Hello everyone.

We survived our long weekend of live streaming and high scores, and despite the long hours, we had a great time. I got some much-needed help with the set-up from our IT gurus Mark and Frank and some help with the actual live streaming operation from Dana Pauline and Emil Williams Jr. I also enjoyed comments from some tournament staff members and a handful of great bowlers. It's still a learning experience, but it was fun.

Things kicked off Friday night with Jeff Richgels and his Turbo 2-N-1 Grips teammates, who put on a great show for more than 2,000 unique viewers (www.ustream.tv/usbc). We did lose some people after their 967 start, but they bounced back with 1,170 and 1,161 to take the lead with 3,298.

Turbo 2-N-1 came in with a game plan/strategy and stuck with it, even when it didn't appear to be working. They waited it out and were rewarded with two of the three highest games of this year's tournament. It definitely takes a lot of experience and talent to keep from panicking and making a move too soon.

Two days later, we had the pleasure of welcoming Linds Limited, the defending Regular Team and Team All-Events champion. After the entire team squad had marched out, we closed the curtain at the end of Center Aisle. We introduced the team members and told the crowd about their accomplishments. Then we opened the curtain and gave them their own escorted march down Center Aisle just before they put their titles on the line.

During our broadcast of Linds Limited, nearly 8,000 viewers tuned in to see the action, and they got more of a show than they could've hoped for. While the Linds Limited bowlers struggled to a 3,004 total (they shot 3,449 on the way to the title in 2009), their companion team, Red Carpet Lanes, made a run at the lead. Although the group fell short and settled into second place (3,250), the momentum carried into doubles and singles Monday.

Red Carpet Lanes blasted the pins, averaging 230 as a team Monday, and cruised into the Team All-Events lead with a 10,131 total, the eighth-highest score in tournament history. It definitely was exciting to watch, especially since those guys have been my friends since I moved to Wisconsin for the first time in 2005. Nice bowling, gentlemen.

After a slow day Tuesday, the scores heated up again as PBA champion Jimmy Johnson rolled an emotional and inspirational 804 singles series Wednesday afternoon. By the time the last pin fell, there were tears in his eyes. Talking to him reminded me what the Open Championships is really about. While we were talking, he told me about his father, USBC and PBA Hall of Famer Don Johnson, who died in 2003 from complications of diabetes.

Johnson spends a lot of his time raising money to help fight juvenile diabetes through the Don Johnson Memorial Fund. His team is called Don Johnson Memorial. Even though his father isn't there to watch him compete, he still wants to make him proud. It's not about brackets or prize money. It's about succeeding on bowling's biggest stage and helping the world remember Don Johnson.

Talking to Jimmy made me think of all the people I don't get to see. Some are still alive, and some are gone. I also started thinking about how far I've come, and all the great people I've met along the way. Unfortunately, given my profession, I've also had to say goodbye to a lot of people.

It all started in 2005 when I drove away from Gainesville, Fla., the place I had spent my college career and three additional years. I left a lot of great friends and the state I'd called home for nearly 20 years. And I would no longer be just a four-hour drive from my family.

When I arrived in Baton Rouge and saw the tournament venue for the first time, I was in awe. When I spent my first night in my apartment that year, I instantly felt like a real grown-up. I truly was on my own and was getting a real paycheck and all the necessary benefits. Welcome to adulthood and the real world.

Despite being a wide-eyed 25-year-old, I quickly was welcomed into the tournament family and made a lot of friends. They'll all tell you that I didn't say much for the first few weeks, and they'd be right. I was just taking it all in, and I was just happy to be a part of it. Unfortunately, six short months later, it was time to say goodbye again. Then, it was off to Milwaukee for another fresh start.

While in Milwaukee, I missed all the people I'd left behind in Florida and at the tournament, but I made some new friends in the Cheese State. But, you guessed it, six months later, it was time to say goodbye again. I could continue this story, but it's the same, year after year. I wouldn't change it, however. Living in a different city every year is an adventure, and even though you have to leave people behind all the time, there's another reunion a few thousand miles away.

As much as I love what I do and the people I meet, I do my best not to get attached. It never works, however, and I spend thousands of miles a year reflecting on the recent months and all the good times.

As a youngster, I was really good about out of sight, out of mind, but as an adult, I've learned to the treasure friendships I make. Earlier this year, I lost my grandfather and almost my brother. I probably didn't talk to either of them as much as I should have. It's easy to put it off until tomorrow. But sometimes, tomorrow is too late. Here's a prime example.

Just before the start of the 2005 tournament, there were a few hall of famers in town for opening day. One of them was Dick Weber, who was one of the best bowlers who ever lived. At one point on opening day, he was walking in the general direction of my office, and I was starstruck. I also really had to go to the bathroom and wanted to accomplish that goal before we got too busy with opening ceremonies. I told myself I'd catch up with Mr. Weber later, and went on my way.

Of course, I got wrapped up in the excitement and responsibility of my first Open Championships, and the day was over before I knew it. I never got to shake Mr. Weber's hand and introduce myself. He took an early flight home the next morning and died in his sleep that night.

In the time since, especially with the events of 2009, I've done my best to keep in touch with people who are important to me and remind them of that every chance I can. I like to let people know when I'm thinking of them and that they're special to me. I am more thoughtful and find myself doing more things for other people. I have rekindled some old friendships that I let slip away.

I've learned a lot, too. I learned that it wasn't the miles interfering with my friendships in the past, it was a lack of effort. I learned that making the effort or reaching out a hand can be the best decision ever. I learned not to listen to what other people say, and to form my own opinions. I learned that everyone deserves a chance, and if they disappoint you, it's their loss. I've learned that some things are worth fighting for.

Talking to people like Jimmy Johnson reminds me how important it is to appreciate people while they're still around. I had a similar feeling last week when my friend Bill Lillard and his wife were in town. I enjoy every opportunity I get to talk to them and hear their stories. It was nice of them to come out and see me when I was at an event in Houston, and it's always good to see them doing well. It's also enjoy seeing the many bowlers who go out of their way to say hello each year when they're in town to bowl.

At the same time, I'll admit that it is hard being away from the house I own in Texas. I miss the friends I made there and the lazy weekends. I miss softball and bowling leagues. I miss Sunday football and working around the house. I miss Taco Tuesday and being mischievous at random locations like the Euless Yacht Club.

There are also things I miss from the tournament half of the year, too. I had a great time living on the beach in Corpus Christi and eating crab legs all the time at Green Valley Ranch in Las Vegas. It's not all super long hours and crashing pins, believe it or not.

The tournament staff includes more than 50 travelers and managers who live the same life. Six months in one place and six months in another. All for the love of the game and the Open Championships. It's definitely a unique lifestyle, and it's pretty exciting.

It's all a balance I guess, but I have learned that there's no such thing as goodbye. I'll always have my memories, and my true friends are only a phone call away. And for many bowlers, they know that next year, in another city (usually), they'll see me and other members of the tournament staff as well as their friends and teammates at the Open Championships. Each year is a reunion and a goodbye. But when the scoresheets are faded and the prize money is spent, we'll still have the friendships and the memories.

That's the news for now. See you on the lanes.