International Bowling Festival

The QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup is not only the most prestigious amateur singles event in the sport of bowling, but it is the largest annual international sports championship in terms of participating nations.  Going on its 53rd consecutive year, QubicaAMF hosts this tournament by bringing together the 70+ nations to support the sport around the globe and bring together different cultures to celebrate and introduce bowling to the world.   

This year in Mexico, we brought together the first ever International Bowling Festival, which was designed to highlight QubicaAMF products to the bowlers and locals residents of Mexico.  We started our day by hosting the “Match My Monster” contest where one lucky participant could win $100 by playing one of the fun, 5-frame games exclusive to QubicaAMF’s BES X, Bowler Entertainment System.  For this event, the host center opened up its doors to hundreds of guests to play on the same lanes and use the same equipment as the bowlers of the World Cup.  It was a blast, and fans had an amazing time interacting with the Monster Factory Mascot from QubicaAMF.  

“It’s a great opportunity for QubicaAMF to integrate its commitment to the sport of bowling to the growth in entertainment with innovative products such as BES X,” says Luis Iserte, General Manager, Latin America & Caribbean, QuibcaAMF.  “The best thing about this tournament is that it connects multiple cultures and spreads our love of bowling to everyone around the world.”   

The second half of the festival was a special event geared to raise awareness and support the local Special Olympics chapter of Sonora, Mexico.  QubicaAMF invited 20 Special Olympics athletes who were teamed up with World Cup participants to compete in another BES X game, Battle on the Lanes.    

Uchenna Ijeoma-Delva of the Bahamas shared, “Wow! This has been fantastic! It was great to play with all the special Olympic athletes – they are awesome. I reckon I could learn a thing or two about bowling from them.” 

Four teams were created consisting of four Special Olympics athletes and four World Cup bowlers. The goal of the game is for each team to knock down as man pins as they can. Knocking down pins is equivalent to knocking the opponents “castle” which are displayed on the scoring screen.  Each bowler gets to throw one ball at a time.  After the bowler completes their one throw, the next person on the team gets to throw.   This cycle continues until the castle has been finally knocked down.    

In the end, the winner was everyone involved and more specifically, Olimpades Especiales of Sonora, Mexico.  The four teams competed until there was one remaining, and were awarded trophies for winning the event.  As well, Luis Iserte and Pat Ciniello, Chairman of the Board, QubicaAMF presented a $500 check to Olimpades Especiales of Sonora, Mexico.   

“Our athletes love to bowl and it was a great opportunity for them to play alongside the great bowlers here at the World Cup,” shares Aida Davila, Directora Ejecutiva del Subprograma, Olimpades Especiales of Sonora, Mexico. “We are thankful for QubicaAMF’s generosity to support our local chapter and giving our athletes an amazing experience.”   

Photo credit: Hiroshi Noda

By Judy Howlett

Judy Howlett has represented England and Great Britain several times in her bowling career. She played in the Bowling World Cup twice, coming second in 1985 (Seoul, South Korea). She has been in part of the organising team since 2001.

"I can't believe I am lucky enough still to be involved in the best tournament in the world - the QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup."