There were two titles on the line at the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships on Wednesday night, and both sets of champions quickly understood why no one in tournament history has ever successfully defended a Regular Team or Classified Doubles title.

Lava Lanes of Medford, Ore., hit the lanes first, hoping to make it two team titles in a row, while defending Classified Doubles champions Frank Smyle Jr. of Reeder, N.D., and his son Jesse Smyle of Bowman, N.D., made their run on the final squad of the day.

L-R Donnie Allen III, Wynn Malikowski, Joel Mock, Jake Drier, Bryon Smith), Medford, Ore.

Last year, Lava Lanes topped more than 16,000 teams on the way to the Regular Team title, but a recent run of bad luck kept two team members from making the trip to the Albuquerque Convention Center for a shot at back-to-back wins.

With two new faces, the remaining members of Lava Lanes put their title on the line, but struggled to games of 993, 881 and 986 for a 2,860 total. Team Tilt of Lawrence, Kan., leads with 3,374.

"We were definitely looking forward to coming back this year, but we also knew how tough it would be to win again," said team captain Bryon Smith, who also won the 2003 USBC Masters. "We had a pretty good shot to the pocket, but couldn't knock them all down. When you don't compete at the best of your ability, it's disappointing, but we'll be back next year to try again."

Lava Lanes claimed the title last year with a 3,405 effort, the first 3,400 in the tournament's five visits to the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nev. The winning team included Brian Tinsley, Guy Sutherlin, Wynn Malikowski, rookie Jake Drier and Smith. Sutherlin missed the trip to Albuquerque because of a shoulder injury, while Tinsley recently suffered a broken leg.

"We felt for those guys because they were not able to be here and join us on the lanes when we were introduced as the defending champions, which was a real bummer since they are part of the team," Smith said. "But with the new guys we picked up, we felt like our team was as strong as last year. We came here expecting to bowl, but we just didn't. If you bowl long enough, you're going to have some bad sets, and for me, tonight was one of them."

Newcomer Donnie Allen III led the way for Lava Lanes this year with a 637 series and was followed by Malikowski (594), Drier (554), Smith (544) and new addition Joel Mock (531).

For the Smyles, a second straight victory was within reach after games of 434 and 425, but got away in the end as the father and son finished with 381 and combined to shoot 1,240, which moved them into third place. Jacqueline Snyder and Bill Calhoon of Cooksville, Ill., lead Classified Doubles with 1,282.

"There was definitely a lot of pressure, but I got lucky and threw a lot of strikes early on," said Frank, who opened with a 245 game on the way to a 588 doubles series. "I could still feel the pressure in the second game, but when that game was over, I really thought we had a chance at defending our title."

Prior to arriving at the Albuquerque Convention Center this week, Jesse had no idea what kind of recognition they would get as the defending champions. The first thing he saw was the championship banner hanging over the lanes, and he couldn't wait for his father to see it, too.

After being introduced as champions for the first time Tuesday night, the Smyles also got a first look at the orange eagles next to their names on the scoreboard recognizing them as tournament champions.

"I didn't know about any of those things until we got here, and it was all so awesome to see," said Jesse, a sales manager who made his sixth Open Championships appearance. "To be able to win something like this is unbelievable and something you dream about, and to come back and put up a score like we did this time is really a special accomplishment. It just feels great."

Last year, the Smyles took home the Classified Doubles title with a 1,287 effort, but for them, the Open Championships is about more than just success on the tournament lanes. Their group includes three father and son teams, so family and camaraderie both play important roles in the experience.

"I feel good," said Frank, who made his ninth trip to the tournament. "We always have a great time bowling together, and I'm not disappointed that we didn't defend our title. We gave it a good shot, and that's all that matters.

Frank added 477 in singles, while Jesse had 546 in team and 526 in singles for a 1,724 all-events effort.


Presenting sponsors for the 2008 USBC Open Championships are Eldorado Hotel Casino, Silver Legacy Resort Casino and Circus Circus Reno in Reno, Nev. Other participating sponsors are Kegel, official lane maintenance provider; Brunswick, capital equipment supplier; Storm Products, Inc.; Roto Grip, official sponsor of the Roto Grip Sport Bowling Challenge; Isleta Casino & Resort; Santa Ana Star Casino, the official brackets sponsor; Rainbow Ryders, the exclusive hot air balloon company of the 2008 Open Championships; and Sandia Resort & Casino.

Albuquerque Convention Center, Albuquerque, N.M.

Top 10 division leaders with hometown and pinfalls

Team
1, Team Tilt (Thomas Ault Jr., Russ Wilson, Chris Greene, Joe Keltner, Jay Futrell), Lawrence, Kan., 3,374. 2, Turbo Grips 1, Chesterfield, Mich., 3,308. 3, Rhino for President, Pleasant View, Utah, 3,298. 4, Bowlingfordumdums.com, Pritchett, Colo., 3,284. 5, Bluemound Bowl, Milwaukee, Wis., 3,268. 6, Bowlers Universe 1, Rockford, Ill., 3,249. 7, Bluegrass Bowling & Golf, Lexington, Ky., 3,244. 8, Woody's, Mulvane, Kas., 3,239. 9, Marcor Technologies, Gaylord, Mich., 3,235. 10, Armstrong Printing 1, Naperville, Ill., 3,231.

Doubles
1, John Socha, Oak Creek, Wis./Dennis Rakauskas, Apopka, Fla., 1,467. 2, Skip Wolfe, Dixon, Ill./Tom Carter, Rockford, Ill., 1,462. 3, Robert Slayton, Apple Valley, Minn./Jason Lutgen, Brooklyn Park, Minn., 1,445. 4, Todd Koehler, Appleton, Minn./Doug Blood, Montevideo, Minn., 1,444. 5, Erik Mattingly, Puyallup, Wash./Robert Hanson, Tacoma, Wash., 1,441. 6, Ted Baer/Josh Edenburn, Omaha, Neb., 1,439. 7, Steven Levering, Landisville, Pa./Jim Rutherford, Coatesville, Pa., 1,428. 8, Ron Case, Oakley, Calif./Sam Carter, Ben Lomond, Calif., 1,422. 9, Mike Granberg, Batavia, Ill./Dave Rodak, Naperville, Ill., 1,419. 10, Ward Mocaby/Steve Elson, Wichita, Kan., 1,416.

Singles
1, Bryan Young, Everett, Wash., 832. 2, Jason Price, Grand Island, Neb., 817. 3, Wilbert Moorer, Dover, Del., 784. 4, Warren Crawford, McKinleyville, Calif., 779. 5, William Uthoff, O'Fallon, Mo., 775. 6 (tie), Larry Aldridge, Aurora, Colo., and Alexander Shand, Myrtle Beach, S.C., 774. 8, Alan Pecora, Drums, Pa., 773. 9, Don Pyle, Wilmington, Del., 768. 10, Darren Weiler, Dickinson, N.D., 767.

All-Events
1, Jay Futrell, Derby, Kan., 2,183. 2, Bryan Young, Everett, Wash., 2,165. 3, Mike Rose Jr., Rochester, N.Y., 2,161. 4, Randy Weiss, Columbia, S.C., 2,160. 5, Warren Crawford, McKinleyville, Calif., 2,159. 6, Brian Kjergaard, Fulton, Ill., 2,147. 7, Edward Gallagher, Clarksville, Tenn., 2,141. 8, Todd Fenske, Weston, Wis., 2,132. 9, Chris Gibbons, Madison, Wis., 2,122. 10, Don Pyle, Wilmington, Del., 2,118.

Team All-Events
1, Team Tilt (Thomas Ault Jr., Russ Wilson, Chris Greene, Joe Keltner, Jay Futrell), Lawrence, Kan., 9,986. 2, Team Pabst, Madison, Wis., 9,977. 3, MoRich Enterprises, West Bend, Wis., 9,901. 4, Rhino for President, Pleasant View, Utah, 9,801. 5, Bowlingfordumdums.com, Pritchett, Colo., 9,794. 6 (tie), S & B Pro Shop 2, Sterling Heights, Mich., and Pam's Boys 1, Salem, Ore., 9,736. 8, Pollard's Bowl, Versailles, Ind., 9,708. 9, J & S Auto Supply Inc., Valparaiso, Ind., 9,684. 10, Buddies Pro Shop, Congers, N.Y., 9,667.

Top 10 division leaders with hometown and pinfalls

Team
1, Cardinal Lanes (Edward Hitschmann, Mike Steinert, Reuben Flagor, Tim Higgins, Gary Boxberger), 2,804. 2, Lake Country Rollers 1, Clarissa, Minn., 2,799. 3, T-Rays, Jamestown, N.D., 2,795. 4, Garden Center Lanes 2, Alexandria, Minn., 2,789. 5, Plattsburgh Bowl, Plattsburgh, Mo., 2,773. 6, Sego Electric, Clarion, Iowa, 2,759. 7, Pla-Mor Lanes 5, New Weston, Ohio, 2,750. 8, Lady Pros, Albuquerque, N.M., 2,748. 9, Firenab 2, Lincoln, Neb., 2,745. 10, Red Carpet, Sauk Centre, Minn., 2,744.

Doubles
1, Jacqueline Snyder/Bill Calhoon, Cooksville, Ill., 1,282. 2, Janet Vaccari/Joe Vaccari, Gillette, Wyo., 1,255. 3, Frank Smyle Jr., Reeder, N.D./Jesse Smyle, Bowman, N.D., 1,240. 4, William Palmer, Sussex, Wis./Henry Dotson, McCool, Miss., 1,220. 5, Ron Schara, Big Timber, Mont./Tom Schara, Rio Rancho, N.M., 1,205. 6, Arthur King, Grass Valley, Calif./Sandy Wagner, Loomis, Calif., 1,203. 7, Jim Kohlman, St. Paul, Minn./Michael Roscoe, White Bear Lake, Minn., 1,196. 8, Larry Tschoepe, San Antonio/Ted Smith LaVernia, Texas, 1,188. 9, (tie), Lenny Boogaard, Osakis, Minn./Larry Sorenson, West Union, Minn., and Sue Kendall, Converse, Ind./Jeffrey Kistler, Marion, Ind., 1,184.

Singles
1, Daniel Dabkowski, Columbia, S.C., 688. 2 (tie), Brian Washington, Hopewell, Va., and Tim Hoffpauir, New Iberia, La., 676. 4, Tim Wagner, Hardin, Mont., 669. 5, Jeffrey Kistler, Marion, Ind., 668. 6, John Zapalac, Bishop, Texas, 662. 7, Randy Gaines, Austin, Minn., 658. 8, Ed Wethington, Poplar Grove, Ill., 657. 9 (tie), Dale Fuller, Otter Lake, Mich., and Bill Ingram, Aloha, Ore., 648.

All-Events
1, Jeffrey Kistler, Marion, Ind., 1,887. 2, Daniel Dabkowski, Columbia, S.C., 1,857. 3, Bill Calhoon, Cooksville, Ill., 1,852. 4, John Millet Jr., Greenland, N.H., 1,821. 5, Troy Schultz, Clarion, Iowa, 1,820. 6, Dave Lisson, Browerville, Minn., 1,815. 7, Glenn Shields, Bowling Green, Ohio, 1,791. 8, Hartsell Duhart, Compton, Calif., 1,789. 9, Dave Dubois, Santa Monica, Calif., 1,782. 10, John Albaugh, Colorado Springs, Colo., 1,773.