Opening ceremony welcomes 2026 USBC Women’s Championships to Las Vegas
April 25, 2026
LAS VEGAS – The 2026 United States Bowling Congress Women’s Championships got underway Saturday at the South Point Bowling Plaza, marking the second consecutive year the tournament has been contested at the 60-lane venue.
The 106th edition of the event is scheduled to feature more than 4,200 four-player teams and 16,000 bowlers. The 65-day event will conclude June 28.
An opening ceremony prior to the first squad Saturday helped get the action going in Las Vegas as 54 teams went out to set the pace across four average-based divisions named after precious gemstones (Diamond, Ruby, Emerald and Sapphire).
The ceremony featured warm welcomes from local and bowling dignitaries, entertainment courtesy of Frankie Scinta, a ribbon-cutting and the Mass Ball Shot, giving a member of each team the chance to roll a ball down the lane at the same time.
Speakers included South Point Hotel, Casino and Spa General Manager Ryan Growney, Las Vegas Events Vice President of Finance Diana McCall and USBC Women’s Championships Tournament Manager Kathy Prange.
The ceremonial first ball for the 2026 event was delivered by Erika Ciminnisi of Newnan, Georgia. Ciminnisi was selected after her team – Young and the Restless – was chosen to serve as the honorary grand marshal to lead Saturday’s squad to the lanes at South Point.
Ciminnisi’s team also served as the honorary grand marshal at the 2024 Women’s Championships in Reno, Nevada, during the opening ceremony, so she was prepared for the task of delivering the first ball. She knocked over nine pins on the shot to help welcome in the 2026 event.
“So this year was not my first rodeo as a grand marshal,” said Ciminnisi, who made her third appearance at the Women’s Championships and helped Young and the Restless to the early lead in the Emerald Division with a total of 1,823. “I was also a grand marshal in the 2024 Women’s Championships in Reno, so it was nice to have a little more insight to what was going to happen.
“I was honored to be able to be the first woman to throw the ball down the lanes for the 2026 Women’s Championships and be part of this once-in-a-lifetime experience as the first bowler. It was very nerve-wracking at first, but it was special for me to dedicate the first ball to a family friend (Elizabeth ‘Renee’ Faulkner), who sadly passed away last year. She truly impacted a lot of our lives from my area in Newnan, Georgia. I was just hoping I wouldn’t toss a gutter ball down the lane.”
Ciminnisi’s teammate – Cara Rhoad of Sharpsburg, Georgia – enjoyed that the tournament returned to South Point and Las Vegas for back-to-back editions.
“This is my second year being part of the Women’s Championships,” Rhoad said. “I think the one thing that pulled me back this year was that it was being held at South Point again. We had such a blast last year!”
All of the competitors on Saturday’s opening squad will be back on the lanes Sunday taking part in doubles and singles. Each event at the Women’s Championships consists of three games, and bowlers will use their nine-game totals to determine their ranking in all-events. Doubles, singles and all-events also are contested across four average-based divisions.
The final trophy up for grabs in 2026 will be in Team All-Events, which combines the nine-game totals for all four teammates (36 total games).
Along with the excitement at the Women’s Championships, The Forty Frame Game will serve as a side event at the Bowling Plaza.
The Forty Frame Game – which returned in 2025 in Las Vegas – blends creative scoring with prize-winning potential over 40 continuous frames and features three optional side events – Gray Pay, 175 and Under and Scratch. Learn more by clicking here.
Follow the action from the tournament’s official Facebook and Instagram accounts.
The 106th edition of the event is scheduled to feature more than 4,200 four-player teams and 16,000 bowlers. The 65-day event will conclude June 28.
An opening ceremony prior to the first squad Saturday helped get the action going in Las Vegas as 54 teams went out to set the pace across four average-based divisions named after precious gemstones (Diamond, Ruby, Emerald and Sapphire).
The ceremony featured warm welcomes from local and bowling dignitaries, entertainment courtesy of Frankie Scinta, a ribbon-cutting and the Mass Ball Shot, giving a member of each team the chance to roll a ball down the lane at the same time.
Speakers included South Point Hotel, Casino and Spa General Manager Ryan Growney, Las Vegas Events Vice President of Finance Diana McCall and USBC Women’s Championships Tournament Manager Kathy Prange.
The ceremonial first ball for the 2026 event was delivered by Erika Ciminnisi of Newnan, Georgia. Ciminnisi was selected after her team – Young and the Restless – was chosen to serve as the honorary grand marshal to lead Saturday’s squad to the lanes at South Point.
Ciminnisi’s team also served as the honorary grand marshal at the 2024 Women’s Championships in Reno, Nevada, during the opening ceremony, so she was prepared for the task of delivering the first ball. She knocked over nine pins on the shot to help welcome in the 2026 event.
“So this year was not my first rodeo as a grand marshal,” said Ciminnisi, who made her third appearance at the Women’s Championships and helped Young and the Restless to the early lead in the Emerald Division with a total of 1,823. “I was also a grand marshal in the 2024 Women’s Championships in Reno, so it was nice to have a little more insight to what was going to happen.
“I was honored to be able to be the first woman to throw the ball down the lanes for the 2026 Women’s Championships and be part of this once-in-a-lifetime experience as the first bowler. It was very nerve-wracking at first, but it was special for me to dedicate the first ball to a family friend (Elizabeth ‘Renee’ Faulkner), who sadly passed away last year. She truly impacted a lot of our lives from my area in Newnan, Georgia. I was just hoping I wouldn’t toss a gutter ball down the lane.”
Ciminnisi’s teammate – Cara Rhoad of Sharpsburg, Georgia – enjoyed that the tournament returned to South Point and Las Vegas for back-to-back editions.
“This is my second year being part of the Women’s Championships,” Rhoad said. “I think the one thing that pulled me back this year was that it was being held at South Point again. We had such a blast last year!”
All of the competitors on Saturday’s opening squad will be back on the lanes Sunday taking part in doubles and singles. Each event at the Women’s Championships consists of three games, and bowlers will use their nine-game totals to determine their ranking in all-events. Doubles, singles and all-events also are contested across four average-based divisions.
The final trophy up for grabs in 2026 will be in Team All-Events, which combines the nine-game totals for all four teammates (36 total games).
Along with the excitement at the Women’s Championships, The Forty Frame Game will serve as a side event at the Bowling Plaza.
The Forty Frame Game – which returned in 2025 in Las Vegas – blends creative scoring with prize-winning potential over 40 continuous frames and features three optional side events – Gray Pay, 175 and Under and Scratch. Learn more by clicking here.
Follow the action from the tournament’s official Facebook and Instagram accounts.