Oregon bowler connects for 300 at 2024 USBC Open Championships
July 13, 2024
LAS VEGAS – Rick Snead of Roseburg, Oregon, admits to being a little shy around the spotlight, but he let his strike ball do the talking during his trip to the South Point Bowling Plaza on Saturday as he posted a perfect game to close his doubles set at the 2024 United States Bowling Congress Open Championships.
The 44-year-old right-hander had started doubles with games of 210 and 200 before connecting for the 33rd 300 of the 2024 event for a 710 series, and he paired with Nick Borgaro of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, to finish with a combined score of 1,374 in Regular Doubles. Borgaro added 664.
His group started the set with urethane before making the move to reactive toward the end of Game 2.
“We all threw urethane, and I think everyone had a pretty good look with it for the first game and a half to two games or so before it kind of went away,” said Snead, who made his 11th appearance at the USBC Open Championships. “We switched and tried to throw bigger asymmetric balls just left of that. You couldn’t get too far left and throw it away from the pocket because it would hang, though. It seemed like the bigger cores blended out the lane really well, and we all played them pretty similar.”
As Snead progressed through Game 3, a stubborn 9 pin nearly ended his run in the ninth frame, but he was able to get a friendly roll from another pin to take it out.
He made a slight adjustment off that hit as he started the 10th and trusted his instincts on his final delivery.
“I moved a little left off of that, but not a lot,” Snead said. “For the last one in the 10th, I moved a little bit more. I have a tendency to overhit it when I really need one or soften up my ball speed a touch.”
The nerves were there in the 10th frame, too, but he was able to execute.
“I’ve seen videos posted online when people have the front 10 or 11, so I was a little bit nervous about that,” Snead said. “It’s harder to bowl when you feel like everyone’s watching you.”
One very important person was able to watch the final shots, though – his wife, Jamie, who was bowling on the other side of the split 60-lane venue.
“She was bowling on the other side, so one of the guys ran over to get her,” Snead said. “She was able to see the final ball or two, so that was nice and a special moment.”
Although he’ll receive a little extra attention during his next visit to the tournament for his 300 game, Snead appreciated his run on the challenging conditions faced at the Open Championships.
“I don’t have any Sport 300s, so that’s pretty cool,” said Snead, who added 604 in singles and 542 in team to finish the year with an all-events score of 1,856.
The 2024 Open Championships got underway Feb. 23 and will run through July 29 at the South Point Bowling Plaza. The tournament is scheduled to feature more than 11,000 teams and 55,000 bowlers making their way to compete in Las Vegas.
Visit us on Facebook at the official USBC Open Championships page.
The 44-year-old right-hander had started doubles with games of 210 and 200 before connecting for the 33rd 300 of the 2024 event for a 710 series, and he paired with Nick Borgaro of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, to finish with a combined score of 1,374 in Regular Doubles. Borgaro added 664.
His group started the set with urethane before making the move to reactive toward the end of Game 2.
“We all threw urethane, and I think everyone had a pretty good look with it for the first game and a half to two games or so before it kind of went away,” said Snead, who made his 11th appearance at the USBC Open Championships. “We switched and tried to throw bigger asymmetric balls just left of that. You couldn’t get too far left and throw it away from the pocket because it would hang, though. It seemed like the bigger cores blended out the lane really well, and we all played them pretty similar.”
As Snead progressed through Game 3, a stubborn 9 pin nearly ended his run in the ninth frame, but he was able to get a friendly roll from another pin to take it out.
He made a slight adjustment off that hit as he started the 10th and trusted his instincts on his final delivery.
“I moved a little left off of that, but not a lot,” Snead said. “For the last one in the 10th, I moved a little bit more. I have a tendency to overhit it when I really need one or soften up my ball speed a touch.”
The nerves were there in the 10th frame, too, but he was able to execute.
“I’ve seen videos posted online when people have the front 10 or 11, so I was a little bit nervous about that,” Snead said. “It’s harder to bowl when you feel like everyone’s watching you.”
One very important person was able to watch the final shots, though – his wife, Jamie, who was bowling on the other side of the split 60-lane venue.
“She was bowling on the other side, so one of the guys ran over to get her,” Snead said. “She was able to see the final ball or two, so that was nice and a special moment.”
Although he’ll receive a little extra attention during his next visit to the tournament for his 300 game, Snead appreciated his run on the challenging conditions faced at the Open Championships.
“I don’t have any Sport 300s, so that’s pretty cool,” said Snead, who added 604 in singles and 542 in team to finish the year with an all-events score of 1,856.
The 2024 Open Championships got underway Feb. 23 and will run through July 29 at the South Point Bowling Plaza. The tournament is scheduled to feature more than 11,000 teams and 55,000 bowlers making their way to compete in Las Vegas.
Visit us on Facebook at the official USBC Open Championships page.