Defending champions crack top 10 at 2016 USBC Open
April 18, 2016
RENO, Nev. - Even though it has been more than nine months since the congratulatory phone calls went out, Adam Barta of Girard, Ohio, said it took until Monday night for the magnitude of what his team accomplished at last year's United States Bowling Congress Open Championships to sink in.
The exact moment didn't come in the squad room or while waiting for their ceremonial march down Center Aisle at the National Bowling Stadium. It didn't happen when they were presented with their championship watches or when they made the short walk to their lanes.
The realization for Barta came after the 10 minutes of practice concluded, and he looked up to see the word champion next to his name on the scoreboard for the first time. It will be there, in some form, every year for the rest of his USBC Open Championships career, which could be decades, since he's just 36 years old and only 15 years into his tournament career.
But, the celebration was short-lived, as Barta was one ringing bell away from kicking off Team NABR's title defense on the biggest stage in bowling.
Though the number they needed to shoot to regain the top spot in the standings was more than 120 less than their winning score last year in El Paso, Texas, there was a new kind of pressure in trying to become the first team in 113 years of Open Championships history to successfully defend a Regular Team title.
The team was able to grind its way to games of 1,003 and 1,020 before finishing strong with a 1,109 effort for a 3,132 total and a tie for ninth place overall. Who's Eddie Byrd? of Fort Worth, Texas, leads this year at the NBS with 3,241.
"Tonight definitely was a different and incredible experience, and it wasn't too hard to regain focus when practice started, but that changed when the lights came on," said Barta, who helped Team NABR of West Henrietta, New York, to a 3,368 winning total in 2015. "We knew there wasn't going to be anything easy about it, but we came with a strategy, and we wanted stay focused and fill frames. We knew if we stuck to the plan and worked together, we could hopefully set ourselves up for a big finish again."
Brian Waliczek set the pace Monday night for Team NABR with a 697 series and was followed by 2007 Regular All-Events champion Mike Rose Jr. (665), Barta (616) and Scott Pohl and Rob Gotchall with 577 apiece.
Team NABR's companion team, Strike Synergy of Honeoye Falls, New York, also finished strong, closing with a 1,020 game for a 2,895 total. Kevin Donaghue led the way with a 622 series and was joined by Robert Wiley (596), Kyle Keegan (595), Troy McClure (550) and Patric Donaghue (532).
Now, Barta and company must shift their sights to doubles and singles, where they still can find team success by tracking down defending Team All-Events champion Junior Team USA Support 1 of Eagan, Minnesota, which leads again this year with a 9,672 total.
In order to surpass Junior Team USA Support 1, the members of Team NABR must average 218 each for six games Tuesday at the NBS. They'll be back on the lanes at 4 p.m. Eastern.
"Regardless of where we are or what we're bowling in, we are there to win, but we understand that not winning also is part of the game," said Barta, whose home bowling center is Holiday Bowl in Struthers, Ohio. "The fact that we have more games tomorrow and a chance at other titles, keeps us motivated."
Monday early team squad also featured four of the five members of the 2015 Classified Team champion, Scotty's 3 of Alexandria, Minnesota - Brady Erdmann, Alan Iverson, Jed Lye and Tyler Grabow. The only one missing was defending Classified All-Events champion Marshal Lagred.
The team is part of a larger group that has found continued success in recent years, including the Classified Team and Classified Doubles titles in 2014.
This time, with a new lineup, Scotty's 3 again made a run at the top of the standings before settling into third place with a 2,570 total. Yeah Spare IV of Sacramento, California, leads with 2,656.
Steve Hennen set the pace this year for Scotty's 3 with a 595 series and was followed by Michael Donley (544), Nicholas Razink (516), Nathan Erickson (501) and Gary Tomhave (414).
The Classified Division is for teams with combined entering averages of 900 or less and individuals with entering averages of 180 and below.
Visit us on Facebook at the official USBC Open/Women's Championships page.
The exact moment didn't come in the squad room or while waiting for their ceremonial march down Center Aisle at the National Bowling Stadium. It didn't happen when they were presented with their championship watches or when they made the short walk to their lanes.
The realization for Barta came after the 10 minutes of practice concluded, and he looked up to see the word champion next to his name on the scoreboard for the first time. It will be there, in some form, every year for the rest of his USBC Open Championships career, which could be decades, since he's just 36 years old and only 15 years into his tournament career.
But, the celebration was short-lived, as Barta was one ringing bell away from kicking off Team NABR's title defense on the biggest stage in bowling.Though the number they needed to shoot to regain the top spot in the standings was more than 120 less than their winning score last year in El Paso, Texas, there was a new kind of pressure in trying to become the first team in 113 years of Open Championships history to successfully defend a Regular Team title.
The team was able to grind its way to games of 1,003 and 1,020 before finishing strong with a 1,109 effort for a 3,132 total and a tie for ninth place overall. Who's Eddie Byrd? of Fort Worth, Texas, leads this year at the NBS with 3,241.
"Tonight definitely was a different and incredible experience, and it wasn't too hard to regain focus when practice started, but that changed when the lights came on," said Barta, who helped Team NABR of West Henrietta, New York, to a 3,368 winning total in 2015. "We knew there wasn't going to be anything easy about it, but we came with a strategy, and we wanted stay focused and fill frames. We knew if we stuck to the plan and worked together, we could hopefully set ourselves up for a big finish again."
Brian Waliczek set the pace Monday night for Team NABR with a 697 series and was followed by 2007 Regular All-Events champion Mike Rose Jr. (665), Barta (616) and Scott Pohl and Rob Gotchall with 577 apiece.
Team NABR's companion team, Strike Synergy of Honeoye Falls, New York, also finished strong, closing with a 1,020 game for a 2,895 total. Kevin Donaghue led the way with a 622 series and was joined by Robert Wiley (596), Kyle Keegan (595), Troy McClure (550) and Patric Donaghue (532).
Now, Barta and company must shift their sights to doubles and singles, where they still can find team success by tracking down defending Team All-Events champion Junior Team USA Support 1 of Eagan, Minnesota, which leads again this year with a 9,672 total.
In order to surpass Junior Team USA Support 1, the members of Team NABR must average 218 each for six games Tuesday at the NBS. They'll be back on the lanes at 4 p.m. Eastern.
"Regardless of where we are or what we're bowling in, we are there to win, but we understand that not winning also is part of the game," said Barta, whose home bowling center is Holiday Bowl in Struthers, Ohio. "The fact that we have more games tomorrow and a chance at other titles, keeps us motivated."
Monday early team squad also featured four of the five members of the 2015 Classified Team champion, Scotty's 3 of Alexandria, Minnesota - Brady Erdmann, Alan Iverson, Jed Lye and Tyler Grabow. The only one missing was defending Classified All-Events champion Marshal Lagred.The team is part of a larger group that has found continued success in recent years, including the Classified Team and Classified Doubles titles in 2014.
This time, with a new lineup, Scotty's 3 again made a run at the top of the standings before settling into third place with a 2,570 total. Yeah Spare IV of Sacramento, California, leads with 2,656.
Steve Hennen set the pace this year for Scotty's 3 with a 595 series and was followed by Michael Donley (544), Nicholas Razink (516), Nathan Erickson (501) and Gary Tomhave (414).
The Classified Division is for teams with combined entering averages of 900 or less and individuals with entering averages of 180 and below.
Visit us on Facebook at the official USBC Open/Women's Championships page.