BOWLING MUSEUM AND HALL OF FAME OPENS WITH USBC WOMENS CHAMPIONSHIPS
2012-04-14
The Reno museum and hall of fame is the first satellite
location of the IBM/HF. The actual museum is located in Arlington, Texas, on
the first level of the International Bowling Congress which is home to the
United States Bowling Congress, the Bowling Proprietors’ Association of America
and the state-of-the-art, Olympic-style International Testing and Research
Center.
While the museum in Arlington features scores of interactive
displays, thus appealing to a wider, younger audience, the satellite at the
National Bowling Stadium targets the bowler by featuring displays of Bowling
Artifacts, General History, Tournament History, Technology and Science, Women’s
Influence on Bowling, and pays tribute to the famed Beer Teams of the past.
“It’s exciting to see this project come to fruition,” said
Keith Hamilton, Chairman & President of the International Bowling Museum
& Hall of Fame. “Being here in Reno provides us with the great opportunity
of bringing the museum to the bowlers, instead of bowlers having to come to the
museum.”
Upon completion, the Hall of Fame at the National Bowling
Stadium will mirror its predecessor in Arlington, which features a kiosk,
database platform including biographies, statistics, photos and videos of each
of the nearly 500 Hall of Famers. The IBM/HF will also include a seven-foot
tall, eight-foot wide public art installation of glazed ceramic, porcelain and
glass, depicting a bowling ball and pin, created by Reno artist Eileen Gay.
Hall of Fame inductees who were on hand for the opening
include Elaine Hagin, Betty Morris-Laub, Flora Mitchell and Reno locals, Pam
Buckner and Betty Barnes.
The International Bowling Museum & Hall of Fame is the
first project made possible by joint efforts between and Reno City Council and
the Nevada Legislature to finance capital projects to improve and maintain
publicly owned facilities for tourism and entertainment. In its 2011 session,
the Nevada Legislature passed NRS 268.798, which opened the door for the City
of Reno to fund improvement projects at the National Bowling Stadium and other
public facilities.
“This is the culmination of our state representatives
working across the aisle in both houses to find a way for the City of Reno to
better our community,” said RSCVA Chairman of the Board Dwight Dortch. “The
International Bowling Museum & Hall of Fame not only improves the National
Bowling Stadium, but it also reinforces our commitment to the sport of bowling
and shows participants how valued they are in Reno Tahoe USA.”
Many Nevada Legislators, including Assemblywoman Debbie
Smith and Senator Don Gustavson, who both supported the legislation, were in
attendance at the opening.
The opening of the International Bowling Museum & Hall
of Fame was held in conjunction with the opening day of the 2012 USBC Women’s
Championships, being held at the National Bowling Stadium through July 8, 2012.
The 2012 USBC Women’s Championships is the 93rd
tournament in its history, and returns to Reno Tahoe for the seventh time. More
than 6,100 teams of five women, from all 50 states, will compete in the nearly
three-month long tournament, which is expected to bring more than 90,000
competitors, friends and family to the National Bowling Stadium. The prize fund
for the 2012 Women’s Championships is expected to exceed $2 million. The RSCVA
estimates the tournament will create a direct local economic impact of
$52,507,000.
The USBC Women’s Championships will return to Reno Tahoe USA
in 2013, 2014 and 2015, marking an unprecedented run for the tournament in a
single city. In 2013 and 2014, Reno Tahoe USA will also host the USBC Open Championships,
which will also mark the first time those two events were held in the same city
in a single year. The USBC Women’s Championships will be held at the
Reno-Sparks Convention Center in 2013 and 2014, while the National Bowling
stadium hosts the USBC Open Championships.
