles record. I watched in amazement when Ron Vokes, a regular guy I'd never heard of, throw strike after strike on the way to the Regular All-Events title. Then it was Bo Goergen's turn. He knew he had no room to miss if he was going to win Regular Singles, and he somehow regrouped and bounced back from a 4-6-7-10 split, tossing nine consecutive strikes to shoot the highest series in tournament history (862).
It's not just about high scores, though. I stood by as Anthony Malone, competing in his 60th tournament, came up 10 pins short in his bid for 100,000 pins. It was heartbreaking. But on the other side of the coin, I also had the chance to celebrate with active participation leader, Les Berry (66 years), after he joined the 100,000-pin club.
Each year, I talk to veterans, first-timers, hall of famers, champions and bowlers who are just here to have a good time with friends. I work with great people who are as passionate about this event as I am, like Dale McCoy, a hard-working guy who does his part every day to make sure each bowler he encounters has a memorable experience. He's just one example, and it would take all day to name everyone and explain why they are so important to this event. We are all just part of the puzzle.
Sometimes, though, the daily grind gets frustrating. Sometimes, things don't work quite right. Technology intimidates me. Change angers me. The evolution of the media relations field makes me wonder where my career is headed.
And then I'll have a day like last Saturday. It was Opening Day at the 2010 Open Championships. There were 52 teams of eager bowlers ready to take the lanes. The tournament staff was clearly excited about things getting underway. I immediately thought back to my first day as a competitor at the Open Championships (1999) and the first day I had a chance to look behind the scenes.
Standing at Center Desk, I looked on as a USBC promotional video played on the giant scoreboards at the National Bowling Stadium. I watched some of the greatest bowling moments of the last few years, while Eminem's "Lose Yourself" played in the background.
That is by far my favorite bowling video of all-time, and I can't lie, that song makes me want to compete. It makes me want to succeed. It makes me want to feel what the champions on the screen are feeling, just once, just for a minute. It makes me want to be that good. It makes me want to strive to be better. I watched that video, which I've seen in various forms, hundreds of times, and I felt "the feeling."
I was reminded that I am a part of something special. I get paid to do something that doesn't even feel like a job most of the time. I get to share in some of the sport's greatest moments and meet some truly incredible people, both Joe Bowlers and some of my bowling heroes. I know I've mentioned it before, but I still get a little star struck when I get a call from Bill Lillard, kudos on a story from Carolyn Dorin-Ballard or a dinner invite from Leanne Barrette (Hulsenberg) and her husband, Gary. There's a moment like that for me every day.
It may take a reminder every now and then when things get hectic, but in the end, I'm just a bowling fan with a dream job.
I look forward to what 2010 has in store for me, and I am excited about seeing 70,000 of my closest friends. Travel safely, everyone.
That's the news for now. See you on the lanes.