Luci Bonneau Mixed Doubles Tournament Ready for Another Big Year

In just 2 days, many stars of the bowling world, along with numerous amateurs will invade Palace Bowling Lanes in Houston, Texas for the largest mixed doubles event of the year, the Luci Bonneau Striking Against Breast Cancer Mixed Doubles Tournament.  The annual event draws somewhere in the neighborhood of 20 PBA exempt players each year, along with some of the very best women players the sport has to offer.

But it is so much more than just a bowling tournament, it is a complete event.  There is no better run bowling tournament anywhere, from the standpoint of the bowling itself, to the wall to wall pro-ams on Friday and Saturday nights, with a barrage of items up for auction, with all proceeds going to supporting the fight against breast cancer, and the completely enjoyable atmosphere from practice session and bowler's calcutta on Friday to the end of the even on Sunday.

Unfortunately, I never had the pleasure of meeting Luci Bonneau herself, but by all the great things I have heard of her in the 4 years I have attended this event, soon to be my 5th, I surely missed out on meeting a great person.  Event director Donna Conners goes above and beyond to put on a great event for all, not just for the bowlers, but for the spectators as well, and to honor the memory of her friend and join the fight against breast cancer.

It is an event that has been won in recent years by a Tommy Jones/Shannon Pluhowsky duo in back to back years, and by Parker Bohn/Carolyn Dorin-Ballard last year, and in no way does the fact that some of the best bowlers in the world are teaming up and winning scare any other bowler away.  The field is limited to 80 teams, and for the first time, filled up to that maximum amount, and did so all the way back in late May, nearly 2 months before the event was scheduled to take place.  The waiting list quickly ran into double digits right after, because bowlers from all over the country wanted the chance to compete not only for the $7,000 top prize (plus calcutta money), but to just be a part of the fantastic event.

Where else can you find an event, bowl alongside many of the games superstars, have a few laughs a good times with them, and possibly go home with anything from a bowling ball won in a raffle to a flat screen TV? Indeed that is the big item of the weekend, which is raffled off in between A and B squads on Saturday.  Just ask Xeno Garcia about it, as his plans in the week leading up to the event are not to work on his game or spare shooting, but practicing his TV winning skills.

So if you are anywhere in Houston this Saturday, stop in to Palace Lanes and watch some great bowling action.  If you cannot be there, makes plans to attend a future one, as there is no other event anything like it.

Stay tuned to this blog all weekend for some updates on the event as they happen.