onefrombills
06-29-2009, 10:52 PM
RENO, Nev. - Every team at the USBC Women's Championships has a team captain who is responsible for making sure the entry fees are paid and all of the paperwork is in order prior to competition, and no one does it quite like Patti Carlin of Streetsboro, Ohio.
Carlin, who competed in her 25th Women's Championships this year at the National Bowling Stadium, goes the extra mile for the bowlers who join her on the tournament lanes. This year she brought five teams to Reno, but she has made arrangements for as many as 12 teams, as she did for the 2007 event in Charlotte, N.C.
Not only does she take care of the bowling paperwork and hotel arrangements, she also puts together a book for each bowler outlining the entire trip. This year's edition, which covered 47 pages, includes such items as the trip itinerary, teams and averages, the tournament structure and oil pattern and articles concerning the event.
"I started the book on my own," Carlin said. "I thought it would be nice to have something like that for everyone."
The 59-year-old right-hander usually starts putting the book together shortly after returning from the Women's Championships, but doesn't print it until just before leaving for the host city. She often waits for material about the tournament to be posted on the tournament Web page, as well as allowing for any last-minute changes from any of the bowlers. The 2009 event was the fourth year for the book.
Carlin, who bowls league at Roseland Lanes in Oakwood Village, Ohio, credits several of her team captains for making each tournament season possible. Laverne Brooks of Albany, Ga., Candis Ridgley of Marietta, Ga., and Diane Pugh of Griffin, Ga., all play an invaluable role in helping everybody prepare for the trip.
"You are only as good as the people around you," Carlin said.
The biggest hassle Carlin finds in organizing a group is getting a commitment from the bowlers.
"The commitment from the girls is the biggest thing to deal with," Carlin said. "We want to prepare for the next tournament and get our information in as soon as we can."
Carlin already has planned to bring more teams to the 2010 Women's Championships in El Paso, Texas. The 2010 event will be held in a specially-constructed arena setting, a first for the Women's Championships.
After 25 years of bowling and countless hours spent getting everything just right for her bowlers, Carlin continues to be motivated by the opportunity to meet new people each tournament.
"The chance to meet new people every year is what I look forward to," Carlin said. "This year we added bowlers from Alabama, California, Maine and Michigan to our teams and they'll be with us again next year. We already had girls from Georgia, Indiana and Ohio. We bowled next to a team from Oregon. Every year, the tournament is a vacation and a chance to have fun, but meeting so many new people is just so rewarding."
In her 25th time out on the tournament lanes, Carlin bowled a 576 series in doubles, 517 in singles and 460 in team for a 1,553 all-events total.
Presenting sponsors for the 2009 USBC Women's Championships are Eldorado Hotel Casino, Silver Legacy Resort Casino and Circus Circus Reno. Other participating sponsors are Kegel, official lane maintenance provider, Atlantis Hotel and Casino, Sands Regency Casino Hotel, Harrah's Hotel and Casino, Club Cal Neva, and Storm Products Inc.
Carlin, who competed in her 25th Women's Championships this year at the National Bowling Stadium, goes the extra mile for the bowlers who join her on the tournament lanes. This year she brought five teams to Reno, but she has made arrangements for as many as 12 teams, as she did for the 2007 event in Charlotte, N.C.
Not only does she take care of the bowling paperwork and hotel arrangements, she also puts together a book for each bowler outlining the entire trip. This year's edition, which covered 47 pages, includes such items as the trip itinerary, teams and averages, the tournament structure and oil pattern and articles concerning the event.
"I started the book on my own," Carlin said. "I thought it would be nice to have something like that for everyone."
The 59-year-old right-hander usually starts putting the book together shortly after returning from the Women's Championships, but doesn't print it until just before leaving for the host city. She often waits for material about the tournament to be posted on the tournament Web page, as well as allowing for any last-minute changes from any of the bowlers. The 2009 event was the fourth year for the book.
Carlin, who bowls league at Roseland Lanes in Oakwood Village, Ohio, credits several of her team captains for making each tournament season possible. Laverne Brooks of Albany, Ga., Candis Ridgley of Marietta, Ga., and Diane Pugh of Griffin, Ga., all play an invaluable role in helping everybody prepare for the trip.
"You are only as good as the people around you," Carlin said.
The biggest hassle Carlin finds in organizing a group is getting a commitment from the bowlers.
"The commitment from the girls is the biggest thing to deal with," Carlin said. "We want to prepare for the next tournament and get our information in as soon as we can."
Carlin already has planned to bring more teams to the 2010 Women's Championships in El Paso, Texas. The 2010 event will be held in a specially-constructed arena setting, a first for the Women's Championships.
After 25 years of bowling and countless hours spent getting everything just right for her bowlers, Carlin continues to be motivated by the opportunity to meet new people each tournament.
"The chance to meet new people every year is what I look forward to," Carlin said. "This year we added bowlers from Alabama, California, Maine and Michigan to our teams and they'll be with us again next year. We already had girls from Georgia, Indiana and Ohio. We bowled next to a team from Oregon. Every year, the tournament is a vacation and a chance to have fun, but meeting so many new people is just so rewarding."
In her 25th time out on the tournament lanes, Carlin bowled a 576 series in doubles, 517 in singles and 460 in team for a 1,553 all-events total.
Presenting sponsors for the 2009 USBC Women's Championships are Eldorado Hotel Casino, Silver Legacy Resort Casino and Circus Circus Reno. Other participating sponsors are Kegel, official lane maintenance provider, Atlantis Hotel and Casino, Sands Regency Casino Hotel, Harrah's Hotel and Casino, Club Cal Neva, and Storm Products Inc.