By Mike Pettinella
Genesee Region USBC members from Spencerport and Batavia cracked the 800 series mark in league competition this month.
On Jan. 19, right-hander Robbie Hanks notched his 11th 800 series at Oak Orchard Bowl (where he works with his proprietor father, Randy) by posting games of 249-276-278—803 in the Sneezy’s Monday Night League.
Six days earlier, lefty Mike Johnson of Batavia recorded his fourth USBC-certified 800 series (per bowl.com) with a 253-259-278—800 effort in the Tuesday Scratch Doubles League at Rose Garden Bowl in Bergen.
Johnson finished with 10 straight strikes and nine pins on the last ball to post the honor score.
On Jan. 20 in the same league, Madeline Notebaert of Rochester rolled her first 700 series. The smooth lefty posted games of 240-226-257 for a 723 set.
On Jan. 7, Shawn Better followed his 834 series in the GRUSBC Scratch Memorial Tournament with a 299 game in the Wednesday Night Classic League at Mount Morris Lanes.
At Mancuso Bowling Center in Batavia, two bowlers strung 11 in a row on Jan. 20 – Chris Bailey, 290 in the Tuesday Night Triples League, and Shayne Herold, 297 in the Tuesday Night Coed League.
SEVERAL TOURNAMENTS ON THE MAP
— Help-R-Hero’s, Le Roy Legion Lanes. The annual four-person handicap no-tap fundraiser is scheduled for Jan. 30-Feb. 1 with squad times at 7 p.m. on Friday, noon and 3 p.m. on Saturday and 2 p.m. on Sunday. Entry fee is $100 per team with first place, based on 32 teams, set at $1,000. To enter, call Scott O’Neill at 585-409-0459.
— Scott Whittier Memorial, Oak Orchard Bowl, Albion. The 14th annual Scott Whittier Memorial triples handicap no-tap tournament is scheduled for Jan. 31-Feb. 1 with Saturday squad times at 1 and 3 p.m. and Sunday squad times at noon, 2 and 4:30 p.m. First place is $700. Entry fee is $75 per team. Call 585-589-6900 after 6 p.m. to enter.
— Super Bowl Handicap Singles, Mancuso Bowling Center, Batavia. Sunday, Feb. 8 is the date for the annual event, which features one qualifying squad at noon. Entry fee is $45. First place is $450, with one in four entries advancing to head-to-head match play. To enter, call Mark Brown at 716-474-7960.
USBC MEMBERSHIP AT A MILLION-PLUS
Membership in the United States Bowling Congress, the sport’s national governing body, stayed above the one million mark for the 2024-25 season, according to USBC Executive Director Chad Murphy.
In his annual “State of the Association” report, Murphy stated that the USBC counted 1,075,194 members – down slightly from the 1,093,000 members in 2023-24.
For this season, 2025-26, Murphy said that, “thus far, membership remains flat … and it’s looking like we’ll be close to our numbers from last season again.”
Participation in the USBC’s two major national tournaments – the Open Championships and Women’s Championships – continues to climb, however.
The 2025 Open Championships in Baton Rouge, La., drew 11,684 teams – 672 more than the previous year. And the 2025 Women’s Championships in Las Vegas attracted 4,099 teams – up from 3,668 in 2024.
Murphy said things look promising for the 2026 national tournaments, noting that almost 11,000 have signed up for the Open Championships in Reno, Nev., and more than 4,000 teams expected again for the Women’s Championships in Las Vegas.
The Genesee Region Youth Travel League scheduled for Sunday, Jan 25 at Mount Morris Lanes has been canceled due to weather. Go to bowlgr.com for more information.