Alex George makes return to USBC Open Championships after singles win in 2022
July 14, 2023
RENO, Nev. – Alex George of Wichita, Kansas, isn’t afraid to wear his heart on his sleeve when he’s talking about the sport of bowling.
The 28-year-old right-hander holds an appreciation and passion to compete on the sport’s biggest stages, and he’s mindful of those who have helped him along the way as he starts to build on his young career.
George reflected on his journey as he made his recent appearance at the 2023 United States Bowling Congress Open Championships, taking in what it meant to return to the event as a defending champion after his victory in Regular Singles at the 2022 tournament in Las Vegas.
Although he won’t return to the winner’s circle this year, George walked away from his time at the National Bowling Stadium with an appreciation for each part of the experience and being able to share those moments with his teammates.
Last year at the South Point Bowling Plaza, George ignited the bowling world as news spread of his performance on the way to taking the lead. He rolled games of 290, 279 and 279 for an 848 series.
He started his final game with nine strikes and needed nine pins on his first delivery in the 10th frame to take over the top spot, but something just as big was at stake for the former collegiate standout from Newman University as he settled in on the approach at the Bowling Plaza – the highest series in tournament history.
George needed to get the first two hits in the 10th frame for the chance to go around the 862 score posted by USBC Hall of Famer Bo Goergen of Sanford, Michigan, to win Regular Singles at the 2009 Open Championships.
His first offering left a 4 pin, which allowed him to move past Scott Patke of Lansing, Michigan, who had held the lead with 835. George converted the spare and struck on his fill ball to finish with the sixth highest three-game set in nearly 120 years of competition at the tournament.
“I don’t know if I have the words to describe how incredible that was,” George said. “Getting to step up in the 10th frame of Game 3 with a chance to break the all-time record – you don’t get to do that. That just doesn’t happen. Just having that moment to have a chance and know if I throw a double, my name could be in the rafters forever. It’s unfathomable.”
George took over the lead on July 5, so he had less than two weeks to see if his score would hold as the top number in 2022.
Three days later, his friend Sam Swinford of Ponca City, Oklahoma, started singles at the Bowling Plaza with games of 290 and 300.
Swinford still was in contention to set the tournament record until a nine count and spare in his eighth frame, which made for the possibility of a tie at 848 with George. Swinford struck in his ninth frame and followed with another to start his final frame, but he crossed over on his next shot, leaving a 5-6 split to finish with 245 to tie Patke for second place with 835.
“I had been checking every squad to see if someone was catching me, and I saw Sam start with 290,” George said. “I thought this might be the bullet I have to dodge, and then he shoots 300. I really thought at that point he was going to beat me. When he got the nine count in the eighth frame, I knew we could tie, and I wanted him to strike out for the tie. It would have been really cool to tie with a friend.”
Another 10 days passed until the final ball was rolled at the 2022 Open Championships, and he really began to process what had happened after receiving the official phone call from the tournament staff.
In addition to creating his own moment, he now was joining the long list of champions at the tournament from Wichita.
“Being born and raised in Wichita, it’s kind of all you can hope for,” George said. “I grew up looking up to those guys like (Rick) Steelsmith, (Justin) Hromek, Coach (Gordon) Vadakin and Coach (Mark) Lewis, Mark Jensen – those guys are some of the best bowlers ever, let alone just in Wichita. To have my name on the board with them is pretty special.”
As George made his return to the tournament venue, he quickly took in each part of the experience, from seeing his championship banner hanging from the rafters at the NBS to trying to prepare for his ceremonial march down Center Aisle prior to his team event.
“When I walked in and saw my name on the banner, that hit pretty hard, but in a good way,” George said. “You build up the moment, and the walk down Center Aisle was more than I could have imagined. Getting to appreciate it with my teammates and friends meant the world to me. Getting to do that last year with them … I just have so much appreciation for those guys.”
George posted a 584 series in team before returning the next day for doubles and singles. He had 551 in doubles before starting his title defense.
The number in Regular Singles at the 2023 event had just been raised to 813 the previous day by David Simard of Granby, Quebec, Canada, and George was out of contention for a repeat by the end of Game 1, finishing with 202. He followed with 187 before rolling 256 to get to 645.
“It’s hard to describe going in to defend the title, because I bowled so bad in doubles,” said George, who finished with an all-events total of 1,780. “I was in the 680s last year, and I felt like I had good ball reaction and was able to get locked into a zone and repeat. Today, I felt like I was bowling the U.S. Open for those first three games after bowling well at the Bowlers Journal and knew if I didn’t start striking quickly, it was going to be really unlikely to repeat.
“I think our game plan in doubles and singles was right, but when we started singles and moved in with reactive, we needed to be another arrow to the left. Once we finally got far enough to the left, it was fine. David (Simard) bowled phenomenal to take the lead.”
George is looking forward to continuing his career at the Open Championships to see what’s next for him and talented teammates.
He appreciates his spot in the tournament’s storied history, but it’s all about who he gets to share his appearance with at the event.
“There will always be a cup next to my name, and being introduced each year as a champion is going to be really cool,” George said. “Getting to do it with those guys is No. 1 for me, though. They put up with me pretty well and cheer me on more than I could ever imagine. They’re the best group of guys, and I really appreciate them.”
The 2023 Open Championships kicked off March 4 and will conclude July 24. The 143-day tournament will feature more than 9,700 five-player teams and nearly 50,000 bowlers making their way to compete in The Biggest Little City in the World.
Visit us on Facebook at the official USBC Open Championships page.
The 28-year-old right-hander holds an appreciation and passion to compete on the sport’s biggest stages, and he’s mindful of those who have helped him along the way as he starts to build on his young career.
George reflected on his journey as he made his recent appearance at the 2023 United States Bowling Congress Open Championships, taking in what it meant to return to the event as a defending champion after his victory in Regular Singles at the 2022 tournament in Las Vegas.
Although he won’t return to the winner’s circle this year, George walked away from his time at the National Bowling Stadium with an appreciation for each part of the experience and being able to share those moments with his teammates.
Last year at the South Point Bowling Plaza, George ignited the bowling world as news spread of his performance on the way to taking the lead. He rolled games of 290, 279 and 279 for an 848 series.
He started his final game with nine strikes and needed nine pins on his first delivery in the 10th frame to take over the top spot, but something just as big was at stake for the former collegiate standout from Newman University as he settled in on the approach at the Bowling Plaza – the highest series in tournament history.
George needed to get the first two hits in the 10th frame for the chance to go around the 862 score posted by USBC Hall of Famer Bo Goergen of Sanford, Michigan, to win Regular Singles at the 2009 Open Championships.
His first offering left a 4 pin, which allowed him to move past Scott Patke of Lansing, Michigan, who had held the lead with 835. George converted the spare and struck on his fill ball to finish with the sixth highest three-game set in nearly 120 years of competition at the tournament.
“I don’t know if I have the words to describe how incredible that was,” George said. “Getting to step up in the 10th frame of Game 3 with a chance to break the all-time record – you don’t get to do that. That just doesn’t happen. Just having that moment to have a chance and know if I throw a double, my name could be in the rafters forever. It’s unfathomable.”
George took over the lead on July 5, so he had less than two weeks to see if his score would hold as the top number in 2022.
Three days later, his friend Sam Swinford of Ponca City, Oklahoma, started singles at the Bowling Plaza with games of 290 and 300.
Swinford still was in contention to set the tournament record until a nine count and spare in his eighth frame, which made for the possibility of a tie at 848 with George. Swinford struck in his ninth frame and followed with another to start his final frame, but he crossed over on his next shot, leaving a 5-6 split to finish with 245 to tie Patke for second place with 835.
“I had been checking every squad to see if someone was catching me, and I saw Sam start with 290,” George said. “I thought this might be the bullet I have to dodge, and then he shoots 300. I really thought at that point he was going to beat me. When he got the nine count in the eighth frame, I knew we could tie, and I wanted him to strike out for the tie. It would have been really cool to tie with a friend.”
Another 10 days passed until the final ball was rolled at the 2022 Open Championships, and he really began to process what had happened after receiving the official phone call from the tournament staff.
In addition to creating his own moment, he now was joining the long list of champions at the tournament from Wichita.
“Being born and raised in Wichita, it’s kind of all you can hope for,” George said. “I grew up looking up to those guys like (Rick) Steelsmith, (Justin) Hromek, Coach (Gordon) Vadakin and Coach (Mark) Lewis, Mark Jensen – those guys are some of the best bowlers ever, let alone just in Wichita. To have my name on the board with them is pretty special.”
As George made his return to the tournament venue, he quickly took in each part of the experience, from seeing his championship banner hanging from the rafters at the NBS to trying to prepare for his ceremonial march down Center Aisle prior to his team event.
“When I walked in and saw my name on the banner, that hit pretty hard, but in a good way,” George said. “You build up the moment, and the walk down Center Aisle was more than I could have imagined. Getting to appreciate it with my teammates and friends meant the world to me. Getting to do that last year with them … I just have so much appreciation for those guys.”
George posted a 584 series in team before returning the next day for doubles and singles. He had 551 in doubles before starting his title defense.
The number in Regular Singles at the 2023 event had just been raised to 813 the previous day by David Simard of Granby, Quebec, Canada, and George was out of contention for a repeat by the end of Game 1, finishing with 202. He followed with 187 before rolling 256 to get to 645.
“It’s hard to describe going in to defend the title, because I bowled so bad in doubles,” said George, who finished with an all-events total of 1,780. “I was in the 680s last year, and I felt like I had good ball reaction and was able to get locked into a zone and repeat. Today, I felt like I was bowling the U.S. Open for those first three games after bowling well at the Bowlers Journal and knew if I didn’t start striking quickly, it was going to be really unlikely to repeat.
“I think our game plan in doubles and singles was right, but when we started singles and moved in with reactive, we needed to be another arrow to the left. Once we finally got far enough to the left, it was fine. David (Simard) bowled phenomenal to take the lead.”
George is looking forward to continuing his career at the Open Championships to see what’s next for him and talented teammates.
He appreciates his spot in the tournament’s storied history, but it’s all about who he gets to share his appearance with at the event.
“There will always be a cup next to my name, and being introduced each year as a champion is going to be really cool,” George said. “Getting to do it with those guys is No. 1 for me, though. They put up with me pretty well and cheer me on more than I could ever imagine. They’re the best group of guys, and I really appreciate them.”
The 2023 Open Championships kicked off March 4 and will conclude July 24. The 143-day tournament will feature more than 9,700 five-player teams and nearly 50,000 bowlers making their way to compete in The Biggest Little City in the World.
Visit us on Facebook at the official USBC Open Championships page.