Alberta’s best bowlers gather in the Hat for five-pin championship

By BRENDAN MILLER on April 19, 2025.

bmiller@medicinehatnews.com

Sounds of a bowling ball speeding across the freshly waxed softwood floor lane, towards a mocking group of pins, took over in Medicine Hat this week.

Next came the rumble of impact as the ball sends the standing pins flying into the back pit.

Action wraps up Saturday as more than 100 bowlers and coaches are in Medicine Hat competition at the 2025 Alberta Five-Pin Bowling Open Championship held this year at Panorama Lanes.

The tournament features men’s, women’s and mixed teams from five different zones in the province, with participants ranging in age from 20 to 75 years-old who compete in Canada-only style of bowling, five-pin.

“Five-pin is with five pins, and smaller bowling balls,” explains Kara Deering, tournament organizer. “Five players at a time and they have a sub. You can make one sub each game.”

Additionally the tournament includes a singles competition that wrapped up Wednesday. Derek Home from Calgary was named the Alberta Men’s Singles Champ while Donnie Olsen from the north zone beat her opponent by more than 180 points to be named Ladies Singles Champ.

Heading into Saturday, teams from the Edmonton zone are leading the charge in the Men’s Division and Mixed Divisions, while the South zone is leading the Women’s Division.

Nine local bowlers are participating in the tournament.

The opportunity to host the tournament at one of the province’s largest bowling centres in Medicine Hat occurs once every 10 years, explains Deering.

“Everyone loves coming here because we have a clean, open environment, which is not always the case at most bowling centres, So everyone enjoys coming down here,” says Deering. “The bowling family is very expanded in the community and everyone’s known each other for years, it’s a good get-together.”

Action from the event is being live-streamed on YouTube and a link can be found by visiting alberta5pin.com.

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