Teen Masters arena setup is a blast from the past
08/06/06
At first glance, the arena setup at the 2006 Teen Masters National Finals looks pretty normal. It quickly becomes apparent what's different, though.
The four lanes inside Sound Stage 33 at Universal Studios Orlando are equipped with everything but pin-setting machines and modern-day ball returns. Instead, a dozen volunteers man the pins, setting them up and sending back the bowling ball after each shot.
For the United States Bowling Congress Youth members competing in the event, it's a totally different atmosphere than they have experienced in the past.
The most noticeable difference, players said, was the lack of noise inside the Sound Stage. With no pinsetters to hum, clank and set up pins, bowling becomes an eerily quiet sport.
"Having no pinsetters is different, but it's worth it," said defending Teen Masters champion John Szczerbinski of North Tonwanda, N.Y., who advanced to the final four on the boys' side Saturday. "The pure silence is pretty unreal. You don't hear anything. You could hear a pin drop - hopefully you hear 10 of them drop down the lane."
The arena setting itself was a change of pace for the bowlers, who bowled the qualifying and opening match-play rounds at nearby Boardwalk Entertainment Center.
"The lighting is way different, and I'm not used to having this many people watch me bowl," said Brett Cunningham of Clay, N.Y., another member of the boys' final four. "It was definitely different. It seems if you made a bad shot, it made it a lot tougher to get a break. If you went high it was definitely a split. The lanes are really nice, though. It's beautiful."
Although the retro setup is unique, could bowling's past become its future? John Davis, CEO of Kegel, which serves as the official lane maintenance provider for USBC, thinks it's a possibility.
The arena setting his company created this weekend could easily be used for future television finals, Davis said. In fact, the upcoming Women's Challenge in Las Vegas will use one of the lanes.
"This is the first time we've done an arena show and it took us three days to set it up because there are four lanes," Davis said. "In the future, we could do two lanes in one day and one lane in even less time."
Davis estimates that installing lanes without pinsetters cuts the cost of creating arena lanes in half. Combine the savings and the ability to build the lanes quickly and it creates the perfect scenario for getting arena finals on television even more, Davis said.
A total of 16 players got to experience the Kegel's arena setup this weekend, as action shifted to Sound Stage 33 for the Round of eight for both the boys and girls.
The Teen Masters concludes on Sunday at 1 p.m. Eastern when the championship matches are taped for broadcast on ESPN2. The show is scheduled to air on Oct. 16 at 9:30 p.m. Eastern.
The Teen Masters National Finals features more than 300 of the best high-school aged bowlers in the country. Players advanced through local qualifying events and are competing for $50,000 in scholarships this week. The boys and girls champions will each receive a $7,500 scholarship.
United States
Volunteers set up pins and send back bowling balls
At first glance, the arena setup at the 2006 Teen Masters National Finals looks pretty normal. It quickly becomes apparent what's different, though. The four lanes inside Sound Stage 33 at Universal Studios Orlando are equipped with everything but pin-setting machines and modern-day ball returns. Instead, a dozen volunteers man the pins, setting them up and sending back the bowling ball after each shot.
For the United States Bowling Congress Youth members competing in the event, it's a totally different atmosphere than they have experienced in the past.
The most noticeable difference, players said, was the lack of noise inside the Sound Stage. With no pinsetters to hum, clank and set up pins, bowling becomes an eerily quiet sport.
"Having no pinsetters is different, but it's worth it," said defending Teen Masters champion John Szczerbinski of North Tonwanda, N.Y., who advanced to the final four on the boys' side Saturday. "The pure silence is pretty unreal. You don't hear anything. You could hear a pin drop - hopefully you hear 10 of them drop down the lane."The arena setting itself was a change of pace for the bowlers, who bowled the qualifying and opening match-play rounds at nearby Boardwalk Entertainment Center.
"The lighting is way different, and I'm not used to having this many people watch me bowl," said Brett Cunningham of Clay, N.Y., another member of the boys' final four. "It was definitely different. It seems if you made a bad shot, it made it a lot tougher to get a break. If you went high it was definitely a split. The lanes are really nice, though. It's beautiful."
Although the retro setup is unique, could bowling's past become its future? John Davis, CEO of Kegel, which serves as the official lane maintenance provider for USBC, thinks it's a possibility. The arena setting his company created this weekend could easily be used for future television finals, Davis said. In fact, the upcoming Women's Challenge in Las Vegas will use one of the lanes.
"This is the first time we've done an arena show and it took us three days to set it up because there are four lanes," Davis said. "In the future, we could do two lanes in one day and one lane in even less time."
Davis estimates that installing lanes without pinsetters cuts the cost of creating arena lanes in half. Combine the savings and the ability to build the lanes quickly and it creates the perfect scenario for getting arena finals on television even more, Davis said.
A total of 16 players got to experience the Kegel's arena setup this weekend, as action shifted to Sound Stage 33 for the Round of eight for both the boys and girls.
The Teen Masters concludes on Sunday at 1 p.m. Eastern when the championship matches are taped for broadcast on ESPN2. The show is scheduled to air on Oct. 16 at 9:30 p.m. Eastern.
The Teen Masters National Finals features more than 300 of the best high-school aged bowlers in the country. Players advanced through local qualifying events and are competing for $50,000 in scholarships this week. The boys and girls champions will each receive a $7,500 scholarship.