Professional Bowling Back In Reno

Professional bowling is back in Reno. The United States Bowling Congress Masters (USBC) and U.S. Open have chosen the National Bowling Stadium (NBS) in Reno to host the competitions.

"It's modernized, it's beautiful, and there's only two facilities in the United States -- around the world they're built strictly for bowling that are special venues that aren't just bowling centers," says Rob Gotchall, USBC Short Duration Tournaments Manager.

Normally 350 people compete for the Masters. Due to COVID-19, that number has gone down to 216. That's not the only change, as you may have guessed -- everyone has to have a mask on and no fans are allowed.

The 78-lane venue had undergone a $4.5 million renovation leading up to the 2020 Open Championships.

"It's definitely different not having any fans, but, like I said at the same time, you know, competing out there on the, on the lanes, you just got to pretend like there's a crowd there," says Jakob Butturff, Defending Champion.

Later in April, the USBC Women's Championships will head to the NBS and be held for 73 days. The Women's Championships will run from April 23 to July 4. It will mark the tournament's 12 visit to Reno and ninth appearance at the NBS.