Welcome to Bowling program has special offers for new members
The leading brands in the bowling industry have teamed with USBC to create an aggressive new program designed to engage and retain first-time league bowlers.

The USBC Welcome to Bowling program launched this fall and is for new USBC members or those who have not been members the last three years. These new members will receive an invitation to take advantage of special offers designed to hook them on the sport.

Key elements of the program include the opportunity to purchase a bowling ball at a discounted price, a special half-hour lesson, and a coaching tips and video series. To learn more about each of the packages, please click here.

Tell your bowlers to activate their membership for a special gift
New this year, bowlers are being asked to activate their USBC membership at BOWL.com/activate. Activating their membership allows USBC to communicate important news, updates and tips to them throughout the bowling season. Plus, each bowler will receive a 20% discount at USBCSportStore.com when they activate!  

If bowlers do not have a computer or are unable to activate their memberships, they still will be a full USBC member and receive all their benefits. Also this year, each bowler will receive a bag tag member gift, included in their membership card mailing.

USA Bowling - A fresh look into youth development
A major transformation in youth bowling started this fall in bowling centers with the launch of the new USA Bowling Youth Sports System. The initiative is geared toward developing the skills of young bowlers - to grow the sport by teaching the sport.

The USA Bowling system is a mainstream sports model for youth bowling developed by the International Bowling Campus (IBC) Youth Development team. It shares many of the characteristics of team-based programs in other youth sports, such as soccer, baseball and basketball. That includes having practices that are separate from competition to help with proper skill development as well as featuring one coach per team.

The USA Bowling system has several features that distinguish it from traditional youth bowling leagues:

• Instruction and regular practice with a dedicated coach for each team
• A short schedule of 8-12 weeks
• Kids of the same age and abilities competing together
• Teaching important life skills such as sportsmanship and teamwork
• Easy to implement with instruction books and marketing tools provided
• Seminars to teach parents and volunteers basic bowling coaching skills

For information on USA Bowling, including an introductory video, please go to BOWL.com/usabowling.

El Paso to host USBC Open Championships in 2015
The 2015 USBC Open Championships is headed to El Paso, Texas, marking the first time in a decade the tournament will travel to a brand new host city.

The last time the tournament ventured to a new city was 2005, when it was held in Baton Rouge, La., also its first visit to Louisiana. Surveys showed that many Open Championships bowlers like to see new cities, and the 2005 event featured a sellout field of 13,222 five-player teams.

After a successful 2010 USBC Women's Championships at the El Paso Convention and Performing Arts Center, the city of El Paso made a strong proposal to hold the 2015 Open Championships in the same venue. The offer was accepted with the full support of the USBC Board of Directors.

Click here to view our Frequently Asked Questions page about the USBC Open Championships announcement.

American Airlines offers discount airfares to USBC events
USBC has partnered with American Airlines to bring members discounts when traveling to USBC events. If you plan to attend events such as the USBC Open, Women's Championships, North Pointe Junior Gold Championships, USBC Convention and much more, you can receive 5% off the lowest applicable fare by using our promotion code. The events, valid dates and promotion codes:

To take advantage of this special discount, please go to aa.com. After you have selected your flight, enter the corresponding promotional code.

United States wins team gold at World Women's Championships
For the first time in nearly a quarter century, Team USA claimed the five-player team gold medal at the World Tenpin Bowling Association World Women's Championships. 

Team USA's Kelly Kulick, Carolyn Dorin-Ballard, Shannon O'Keefe, Shannon Pluhowsky and Liz Johnson came out on top in the gold-medal match by defeating Singapore in Hong Kong.

In the semifinals, the fourth-seeded Americans took down top seed Germany, while No. 2 seed Singapore defeated Colombia. The semifinals losers shared the bronze medal. The 2011 World Women's Championships featured 171 bowlers from 33 countries competing in six disciplines - doubles, trios, team, singles, all-events and match-play Masters.

To read further details on the World Women's Championship, click here.

IBMHF raises more than $61,000 during Bowl Expo
The week-long events held during International Bowl Expo in Grapevine and Arlington, Texas, raised more than $61,000 for the International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame. 

Daily silent auctions at the Gaylord Texan in Grapevine started the week while two benefits that were part of the June 29 Night at the Campus in Arlington helped cap things off in grand style. Plans are underway for a new fundraising event next year in Reno, Nev. Details will be announced in the coming months.

To read further information about the fundraiser, please click here.

Special offers coming from Bowlers Journal International
To enhance communication to and the visibility of local associations, USBC has partnered with Bowlers Journal International on some very special offers. Association members soon will receive news from Bowlers Journal International, considered bowling's premier publication, about offers that include great discounts on subscriptions.

BJI and USBC also have teamed to offer a special section that will be called "In the Community" where associations can purchase congratulatory advertising to recognize new hall of fame members, league champions or any special awards.

Remo Picchietti, USBC Hall of Famer, dies at age 81 
Remo Picchietti, a USBC Hall of Famer, died Monday, September 24. He was 81.

Picchietti, of Bannockburn, Ill., was one of the sport's leading authorities on lane maintenance and procedures. He was elected to the USBC Hall of Fame for meritorious service in 1993. Please click here to read details on the Hall of Famer's career.