Womens National Championship Bowling Tournament at South Point, Las Vegas, 2016

Saturday, 4 June 2016 - continued

South Point Hotel, Casino and Spa (and Movie Theatre, Bowling Center and Equestrian Center)

Thanks to the fact that it was broad daylight - only about 3 pm or so, it was easy to find South Point, which was Gi-normous. (But then, all the casinos in Las Vegas are ginormous.)

For the benefit of folks who use GPS, the name of the Las Vegas Airport is McCarran International Airport.  Your GPS will know where you are (unless the satellites are down for some weird reason, as happened to us. You'll read about our little midnight drive adventure later.)

The street address for South Point Resort is 9777 Las Vegas Blvd South, which again, is quite near the airport.

We arrived at the resort and went to valet. We wanted to make sure we were in good time to check in without having to bring our bowling ball bags down from the car park.

So, we took out our bowling ball bags. I also seized the opportunity to look in my black carry on and found the GPS. That took a load off my mind.  Our games were to start at 7 pm, and we anticipated that we'd be done by 10:30 pm - so we'd be driving to Sam's Town Resort and Casino, where we we were staying, in the dark. 

I knew that as long as I had that GPS, I wouldn't have any trouble getting us to Sam's Town - or anywhere else for that matter, at midnight or at any other time.  (Famous last words as you'll read later.)

The valet drove the car away and I took a photo of my three teammates in front of the Welcome sign for the 2016 Women's Nationals Bowling Tournament.

South Point Welcomes the Women's Bowling National Championships 2016

Checking in to Bowling Tournament

The Women's Nationals Bowling Tournament for 2016 is being held from April 9, 2016 to July 9, 2016. Over the course of the 3 months, over 20,000 women will have takne part in the tournament.
As a consequence of this tournament running 90 days. people who bowl during the earliest part of the schedule have to wait 90 days to find out if they're winners or not. The scores can be checked at Bowl.com which updates them daily. 

Tournament Bowling Plaza

The South Point Bowling Tournament Plaza is practically brand new and will be hosting bowling tournaments in Las Vegas for years to come. Las Vegas Rolls a Strike with 12-Year Deal to Host USBC Championship Events at South Point Hotel and Casino

 I and my two other teammates for our team, Chaotic Chaos, followed our captain Jacque to the Tournament Bowling Plaza (separate and apart from another, 60-lane bowling center at South Point), wheeling or carrying our bowling ball bags. 

As we entered the plaza, we saw lots of signs promoting the next year's tournament in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and several cases featuring exhibits from past editions of the Women's Nationals.

Register today for Women's Nationals 2017 to be held in Baton Rouge, LA

Geaux Bowl sign to the left, USBC Official Shop to the right.

We walked the gauntlet through the USBC shop and pro shop on the left hand side, and apparel from the USBC shop and a souvenir shop on the other side of the hallway, into a larger hall.  To the left was the Squad Room, where all bowlers would gather to get their photos taken in the rear of the room, and chairs for them to sit and wait to march in a group to the bowling lanes after they'd been prepped and, presumably, oiled after the previous round of bowlers had finished.
 

500/600Club

To the right was the check in area, and a table for the 500/600 club. If someone had bowled a 500 or 600 series, they could join this club.( I never did get around to talking to the people womaning the table - not the least because I didn't come close to shooting a 500-series!.)

A woman clad in a  USBC shirt was standing by to answer questions and direct people where to go. There was a hallway that had been converted into a check-in center, with several counter reps.

Bowling in honor of a lost teammate

Checking in

There was a delay getting us checked in because apparently the USBC - or the Women's National Tourney people - or both - had switched over to a new computer system and some information had gotten lost.

We were also substituting a new team member, Laura, for one of our original teammates, Shirley, who had passed away just a couple of weeks previously.

When we had originally signed up for the Women's National Bowling Championship, or just Nationals, as it is called, the team consisted of Jacque, me, Linda, and Shirley.

Shirley started suffering some health issues, and about a month before we were to leave for Las Vegas it was doubtful if she was going to be able to bowl - she'd hurt her arm in a freak accident. Then, she went into the hospital to have a stint put in her leg, the operation went badly, and within three days she had passed away.

Laura agreed to bowl in her place, and we dedicated the tournament to Shirley.

So, Laura and Jacque and the counter clerk had to work together for 10 minutes or so getting that straightened out.

Once we were all set, we tracked down the bowling ball lockers. Tokens for the lockers cost $3 for small ones that would fit a single 3-ball bowling bag, or $5 for larger ones which would fit two such bags.

After stowing away our bowling balls, we returned to the valet, got the car back from the valet, and I drove it into the parking garage, finally ending up on the fourth floor. We decided we'd eat first, before changing into our bowling clothes.

We found the Coronado Cafe in the middle of the casino. 

I ordered the honey barbecue sandwich which came with strips of bacon and onion strings - it was absolutely delicious. Linda ordered a Reuben sandwich, and my two other teammates Jacque and Laura ordered the daily, Saturday special, roast loin of pork with pan gravy, red cabbage and fresh mashed potatoes. 

Honey barbecue chicken with onion strings and bacon. Delish!

Only one of us, Laura, had worn her team bowling shirt and appropriate slacks on the airplane. (Bowlers had to wear slacks - jeans weren't allowed.)

After dinner we returned to the car and dug our team t-shirts out of our suitcases - I also got out my black slacks, as did Linda. We changed, and brought our extra clothing back to the car.

We then returned to the bowling center and browsed around. I purchased a pair of shoe covers from the Pro Shop which were too small...I wish I'd returned them but I didn't.

 

Pepsi Squad Room

We then went into the Squad Room. The rear of the room was set up with a photographic background of Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas. Purchasing at least one print was mandatory, I believe. We had our team photo taken. It's supposed to be a "fun" photo, so funny hats and props are provided. We chose the feathered head-dresses.

We also wore purple Mardi Gras beads that we'd brought ourselves and wore for the entire tournament at South Point and at Sams Town, and purple fingernail polish in honor of Shirley, as purple was her favorite color.

I'm the woman on the left with the yellow feathers. Jacque and I turned our shirts back to front to display our team name, Chaotic Chaos.

Honoring Shirley with purple beads and purple fingernail polish.

We entered into brackets. I was confident at this time so purchased entry - at $5 a piece, for handicap brackets and scratch brackets. I spent $20.

 Then we sat in the chairs provided and waited for 7 pm, our time to go bowl. We had already taken our bowling bags out of our lockers and placed them near the lanes where we were to bowl.

Speakers came at about 6:20 to 6:30 I believe, and introduced some of the bowlers, including one woman who had attended each Nationals for over 20 years. An engaging young African American MC entertained us while we waited for the lanes to be oiled from the previous group of bowlers - in particular he demonstrated the reactions we should have for throwing a strike and a spare.

Finally we followed the team that had been chosen as the Grand Marshals for that time frame onto the bowling center.

 I took a few photos, and then bowling the team event began. 

Linda stalking the pins, Jacque observing the action

I didn't do as well as I had expected to do, frankly.

I started out well, a spare and then a strike, and then it was all downhill from there.

I don't think it was because I was nervous bowling on the "big stage,"  I was just too tentative. And my bete noir of the 7-pin reared its ugly head several times and I don't think I converted it once. I did bowl my average, though - the 137 average that I felt I was better than! 

I bowled 126 in the first game, 134 in the 2nd, and a confidence building 155 in the third game, for a 415 series or an average of 138 per game. I earned no bracket money for this performance!

Brackets information - I was in the Ruby division in Singles

After the three games were over, we placed our bowling bags back in lockers, because we had an 8 am - 8 am! bowling time the next day. 

We'd have to arrive by 7 am, and everyone except me was a breakfast eater so we were going to arrive at 6.  The consensus was that we'd get on the road at 5:30.  I was rooming with Linda and she wanted to get up at 4:30.

Leaving for Sam's Town Resort and Casino

Because we were participating in another bowling tournament - the Primetimers 9-pin No tap - at Sam's Town, which had extremely inexpensive rooms ($39 a night!) - we were staying at Sam's Town for the entire five nights of our stay in Las Vegas.

So we went to the car, and I turned on the GPS. Jacque called Sams Town, and asked for the street address (I had forgotten to look it up, and it was not on their brochure) and I plugged it into the GPS.

It couldn't find a satellite. I figured it was because I was inside a parking garage and assumed that once I got out into the open - dark - air, it would acquire the satellite.

It didn't.

I figured I'd drive for a little ways and then it would acquire the satellite - it didn't. Jacque and Linda tried to access the GPS on their smart phones to no avail.

I drove perhaps another 3 miles on some road - I think it was Las Vegas Boulevard, before pulling into a gas station/convenience store and asking for directions to Sam's Town. The male clerk told us how to get there on the highway, then said, no, it would be better if we kept going on Las Vegas Boulevard - in the other direction - and turning right on Flamingo which would take us right to Sam's Town.

So, I followed his directions and it worked fine, and we got to Sam's Town at 12:30 am. We went ahead and sent the car to valet parking and took our luggage to our rooms.

Jacque had a room to herself, Laura had a room to herself, and as mentioned previously, Linda and I shared a room with two queen beds - Room 763 on the 7th floor.

Laura had disappeared into the restroom while the rest of us checked in. When we checked in there was no line - by the time she arrived there were several people ahead of her. Linda and I went up to our room. Linda was going to take some time to get ready for bed, so I went down to keep Laura company in the line. It was her turn to talk to the clerk just when I arrived, and it was only 5 minutes or less later that she went to her room.

So I bade her goodnight, returned to my room, and logged onto the room's wifi. I looked up directions from Sam's Town back to South Point, and wrote them down preparatory for the next day.

I then changed into my sleeping t-shirt and shorts, ordered a wakeup call for 4:30 and set my phone alarm for the same time, and went to bed.

Right at 4:30, my phone alarm went off and our wake up call came in. 

Linda and I took turns in the bathroom dressing. It was doubles and singles, so I wore my other Chaotic Chaos team shirt, as I'd be bowling with Jacque in doubles. (We'd had different shirts than the mint colored ones when we'd bowled with Shirley and another woman called Kathy on a Wednesday league two years ago.)

We got into the car and headed for South Point. After about five minutes my GPS, which I'd left plugged in, came to life and gave me directions .... which I followed until I realized it was giving me directions to go back to Sam's Town!

I pulled off, entered the correct directions, and we arrived at South Point shortly thereafter.