Women's Championships begins new era in El Paso
March 25, 2010
EL PASO, Texas - The start of the 2010 United States Bowling Congress Women's Championships is right around the corner, and the city of El Paso, Texas, is preparing to welcome more than 30,000 bowlers to Sun City.
Beginning March 27, the El Paso Convention and Performing Arts Center will open its doors to nearly 6,000 five-player teams and will usher in a brand-new era in USBC Women's Championships history.
Since Jan. 25, the once-empty convention center has been transformed into a state-of-the-art 48-lane bowling facility. This is the first time in the 91-year history of the Women's Championships that the event has been held in a convention-center setting.
This transformation includes a new vendor area, known as "The Mall" and the world's largest mobile scoreboard, which debuted at the 2009 Open Championships in Las Vegas. The scoreboard features enhanced graphics with 4.4 trillion colors and streaming video capabilities.
A new format also will be unveiled at the 2010 event. This format will consist of three average-based divisions that will be contested using 100-percent handicap, another first in Women's Championships history. The divisions are named after three precious jewels - the Diamond Division, Ruby Division and Sapphire Division.
The Diamond Division will be made up of bowlers with averages of 180 and higher, with handicap based on 220.
The Ruby Division pits bowlers with averages from 150-179, with handicap based on 180.
The Sapphire Division is for bowlers with an average of 149 and below, with handicap based on 150.
The top scratch score in team, doubles, singles, all-events and Team All-Events also will be recognized as overall tournament champions. An additional prize fund of $8,000 will be distributed among the top three scratch scores in team, doubles, singles and all-events.
The Women's Championships, which is widely-recognized as the largest participatory sporting event in the world for women, also has given the city of El Paso the opportunity to roll out the red carpet for the bowlers.
Bowlers can expect to see welcome signs throughout the city as they make their way to the El Paso Convention and Performing Arts Center.
From a convention and tourism perspective, the influx of approximately 300 bowlers plus family and friends each day is expected to provide and estimated economic boost of $40 million to the El Paso area over the course of the event.
The El Paso Convention and Performing Arts Center also will play host to the USBC Intercollegiate Team Championships from April 14-17 and USBC Queens and USBC Senior Queens from April 23-28.
The ITC will bring in the top 16 men's teams and top 16 women's teams to compete for a national title. The championship round will be taped and is scheduled to air on ESPN2 on May 5.
The Queens showcases the talents of more than 300 of the world's top-tier women bowlers and features a double-elimination match-play format. The bowlers compete for a $180,000 prize fund and $30,000 top prize based on 320 entries. The stepladder finals will be televised live by ESPN2 on April 28.
The Senior Queens, which first was held in 2000, uses a similar format and is open to women age 50 and older.
The Official sponsors for the 2010 USBC Women's Championships are Nationwide Insurance; Kegel, official lane maintenance provider; Brunswick; US Steltronic, official scoring system; Storm Bowling Products Inc.; and the El Paso Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Beginning March 27, the El Paso Convention and Performing Arts Center will open its doors to nearly 6,000 five-player teams and will usher in a brand-new era in USBC Women's Championships history.
Since Jan. 25, the once-empty convention center has been transformed into a state-of-the-art 48-lane bowling facility. This is the first time in the 91-year history of the Women's Championships that the event has been held in a convention-center setting.
This transformation includes a new vendor area, known as "The Mall" and the world's largest mobile scoreboard, which debuted at the 2009 Open Championships in Las Vegas. The scoreboard features enhanced graphics with 4.4 trillion colors and streaming video capabilities.
A new format also will be unveiled at the 2010 event. This format will consist of three average-based divisions that will be contested using 100-percent handicap, another first in Women's Championships history. The divisions are named after three precious jewels - the Diamond Division, Ruby Division and Sapphire Division.
The Diamond Division will be made up of bowlers with averages of 180 and higher, with handicap based on 220.
The Ruby Division pits bowlers with averages from 150-179, with handicap based on 180.
The Sapphire Division is for bowlers with an average of 149 and below, with handicap based on 150.
The top scratch score in team, doubles, singles, all-events and Team All-Events also will be recognized as overall tournament champions. An additional prize fund of $8,000 will be distributed among the top three scratch scores in team, doubles, singles and all-events.
The Women's Championships, which is widely-recognized as the largest participatory sporting event in the world for women, also has given the city of El Paso the opportunity to roll out the red carpet for the bowlers.
Bowlers can expect to see welcome signs throughout the city as they make their way to the El Paso Convention and Performing Arts Center.
From a convention and tourism perspective, the influx of approximately 300 bowlers plus family and friends each day is expected to provide and estimated economic boost of $40 million to the El Paso area over the course of the event.
The El Paso Convention and Performing Arts Center also will play host to the USBC Intercollegiate Team Championships from April 14-17 and USBC Queens and USBC Senior Queens from April 23-28.
The ITC will bring in the top 16 men's teams and top 16 women's teams to compete for a national title. The championship round will be taped and is scheduled to air on ESPN2 on May 5.
The Queens showcases the talents of more than 300 of the world's top-tier women bowlers and features a double-elimination match-play format. The bowlers compete for a $180,000 prize fund and $30,000 top prize based on 320 entries. The stepladder finals will be televised live by ESPN2 on April 28.
The Senior Queens, which first was held in 2000, uses a similar format and is open to women age 50 and older.
The Official sponsors for the 2010 USBC Women's Championships are Nationwide Insurance; Kegel, official lane maintenance provider; Brunswick; US Steltronic, official scoring system; Storm Bowling Products Inc.; and the El Paso Convention and Visitors Bureau.