OKClassic Lite: Putting the fun in fun-size
by Hayden Smith
Staff Writer
The 26th annual OKClassic bowling tournament is coming to Oklahoma City this month with a bit of a twist.
Heritage Lanes at 122nd and Penn will be hosting OKClassic Lite from April 28 through April 30. The event has been slimmed down so the organizers can focus more energy on an even bigger tournament coming to the city later this year.
“This is our fundraiser for the big tournament,” says OKClassic co-director Jerry Nailon. “We were selected to be the host city for the worldwide tournament in November.”
The November event is the International Gay Bowling Organization’s (IGBO) mid-year conference and tournament, scheduled Veteran’s Day weekend from November 7 to 13. They will receive a flag in May from last year’s hosts in Fort Lauderdale. Members from around the world will be in attendance, with OKClassic’s team anticipating 450 participants.
With the local organization focusing much of their energy on the big event, OKClassic has been trimmed to size without cutting corners.
“We’re not doing our banquet and we’re not having the scratch bowling event, so it’s a lite version of what we do every year,” according to Nailon.
Besides tournaments, Oklahoma City is also host to two bowling leagues affiliated with IGBO – one on Tuesday evenings with three person teams and one on Sunday evenings with two person teams. Both leagues will be finishing their seasons this month but will begin again in early September.
OKClassic Lite will begin Friday evening April 28, with tournament registration and nine pin no-tap registration beginning at 5 p.m. Late registration begins Saturday April 29 at 8 a.m. with singles and doubles tournaments happening that day and the team events following on Sunday morning, April 30.
The tournament will have its closing ceremonies at the end of the weekend on Sunday at 4 p.m. with an awards mixer held in The Copa at the Habana Inn.
The event is limited to 200 people, with competitors coming in from across the United States for the tournament.
To ease the process, www.okclassic.com now offers online registration for the event. OKClassic’s website will also provide online registration for those wanting to participate in IGBO’s mid-year tournament starting up this coming summer.
For more information on this tournament or the upcoming fall tournament, visit the OKClassic page or IGBO at www.igbo.org.
Copyright 2017 The Gayly – April 17, 2017 @ 11:45 a.m.