New Team USA Experience Leagues Debuting This Fall!

The United States Bowling Congress will bring an international touch to the sport this fall with the launch of Team USA Experience leagues, a new Sport Bowling option that will allow bowlers to test their skills on the lanes.

Team USA Experience leagues were developed to give bowlers the opportunity to compete on the same challenging lane conditions that members of Team USA face when competing against the top players in the world at international competitions. These patterns are used by the World Tenpin Bowling Association in major contests such as the World Championships, Pan American Games and QubicaAMF World Cup.

"Taking on these types of conditions can really help a bowler learn more about their game," said Team USA head coach Rod Ross. "Our teams have put in a lot of work to learn the nuances of the patterns and that has helped us achieve the success we have had at the international level."

Team USA Experience leagues will be Sport Bowling leagues. Advancements in technology and the prevalence of forgiving lane conditions tend to conceal weaknesses in the games of even the top bowlers, which led to the development of Sport Bowling.

Sport Bowling provides lane oil patterns that are more challenging than typical league conditions. Bowlers who compete in Sport leagues are eligible for exclusive awards, special discounts on equipment through USBC partnerships with pro shops, a monthly e-newsletter that highlights honor scores and access to a members-only page on BOWL.com.

The new Team USA Experience leagues will offer a great variety of challenges since there are 12 patterns available - four short, four medium and four long patterns. Each pattern is named after an Olympic host city.

The short patterns start with Sydney at 33 feet, followed by Stockholm (34 feet), Beijing (35 feet) and Los Angeles (36 feet). Atlanta, at 38 feet, is the first of the medium patterns along with Seoul (39 feet), Athens (40 feet) and Montreal (41 feet). The long patterns include Tokyo (43 feet), London (44 feet), Mexico City (45 feet), and Paris (47 feet).

You can learn more about the Team USA Experience leagues, including a look at the lane patterns, on the Sport Bowling page of BOWL.com. You also can go to BOWL.com to learn about the Team USA program.

For Sport Bowlers who have competed in PBA Experience leagues, in which bowlers take on the same lane conditions used in PBA competitions, those leagues also will be available this fall.

Terry Bigham
USBC Communications