USBC Open Championships

Ruby Jim of Las Vegas came within one ball of adding her to name the short list of women who have recorded a perfect games at the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships. The 25-year-old right-hander left only the 6-10 standing on her final shot and finished with 298. Women were first allowed to bowl in the USBC Open Championships in 1994, and only three have achieved perfection on the tournament lanes.

Brian Knauer of Federalsburg, Md., doesn't necessarily think of himself as a superstitious person, but no one could fault him for rethinking that position after he fell one pin short of perfection at the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships. Knauer opened his doubles set with 11 consecutive strikes, but a wobbly 8-pin on lane 13 left him with 299 and a pin short of the eighth perfect game of this year's event.

Staff Sgt. Charles Wilkin, a U.S. Air Force missile technician, was right on target with one goal and just missed a second at the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships on Tuesday. The 24-year-old right hander from Cheyenne, Wyo., was a stubborn 10-pin away from the eighth perfect game of this year's event and settled for 299 at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nev.

After falling just short of the Regular Team lead at the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships on Friday, Smith Barney 1 of Madison, Wis., returned to the lanes at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nev., on Saturday with only one thing in mind - taking over the top spot in Team All-Events.

With the new Regular Team leaders still in town and watching from the stands at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nev., two teams made a run at the top spot, but came up just short Friday night at the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships.

Three years ago, S & B Pro Shop 1 of Troy, Mich., took home the Regular Team title at the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships. On its return trip to the National Bowling Stadium on Thursday afternoon, the group picked up right where it left off. With two new faces, the team regained its stride and returned to championship form with games of 1,073, 1,103 and 1,104 for the 3,280 high score.

Mike Keller of Grand Ledge, Mich., is having a good year by his own admission and proved it on the lanes at the 2007 United States Bowling Congress Open Championships on Thursday. The 26-year-old right-hander opened his singles set with 182 and 192 before putting together 12 consecutive strikes for the seventh perfect game of this year's event at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nev.

Larry Harvanko (left) of Champlin, Minn., describes his team as once-a-week league bowlers, but the group performed like champions this week at the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships. Harvanko teamed up with Brett Pfeifer of Minneapolis to take the lead in Classified Doubles with 1,232 at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nev., on Wednesday and moved into the top spot in Classified All-Events with 1,836.

Kevin Lock of Minoa, N.Y., is an avid bowler and a six-time participant at the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships and couldn't have picked a better site than the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nev., for his first career 300 game. The 52-year-old right-hander put together 12 consecutive strikes in his final game of doubles Tuesday for the sixth perfect game of this year's USBC Open Championships.

Roberts Repair of Pontiac, Ill., made a run at the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships record book before settling into the Classified Team lead Sunday at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nev. The group posted games of 1,002, 922 and 921 for a 2,845 total, but fell short of the all-time high of 2,974 set by Lewis Marine Supply of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., in 1991.

A year has passed since Donald Bassett of Wichita, Kan., had a heart attack and nearly lost his life on the lanes at the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships, and the fully-recovered 68-year-old made an emotional return to the tournament Wednesday at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nev.

Sandy Postma of Lansing, Ill., has nearly 20 years of professional experience and is the only bowler to win both the United States Bowling Congress Queens and the USBC Senior Queens, but she became a rookie all over again when she made her first appearance at the USBC Open Championships this week.

Camden Rokita of Springfield, Ill. started his second game of doubles with 11 consecutive strikes and nearly recorded the fifth perfect game of the 2007 United States Bowling Congress Open Championships Wednesday at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nev., but a solid 9-pin on his final shot ended his run at perfection and left him with the third 299 of the year.

Despite an ailing knee, United States Bowling Congress Hall of Famer Bill Lillard of Houston made the ceremonial march down Center Aisle as he celebrated his 60th consecutive appearance at the USBC Open Championships. The eight-time Open Championships titlist became the ninth bowler in tournament history to reach the plateau, and the milestone was shared by hundreds of bowlers, family and friends.

For the 26th year, Chip Aki of Nicholasville, Ky., traveled to the USBC Open Championships with his sights set on a 2,000 all-events total, and this time he far exceeded that goal at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nev. The 45-year-old right-hander capped off his 2007 USBC Open Championships campaign with games of 279, 277 and 258 for an 814 series and the lead in Regular Singles.

A decade ago, Jeremy Sonnenfeld of Sioux Falls, S.D., became one of the most recognizable names in bowling when he rolled the first certified 900 series in the history of the United States Bowling Congress. The attention he garnered helped him become an ambassador for the sport and took him all over the world.

Although Franklin Mercer of Teaneck, N.J., is naturally left-handed, his Army buddies were able to convince him that the bowling center where they were teaching him to bowl didn't have any left-handed balls. The 61-year-old was forced to bowl with his right hand, and that technique paid off more than 40 years later as he rolled a 298 game at the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships on Wednesday.

In October, Ron Boroff of Mansfield, Texas, joined his son Ryan and daughter Catie in making history when they all made the semifinals and finished in the top 20 at a PBA Southwest Region event. This weekend the trio traveled to the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nev., hoping to make headlines at the USBC Open Championships.

While bowling together for the fifth time at the USBC Open Championships, everything finally clicked for Vic Telemarketing 2 of Westfield, Mass. The team showed steady improvement with each game at the National Bowling Stadium on Saturday night, and finished with 1,007, 1,064 and 1,147 for 3,218 on the way to the top spot in Regular Team.

Four years removed from a professional career that spanned nearly 20 years and many pages of the Professional Women's Bowling Association record book, Dede Davidson of Buellton, Calif., is back in the spotlight, this time breaking records at the USBC Open Championships. The nine-time PWBA titlist had a 2,118 total and to overtake the lead in Regular All-Events at the National Bowling Stadium on Friday.