New Squad Schedule Announced For USBC Open Championship Bowling Tournament

The change was a result of tracking start and finish times during the 2021 USBC Open Championships, along with bowler feedback during a variety of daily schedules in recent years. The adjustments are being made with on-time squads and bowler experience as the top areas of focus.

The new schedule will eliminate the late-night doubles and singles squad and end each day with a combination squad that will use half the facility for team competition and half for doubles and singles.

Team bowling in 2022, 2023 and 2024 will take place at 2 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. (combo), and doubles/singles squads will be held at 7 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 6 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. (combo). The event will continue to feature two oil patterns – one for the team event and one for doubles/singles – and fresh oil for every squad.

Since the new schedule will limit the maximum number of teams per day to 84, the 2022 tournament will be extended by two weeks and allow for a capacity of more than 10,600 teams. It will run from March 12-July 16 (last team date), which is 128 consecutive days of competition. If demand warrants, the tournament can be extended as far as July 31.

The online registration portal will be closed from 1 p.m. Eastern on July 8 through 1 p.m. EDT on July 12, at which time all changes will be visible upon logging in.

Captains of teams already signed up for the 2022 Open Championships that will be affected by the time changes will be notified by email.

The Open Championships will return to the South Point Bowling Plaza in 2022 and 2024, and the 2023 event will be held at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nevada. The main tournament uses 60 lanes in each venue.

“We took a close look at the information we’ve collected during the 2021 Open Championships, and after making some squad adjustments for this year, we felt it made sense to look ahead to upcoming events, too,” USBC Executive Director Chad Murphy said. “The squad durations have been consistent, so we felt comfortable making this change. We aim for the best possible bowler experience, and being on-time is a big part of that.”

The success of the new daily schedule will be evaluated in the coming years, and adjustments may be made again before the 2025 tournament in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

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