Enjoy it while it's here. Who knows when the USBC Open Championships will get close enough again for Capital Region bowlers to drive to the site.

After a 14-year hiatus, I seized the opportunity over the weekend to make the two-hour trek to Syracuse for the 115th Championships at the Oncenter.

It is one of those things you forget about — out of sight, out of mind — until you return and have your memory jogged, although things have changed since I bowled in 2004 at Reno, Nev.

Players still march out in single file before each squad, but there is no middle aisle — they needed the space for more lanes — and "Whatever It Takes" by Imagine Dragons wasn't quite what I was expecting for background music. Many bowlers, some of whom have attended since Chris Schenkel was the voice of bowling, would be more inclined to hear Patsy Cline.

John Philip Sousa, anyone?

When I last bowled the USBCs in Reno, participants got one practice ball on each lane before the team event. That was it. Now it's 10 minutes before team and six for doubles and singles.

Beer is served during competition, a change that began in 2010. A waiter or waitress pushes a beverage cart behind the lanes, figuring folks who pay $180 to bowl can afford overpriced drinks.

The USBC still won't allow players to eat while bowling.

Various ball manufacturers have their wares on display in what feels like a mini-mall inside the building. Before heading to the squad room, each player must have his bowling equipment checked and weighed.

That awful 10:45 p.m. doubles-and-singles squad, which rarely starts on time, still exists, and I was on it Sunday. We got started around 11:15, and when I threw my last ball at 2:40 a.m., there were bowlers only in the fourth frame of the final game of singles.

At least the 7 a.m. group, early as it is, actually starts at 7 a.m.

Lane conditions are tough. You know that going in. A 600 triple in any event will feel like 700 or 750.

That also means that a poor game isn't always a bracket buster. I shot 147 in the middle game of the team event and advanced in both of my brackets.

"The only reason I shot 147," I told anyone who would listen, "is that I doubled in the 10th."

The Open Championships run until July 7, and there are openings available (http://bowl.com/openchamp).

As I've previously suggested in this space, the sub board is an alternate way to get in, especially if you don't want to deal with the hassle of organizing a full team. I did it this year and joined a congenial contingent from Minnesota. They've invited me to bowl with them next year in Las Vegas.

I have some time to decide, but I don't think I'll be driving to that one.

Local scene

Don Herrington of Ballston Lake finished 21st in the PBA50 National Championship at The Villages, Fla., earning $1,410. ... Reigning PBA50 Player of the Year Brian LeClair of Delmar had a hard-luck start to his 2018 season. He missed advancing (top 32) at The Villages by three pins but still got $1,175. In the tour opener at New Port Richey, Fla., LeClair, who has been battling knee problems, made the second round of match play but withdrew because of injury with two games to go. He won $1,300.

The PWBA Tour kicked off in Las Vegas, where Liz Kuhlkin of Rotterdam placed 15th and pocketed $1,510. ... Connor LeClair of Athens was best among four Capital Region entries in the PBA East Region Rockaway (N.J.) Open, taking 42nd, but failed to cash. ... Eric Stangle of Ballston Spa lost in the final of the New England Bowlers Association's Buddies Pro Shop Open in Fairfield, Conn., to Chris Viale of Westfield, Mass.

Dominick Favata of Niskayuna will receive the Priscilla "Pat" Zonneville Memorial scholarship, awarded by the New York State USBC. The scholarship is for $1,000 a year, renewable for up to four years. Favata, an Times Union first-team all-star and the Suburban Council MVP, will attend RPI. ... Kingpin's Alley in South Glens Falls has been named host site for the 2019 NYS Women's Championships, and Saratoga Strike Zone will have the 2019 NYS Queens on April 13.

National news

Former Clifton Park resident Dennis Hacker, now of Longtown, Mo., was elected to one of three empty seats on the USBC board of directors. The other two electees were incumbents. No other candidates were nominated. ... The USBC will implement new ball specifications, having to do with oil-absorption rate and the elimination of balance holes. The changes take effect Aug. 1, 2020. Current equipment will be grandfathered in under the oil-absorption standards, but balance holes will need to be plugged by that date.

The PBA has revived its fall swing, which will be contested Oct. 14-20 in Tulsa, Okla. The event will be shown exclusively on Xtra Frame, the PBA's streaming service.

Pete Dougherty's column is published Tuesdays during the bowling season. Items to be considered for publication can be submitted by fax (518-454-5819) or pdougherty@timesunion.com.