onefrombills
05-09-2009, 10:06 PM
5/9/2009
By Matt Cannizzaro and Jason Pinter
USBC Communications
USBC Open Championships homepage
LAS VEGAS - The 2009 USBC Open Championships reached its halfway point Friday. The first 77 days of the event featured a fair share of excitement and record-breaking performances that will be hard to top before the tournament concludes on July 24.
The tournament began its record 154-day run on Feb. 21 as the first of more than 86,000 bowlers took to the lanes at Cashman Center. With 17,200 teams scheduled to compete, it is the largest tournament held outside of the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nev., and the second-largest in history. Only 1995, the year the Stadium opened its doors for the first time, featured more teams with 17,285.
On the lanes at Cashman Center late last month, Ron Vokes of Racine, Wis., put on a scoring exhibition when he rolled a record 30 consecutive strikes on the way to an 857 singles series, one pin shy of the highest individual set in tournament history (858), rolled by John Janawicz of Winter Haven, Fla., as he claimed the 2004 Regular Singles and Regular All-Events titles (2,224).
Vokes added 767 in team and 697 in doubles and finished with a tournament-record 2,321 all-events total, topping the previous mark of 2,279 set by Stephen Hardy of Manchester, N.H., on the way to the Regular All-Events win in 2002. Vokes leads Regular Singles and Regular All-Events at the 2009 event.
"People left and right have been congratulating me and can't believe I was able to bowl those scores at the Open Championships," Vokes said. "I looked at the video online and saw the DVD we got, and I was throwing the ball well, but to be fortunate enough to carry like that and throw 30 strikes in a row is still hard to believe. It really just pays to be in the right place at the right time with the right equipment."
Linds Limited of Milwaukee, which boasts 141 years of combined USBC Open Championships experience, posted some big numbers on the way to the Team All-Events lead. The group combined to shoot 10,372, the third-highest total in history. Pollard's Bowl of Versailles, Ind., owns the top spot in the record books with 10,425. Linds Limited also leads Regular Team with 3,449.
Last week, Kevin Shafer of Eaton, Ind., earned his spot in the record books with three consecutive 248 games. He topped the previous triplicate record of 247 set by Alan Hardesty of Chicago in 1993.
Other top scorers include Classified Team leader, Malad Gun Club of Malad City, Idaho, which tied the third-highest Classified team game (1,061) on the way to the top spot, and Anthony Kastle of Charlotte, N.C., who tossed the third-highest individual Classified series (723 in doubles) on the way to the Classified All-Events lead with 1,834.
So far, 19 bowlers have achieved perfection on the tournament lanes, while eight bowlers got close with 299 games. Another 32 bowlers have tossed 11 consecutive strikes, and three competitors have posted 800 series.
Bowlers in Las Vegas have bowled 376,478 games and knocked down a total of 63,914,711 pins (score). The Regular Division is averaging 175.19 so far, and the Classified Division is at 152.6. The overall tournament average is 169.77, compared to 171.61 at the halfway point in 2008.
Also during the first half of this year's event, an unprecedented seven bowlers joined the elite 50-Year Club, bringing the all-time total to 105, while Anthony Malone of Erie, Pa., was the lone bowler to reach 60 years and came within 10 pins of the tournament's 100,000-Pin Club.
Active pinfall leader Bill Lillard of Houston added to his career total (115,192) and moved closer to all-time pinfall leader, fellow USBC Hall of Famer Joe Norris of San Diego, who knocked down 123,770 pins in a record-tying 71 tournaments before his death in 2001.
While cleaning and oiling the la nes three times each day, the lane maintenance crew at the Open Championships has used 192 gallons of Kegel Defense-C cleaner, 97 gallons of Kegel Infinity lane conditioner and 11 rolls of duster cloth. In the scale room, approximately 225,000 balls have been weighed twice each, once for team and once for doubles and singles.
As the 2009 Open Championships continues, bowling fans can look forward to seeing all of the event's defending champions, three more additions to the 50-Year Club and the tournament's active participation leader, Les Berry of Wooster, Ohio, who will compete for the 66th year and is expected to reach 100,000 pins.
"It has been a pleasure to be a part of this event, and I've enjoyed meeting so many great people during the last few months," said first-year Open Championships Tournament Manager Duane Hagen. "Las Vegas has welcomed us, and the bowlers really seem to be enjoying the city as well as all of the things we've added inside the tournament venue this year. This is an exciting time, and I'm looking forward to the next 77 days."
As of Friday, 8,165 teams have registered for the 2010 Open Championships in Reno. There are still plenty of prime spots available, and with the event returning to the Stadium in 2011, there are some great benefits for team captains who bring teams both years.
Presenting sponsors for the 2009 USBC Open Championships are the Coast Casinos in Las Vegas and the Eldorado Hotel Casino, Silver Legacy Resort Casino and Circus Circus in Reno, Nev. Other participating sponsors are Kegel, official lane maintenance provider; Brunswick, capital equipment supplier; Storm Products, Inc.; Binion's Gambling Hall and Hotel and Four Queens Hotel and Casino, the official brackets sponsors; Sapphire Gentleman's Club; Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino; MGM Mirage; Jerry's Nugget Casino and Fitzgerald's Casino and Hotel.
By Matt Cannizzaro and Jason Pinter
USBC Communications
USBC Open Championships homepage
LAS VEGAS - The 2009 USBC Open Championships reached its halfway point Friday. The first 77 days of the event featured a fair share of excitement and record-breaking performances that will be hard to top before the tournament concludes on July 24.
The tournament began its record 154-day run on Feb. 21 as the first of more than 86,000 bowlers took to the lanes at Cashman Center. With 17,200 teams scheduled to compete, it is the largest tournament held outside of the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nev., and the second-largest in history. Only 1995, the year the Stadium opened its doors for the first time, featured more teams with 17,285.
On the lanes at Cashman Center late last month, Ron Vokes of Racine, Wis., put on a scoring exhibition when he rolled a record 30 consecutive strikes on the way to an 857 singles series, one pin shy of the highest individual set in tournament history (858), rolled by John Janawicz of Winter Haven, Fla., as he claimed the 2004 Regular Singles and Regular All-Events titles (2,224).
Vokes added 767 in team and 697 in doubles and finished with a tournament-record 2,321 all-events total, topping the previous mark of 2,279 set by Stephen Hardy of Manchester, N.H., on the way to the Regular All-Events win in 2002. Vokes leads Regular Singles and Regular All-Events at the 2009 event.
"People left and right have been congratulating me and can't believe I was able to bowl those scores at the Open Championships," Vokes said. "I looked at the video online and saw the DVD we got, and I was throwing the ball well, but to be fortunate enough to carry like that and throw 30 strikes in a row is still hard to believe. It really just pays to be in the right place at the right time with the right equipment."
Linds Limited of Milwaukee, which boasts 141 years of combined USBC Open Championships experience, posted some big numbers on the way to the Team All-Events lead. The group combined to shoot 10,372, the third-highest total in history. Pollard's Bowl of Versailles, Ind., owns the top spot in the record books with 10,425. Linds Limited also leads Regular Team with 3,449.
Last week, Kevin Shafer of Eaton, Ind., earned his spot in the record books with three consecutive 248 games. He topped the previous triplicate record of 247 set by Alan Hardesty of Chicago in 1993.
Other top scorers include Classified Team leader, Malad Gun Club of Malad City, Idaho, which tied the third-highest Classified team game (1,061) on the way to the top spot, and Anthony Kastle of Charlotte, N.C., who tossed the third-highest individual Classified series (723 in doubles) on the way to the Classified All-Events lead with 1,834.
So far, 19 bowlers have achieved perfection on the tournament lanes, while eight bowlers got close with 299 games. Another 32 bowlers have tossed 11 consecutive strikes, and three competitors have posted 800 series.
Bowlers in Las Vegas have bowled 376,478 games and knocked down a total of 63,914,711 pins (score). The Regular Division is averaging 175.19 so far, and the Classified Division is at 152.6. The overall tournament average is 169.77, compared to 171.61 at the halfway point in 2008.
Also during the first half of this year's event, an unprecedented seven bowlers joined the elite 50-Year Club, bringing the all-time total to 105, while Anthony Malone of Erie, Pa., was the lone bowler to reach 60 years and came within 10 pins of the tournament's 100,000-Pin Club.
Active pinfall leader Bill Lillard of Houston added to his career total (115,192) and moved closer to all-time pinfall leader, fellow USBC Hall of Famer Joe Norris of San Diego, who knocked down 123,770 pins in a record-tying 71 tournaments before his death in 2001.
While cleaning and oiling the la nes three times each day, the lane maintenance crew at the Open Championships has used 192 gallons of Kegel Defense-C cleaner, 97 gallons of Kegel Infinity lane conditioner and 11 rolls of duster cloth. In the scale room, approximately 225,000 balls have been weighed twice each, once for team and once for doubles and singles.
As the 2009 Open Championships continues, bowling fans can look forward to seeing all of the event's defending champions, three more additions to the 50-Year Club and the tournament's active participation leader, Les Berry of Wooster, Ohio, who will compete for the 66th year and is expected to reach 100,000 pins.
"It has been a pleasure to be a part of this event, and I've enjoyed meeting so many great people during the last few months," said first-year Open Championships Tournament Manager Duane Hagen. "Las Vegas has welcomed us, and the bowlers really seem to be enjoying the city as well as all of the things we've added inside the tournament venue this year. This is an exciting time, and I'm looking forward to the next 77 days."
As of Friday, 8,165 teams have registered for the 2010 Open Championships in Reno. There are still plenty of prime spots available, and with the event returning to the Stadium in 2011, there are some great benefits for team captains who bring teams both years.
Presenting sponsors for the 2009 USBC Open Championships are the Coast Casinos in Las Vegas and the Eldorado Hotel Casino, Silver Legacy Resort Casino and Circus Circus in Reno, Nev. Other participating sponsors are Kegel, official lane maintenance provider; Brunswick, capital equipment supplier; Storm Products, Inc.; Binion's Gambling Hall and Hotel and Four Queens Hotel and Casino, the official brackets sponsors; Sapphire Gentleman's Club; Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino; MGM Mirage; Jerry's Nugget Casino and Fitzgerald's Casino and Hotel.