06/12/2026
USBC Open Championships have come and gone! We had spme really good food and Jerracah bowled well! I (Jordan) left a bit to be desired overall. Jerr shot 1948 AE (663, 676, 609) and I had 1856 AE (527 😢, 662, 667)
Take these notes with a grain of salt, as I have not bowled the Open Championship since 2023 when it was in Reno. Team event played pretty similarly to what I remember team playing like. Seems medium in length, moving in early can be a trap due to the lack of perceived length of the pattern. There is some merit to the idea of throwing plastic to attempt to stretch the pattern and create some hold. I believe the strategy should be determined by your team and companion team styles. If the team has a lot of rev rate, it could be more useful to prioritize the hold due to moving in being inevitable. For teams with a bit lower rev rate, it would be more beneficial to target the gutter and try to create hook out there.
Getting your ball to shape the right way is very important. I was unable to get my ball through the pins the right way, and worked through every ball in my bag during team event to no avail. At the end, the pocket seemed fairly accessible, but still could not get my ball to knock ten down consistently.
Doubles and singles play quite a bit tighter. Felt like there was plenty of hold, and it became most important to attempt to create some hook outside to have miss both directions. There were some high rev rate players who were able to throw surfaced urethane with good success, but it is hard telling the longevity of a look like that with six on a pair.
Balls utilized for me included a Turbo X NU, Evil Eye, Combat, Alert, and a Black Hammer 78D. Jerracah used her arsenal to perfection, utilizing the natural progression consistently provided by the pieces she elected to bring. She threw a Spartan, GB2, Outer Limits Black Hole, Crown Victory, and Alert. At some point she utilized all of them.
If you have any questions regarding balls utilized and lane play strategy, feel free to reach out! The time out there with friends and family made the trip great! It was fun to watch Jerr execute so well and beat me by almost 100.