WC materials go to Habitat for Humanity

EL PASO, Texas - With the 2010 USBC Women's Championships now complete, it is time to tear down the one-of-a-kind 48-lane bowling facility that was constructed inside of the El Paso Convention and Performing Arts Center in January.


The 2010 Women's Championships began on March 27 and lasted 100 days, concluding Sunday. In that time, more than 30,000 bowlers made their way to Sun City, and now that the event is over, USBC and Habitat for Humanity - El Paso will team up to return the venue to its pre-tournament condition.

Starting at the 2002 USBC Open Championships in Billings, Mont., USBC and the local  Habitat for Humanity chapters have worked together to help deconstruct the convention-center settings used for the Open Championships, and now, Women's Championships.

The 2010 event marked the first time in the 91-year history of the Women's Championships that the tournament was held in a convention-center setting. It previously was held in traditional bowling centers.

Muriel Hall, the executive director of HFHEP, is looking forward to continuing this relationship. She expects approximately 600 volunteers to come out between Tuesday and Friday to assist the USBC staff in the teardown process. Three teams of volunteers will work in shifts, starting at 7 a.m., and finishing up at 11 p.m.

"Everybody is thrilled that the event did so well, and the whole community has embraced it," Hall said. "We've been distributing fliers and trying to recruit among some of the larger groups in the community."

Hall also was impressed at the thought put in by the USBC staff prior to construction in an effort to maximize salvageable materials. The transformation of the El Paso Convention and Performing Arts Center began on Jan. 25, and finished as the tournament opened its doors to the first 5,864 five-player teams on March 27.

"USBC did an excellent job engineering as well," Hall said. "They had constructed the venue with the deconstruction in mind. The more materials we can assure will stay out of landfills, the better."

HFHEP will provide buckets of necessary tools to help the process, including hammers, drills and extension cords. They are bringing six tractor trailers in hope of filling each one.

"We would love to fill each tractor trailer," Hall said. "With the prices of production material continuing to rise, an event like this is such a blessing."

HFHEP is estimating they will be able to build five houses in El Paso for families in need from salvaged materials.

"This is a great way to end the tournament," said USBC Constructions and Logistics Manager Chris Chartier. "We like having the opportunity to give back to a community that has already given us so much."

For the Open and Women's Championships, the arena is constructed completely from scratch. The amount of lumber used is enough to construct at least five three-bedroom homes, and more than six miles of wiring is required to handle the tournament's electrical needs.

Presenting sponsors for the 2010 USBC Women's Championships are Nationwide Insurance; Kegel, official lane maintenance provider; US Steltronic, official scoring system; Brunswick; Storm Bowling Products Inc.; and the El Paso Convention and Visitors Bureau.