The 47th Annual Mixed Bowling Tournament was held at the Orleans Hotel, Casino & Bowling Center in Las Vegas, Nevada on November 25- 26, 2003. This year, the traveling group numbered 58, with 36 doubles and 35 individuals entered (there was no team event).

The competition began on Tuesday with the doubles event, followed by the singles event on Wednesday. The official word is that scores were low due to unfamiliarity with the lanes. However, low scores may also have been the result of 24-hour “hot” (or cold) action on the casino floor, the shopping malls and outlets, the flow of alcohol, sleep disorders (mainly the lack of sleep), or a combination—perhaps even all—of the above.

As one participant said, “we were just rolling the ball and itching to get back to the casino to ‘roll the dice’ and hit it big!”

All participants seemed to enjoy this West Coast “city that never sleeps,” including the attractions, shopping, gambling, eating, socializing and sharing hopes for winning the big bucks—or comiserating when those big bucks didn’t appear. A great time—win or lose—was had by all . . . and the bowling was fun, too.

The bowling awards ceremony was held immediately after the tournament. Awards were presented by tournament Chair Howard Toma, who worked very hard to make this year’s event a success. Jerileen Lono and Daniel La Madrid won the Singles Event in the “A” and “B” divisions, respectfully. Emory Tai and Victor Palakiko took the Doubles Event. The All Events category was won by Wayne Watanabe in the “A” division and Daniel La Madrid in the “B” division.

Participants and guests devoured a fabulous buffet dinner held at the French Market Bar and Restaurant in the Orleans Hotel.

Chairman Howard Toma was assisted by Masa Ando, Jodie Alviar and Oahu Division Sports Coordinator Brian Tanaka.

Contacting the Union

If you cannot reach a unit officer or steward you can call your business agent at the ILWU Office on your island. Regular office hours are from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. from Monday to Friday.

If your business agent is not in the office, you should leave a message, a phone number and a time when you can be reached. If you have a serious problem, you should contact the union as soon as possible. There is a time limit on reporting any problem.