I don't think I've ever had as much fun as a bowling spectator as I did at the inaugural "Bowling's Hall of Fame Xtravaganza" at palatial Red Rock Resort in Las Vegas in 2012.

The doubles tournament with the unique format featuring games that pretty much eliminate bowling skill as a determining factor features $25,000 in cash and prizes, and is a fundraiser for the International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame in Arlington, Texas.

The $625 entry fee gets a doubles team an entry into the Xtravaganza, a three-night stay at the Red Rock (one room for the team), an opening reception, an entry into a slot tournament, and more.

I attended the 2012 event as one of the Hall of Famers and to represent Storm Products, and my girlfriend Susie “Fever” and I had a great time. Here is the report I did on the tournament, which was won by scratch bowlers Eric Fritton and Michael Kaul of Wisconsin. The formats were tweaked after that to virtually eliminate the skill factor.

The tournament, which is limited to 120 teams, featured a variety of wacky format games designed to level the playing field and make it more of a fun event than a super serious competition.

There still are about 10 spots available for the 2018 Xtravaganza May 31 through June 2 at Red Rock.

If you’re interested in one of the spots, call Tracey Ebarb at 817-385-8213 or Jackie Brown at 817-385-8454 at the IBMHOF.

If it worked for our schedules, Susie and I would enter just for the fun and vacation.

The PDF of the entry flyer is below.