The USBC Women’s Championships (formerly the Women’s International Bowling Congress Championship Tournament) has long been the world’s largest participatory sporting event for women. The event generally runs between 80 and 100 days to accommodate 40,000 to 60,000 competitors annually.
Bowlers of all ages and skill levels are seeded into one of five divisions: Classic for bowlers with averages of 190 and above; Division 1 for averages of 170-189; Division 2 for averages of 150-169; Division 3 for averages of 131-149 and Division 4 for averages of 130 and below. The bowlers compete in team, doubles, singles and an optional all-events competition with a total prize fund ranging from $1.5 million to $3 million.
The Women’s Championships is held in cities across the nation with a stop at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nev., every third year. In years that the Women’s Championships is not held in Reno, it is conducted in traditional bowling centers. Beginning in 2010, the event will be held in an arena setting similar to the Open Championships.
The Women’s Championships also consists of two additional prestigious tournaments, the USBC Queens and USBC Senior Queens. These events showcase the best women bowlers in the world in an exciting double-elimination match play competition, while the Women’s Championships provides an opportunity for women bowlers of all levels to compete in a unique stadium setting.
As one of the most prestigious events in the sport, which was established in 1916, the USBC Women’s Championships is the national championships for grassroots women USBC members. It is an opportunity for every USBC woman member to compete for a national title while also being able to cash in on a significant prize fund.
Since the event is held in different cities each year, it also provides women members with an opportunity to see the country. Most entrants combine their competition experience in the event by also taking in all the attractions that all host cities have to offer. For the thousands of loyal Women’s Championships participants, the event is the highlight of the bowling season.
When you think about it, the cost to enter one of the world’s largest and most prestigious bowling tournaments is really quite inexpensive. The entry fee is $30 per event (Team, Doubles, & Singles) $10 optional all events or $100 total per player.
There are three ways to verify your average:
Because the USBC Women’s Championships has average divisions to accommodate bowlers of all abilities, it is necessary to verify the averages of all entrants. There are three ways this can be done:
*The easiest way to verify your average is to use the Find a Member search on bowl.com. ( ) You can search by name or member ID and once you locate your record, you can pull up your averages from past seasons. Print out the page that lists your 2007-08 average and either send it with your entry or bring it with you to Reno.
*If you are unable to print out your record from bowl.com, you can also bring a copy of your local association yearbook that lists your highest average.
*Have your local association manager verify it for you. If you do not know already, you can ask your league secretary how to get in touch with your association manager.
First, doubles and singles are scheduled after the entire entry is paid for. After a team submits their entry with fees then doubles and singles is scheduled the next day.
So typically you will bowl your team event at Super Bowl on one day and then return the next day to bowl doubles and singles.
The sub will receive any prize money that is owed to her.
Each event (team, doubles & singles) consists of three games. All-Events is a combination of all nine games bowled. There is a separate prize fund for all-events and that is why it is optional.
That is determined between the captain and the substitute bowler.
These are essentially mini-tournaments within the tournament. The scores you bowl in regular competition can be applied to these side events. In a nutshell, brackets are similar to a miniature version of an NCAA finals championship bracket in which you try to advance against bowlers chosen randomly from your squad. It’s your score in each game of the event against whoever your random opponent is. There is prize money for those who win two or three matches. In addition to brackets, there is also other side pot “action” to enhance your tournament experience.
Many teams travel to the Women’s Championships together. That way they get scheduled on the same squads and double and singles scheduled together as well.
You can bowl team without bowling doubles and singles or vice-verse, however if you sign up for doubles then you have to also bowl singles.
We recommend two hours in case of changes that need to be made for team. For doubles and singles we recommend one hour if there are no changes or need for a sub.
Generally, we find that those who take personal pride in their appearance in many cases bowl better. To reward those teams who compete with matching uniforms, the Women’s Championships offers a Pride Award.
Generally speaking, however, entrants are expected to wear suitable attire. Use good judgment when selecting attire. Shorts, skorts, and skirts are permitted.
Note: Length of the shorts, skorts, or skirts must be below the fingertips with arms rested on the side- NO EXCEPTIONS.
Examples of PROHIBITED attire include but are not limited to:
Hats (medical reasons only) Tank tops, halter tops, bare midriffs, spaghetti strap tops, etc. Workout attire, short shorts, short skirts, bib overalls, jeans that are not neat, clean or in good condition (no torn jeans).
Bowlers will be required to change if attire is deemed inappropriate by tournament management or designee.
Decision of tournament management or designee is final.
Since you have the opportunity to win prize money, the social security number is needed for tax purposes.
The social security number is required before you begin competition.
Through a service provided called Bowling Ball Express (BBE). You can ship them to the hotel if they accept them however, they may not be responsible for them. You will ship them to the bowling center usually 7 to 10 days before you bowl, to make sure they arrive on time. More information on the Bowling Ball Express service and how to use it can be found on usbcwomenschampionships.com.
USBC allows 10 minutes of practice time before team competition and 6 minutes prior to doubles and singles. The squad time indicated on your confirmation indicates the time at which scoring or official competition starts. This means bowlers should have registered, gotten their photo taken, entered brackets and side events, have their shoes on and in general be ready to bowl at least 10 minutes prior to the squad time.
