By Matt Cannizzaro and David McCord
USBC Communications

LAS VEGAS - As often is the case, things happen and plans change, and teams sometimes need to adjust or fill their rosters before taking the lanes at the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships.

Those reasons can vary and include anything from work to injuries to schedule conflicts to unforeseen circumstances, just to name a few, and finding a replacement can be stressful for captains, depending on the lead time.

In the case of Captain's Club member Don Barry of Omaha, Nebraska, and one of his team captains, Joshua Horner of Council Bluffs, Iowa, social media actually saved the day when one of their bowlers had to back out of the 2019 USBC Open Championships at the South Point Bowling Plaza.

In the comments of Facebook post asking if anyone was interested in filling the spot, someone jokingly tagged Professional Bowlers Association Tour champion Mika Koivuniemi, who was scheduled to be in Las Vegas about the same time for his induction into the USBC Hall of Fame.

Six degrees of bowling separation, and a past connection between Barry and Koivuniemi, then led to Horner's team getting a major upgrade, as Koivuniemi, also a PBA Hall of Famer, agreed to fill the spot for his first Open Championships appearance since 2001 - about the time he earned the moniker "Major Mika" by winning the USBC Masters in 2000 and U.S. Open in 2001, both majors on the PBA Tour schedule.

For the 42-year-old Horner, an 11-time Open Championships participant, it was an experience he'll never forget.

"We had a lot of fun bowling with Mika," said Horner, who also got to bowl doubles with the soon-to-be inducted USBC Hall of Famer. "There was not as much pressure as I thought there would be."

Their team, #BA #NFG of Omaha found its groove Sunday at the Bowling Plaza and put together games of 942, 999 and 1006 for a 2947 total, a personal best for the group and just inside the top 75 in this year's Regular Team standings.

For team member Cory Nichols, it was quite an experience, with it being only his second time competing at the Open Championships.

"They call him Major Mika for a reason," Nichols said. "To be able to bowl with someone of that caliber and see how they play the lanes, plus his ability to make huge moves and not even bat an eye, made for a once-in-a-lifetime experience."

Nichols led the team with a 621 series and was followed Anthony Mason (616), Koivuniemi (604), Horner (562) and Adam Norton (544).

"It was something I never thought I'd be able to experience," said Norton, who made his fourth appearance at the Open Championships. "When Don was able to get Mika to bowl with us, I got excited. I usually get nervous bowling the Open Championships, but once we bowled a few frames, I loosened up, and we were able to put up a good team score."

At one point, Koivuniemi was offering pointers to his new teammates, sharing the experience he's picked up over his three decades as a professional bowler. His success on the lanes includes 14 PBA Tour titles, one of which was the 2011 PBA Tournament of Champions, also in Las Vegas, which featured a $250,000 top prize, the biggest in history.

"It was a lot of fun to bowl with him," said Nichols, who made sure to put some pressure on Koivuniemi in the last game of their team event. "We were joking around, and I made sure he knew he needed to make the 10 pin the last game to beat me. He did."

Despite feeling some jet lag and disappointment from his performance on the lanes, Koivuniemi enjoyed the experience, and his time spent with the group from Nebraska.

"I didn't know anybody from the team I bowled on, but I got to know them, and they are a great group of guys, so I really enjoyed it," said Koivuniemi, who made his entrance into the USBC Hall of Fame on Wednesday as part of the 2019 USBC Convention at the nearby Orleans Hotel & Casino. "I'm a little disappointed with how I bowled, but you know, that's OK. We'll have six more chances in doubles and singles."

Doubles and singles, contested on a different oil pattern, did go better for Koivuniemi, who added sets of 607 in doubles and then 657 in singles for an 1,868 all-events total. This year marked Koivuniemi's 20th year of USBC Championship Tournaments participation, which includes seven years at the Open Championships and 13 years at the Masters.

He and Horner combined for a 1,147 doubles total Monday, with Horner contributing a 540 series. Horner finished his 2019 Open Championships campaign with a 505 series in singles for a 1,607 all-events total.

Koivuniemi was joined in the 2019 USBC Hall of Fame class by Kelly Kulick of Union New Jersey, and Chris Barnes of Double Oak, Texas, in the Superior Performance category, the late Jim St. John in the Veterans category, Larry Lichstein of Fort Myers, Florida, in the Pioneer division, and, for Meritorious Service, the late John Davis and veteran bowling writer Bob Johnson of Las Vegas.

For more information on the Open Championships, visit BOWL.com/OpenChamp.

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