[BCMA Broadcast] (Fwd) Conference 2003 Highlights

[Jim Harding]

Issued jointly by the WMA and BCMA...

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If you haven't registered for the 2003 Annual Meeting Opening Night
Event - here's what you'll miss...

Reno's Stadium Designed To Bowl You Over 

The Los Angeles Times called Reno's National Bowling Stadium, 
"the Taj Mahal of Tenpins." 

USA Today referred to it as the "Pin Palace." 

Most people say it's "incredible" and those who've bowled in it insist 
it's "awesome." 


>From the moment a gigantic glass revolving door reveals the 56-
foot-high atrium foyer ceiling, marble floor and hundreds of silk 
Forest Ferns, Cordilyne and English Ivy cascading from planters on 
every level -- it's clear the National Bowling Stadium in Reno is 
exceptional. 

A larger than life Norman Rockwell-type whimsical sculpture 
appears to be floating in the center of the lobby. 

The 8-foot-tall, 4,000 pound bronze statue depicts grandpa, mom, 
the kids and the dog rushing with bowling balls in hand to the lanes 
circa 1940. It's as American as apple pie. 

Every detail from mom's pearls and seamed stockings and her 
daughter's StrideRite sandals, to the frog in junior's pocket and the 
ice cream cone about to depart, is in motion. 

The sculpture's humor is contagious -- it's hard not to break out in
smiles while viewing it. Hundreds of amateur photographers capture
it's spirited mood on celluloid daily. 


Difficult as it may be to leave the impressive atrium entrance,
visitors can choose between sleek glass elevators, or sparkling
escalators to whisk them to upper floors to get their first glimpse of
the dahlia and royal blue carpeting, lush, padded banquettes and
comfortable chairs the new facility boasts. 


The 78 championship lanes feature the latest technology available. 
The 44-foot-high ceiling over the tournament level creates an 
ethereal atmosphere. 


The 440-foot-long high-tech video scoring system and a video wall
16-feet high and 20-feet wide are capable of instant video displays. 


Screens, eight feet high and 11-feet-wide over each pair of lanes 
are controlled by computer and can be joined to show one 
continuous image of unbelievable quality from one end of the 
stadium to the other. It's the longest video display system in the 
world. 


Customized tournament game packages are available to 
convention, tournament and other group bowling activities in the 
stadium. These arcade-like bowling games include "Strike Bingo" for 
which you try to get the same pin count three times in a horizontal, 
vertical or diagonal row, and "Crap Shoot," where the roll of the dice 
on a computer screen sets up a pin combination at random which 
you try to knock down. 


In addition to the scoring system, Brunswick has designed the
Stadium's computerized pin-setting and "quick" ball return 
equipment that sends the ball back to players at speeds in excess of 
30 miles per hour. 


Immense florescent tubes in hues from mauve to blue, at each end 
of the tournament floor, provide a complementary tone. 


A theater housed in the dome atop the National Bowling Stadium
features a giant screen, four stories high. This theater is available
for group viewing. As part of every presentation, a specially 
produced film designed to introduce visitors to the special events 
and attractions of the Reno, Sparks and Lake Tahoe areas offer is 
also shown. 


The Stadium Sports Shop is equipped with a fully functioning 
bowling lane for private lessons. A camera is mounted above the 
lane to track the ball for instant replay. The shop features a variety 
of National Bowling Stadium merchandise. For more information call 
775-322-9391. 


More than 2,800 tons of steel were bolted, riveted and welded 
together for the NBS superstructure. Individual supporting trusses, 
which measured 180 feet in length, weighed from 8 1/2 to 21 tons 
each. 


Even the building's exterior is aesthetically pleasing. The
three-level parking garage is tiered illuminated with florescent
lights duplicating the interior design. Thousands of feet of fiber
optic lighting on the exterior of the domed theater wash the dome 
with changing colors that "twinkle" from top to bottom. 


It's a unique architectural masterpiece you have to see to believe.
Then you can try to describe it to your friends. 


See you at Conference 2003 in Reno!

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