Crowd enjoys Bowling's Clash of Champions

Bowling fans from every corner of the country were treated to one of the most unique bowling events in history as Bowling's Clash of Champions, a United States Bowling Congress event, was taped for television Thursday night at Kansas City Municipal Auditorium.

Delegates in town for the annual USBC Convention watched as 16 champions of USBC events and the U.S. Open battled for a top prize of $50,000 in an event that will be televised by CBS Sports on Saturday at 5 p.m. Eastern and Sunday at 4 p.m. Eastern. Results will be posted once the shows air.

The first telecast will feature bowling as it's never been seen before as the bowlers, broken into four groups of four by gender, battled in one-ball sudden-death rounds. The player with the lowest pinfall each round was eliminated, creating a situation were every shot had major significance.

"I enjoyed it tremendously," said Duncan Fraser, a delegate from the Rhode Island Bowling Association. "The competition has been interesting. One shot head to head is a different way to look at things. It brings the sport to a new level and it made for an entertaining show."

The more than 1,500 fans in attendance cheered for well-known players like Pete Weber, Sean Rash, Tom Baker, Kelly Kulick, Liz Johnson and Lynda Barnes while also showing support for the younger players in the field like Jenny Brown, 17, Brittni Hamilton, 17, Adam Martinez, 20, and Jason Price, 20.

"This was excellent and the youth are our future," said Kathy Pourciaux of Lafayette, La. "The players covered the whole perspective of our sport. Jenny Brown will be a force to reckon with as she matures as a bowler."

The Clash telecasts on CBS Sports will be featured in a full-page ad in the weekend edition of USA Today on Friday."

"We've produced two significant telecasts, and we want everyone in the country to have a chance to witness them," said USBC Vice President of Marketing and Communications Tom Clark. "USA Today is one of the best ways to reach a diverse audience and I am sure we will see a boost in ratings from this advertising."