onefrombills
06-24-2009, 10:55 PM
In the coming months, we'll talk with some of best-known bowlers at the USBC Open Championships and get their thoughts on their time at the tournament and what it takes to succeed on the championship lanes.
This week, we heard from USBC Hall of Famer Les Zikes, who will be in Las Vegas to compete in this year's event on June 23 and 24.
The 74-year-old right-hander has claimed six titles on the tournament lanes and is the only bowler in history to win in three consecutive years.
Zikes made his tournament debut as in teenager at the 1950 event in Columbus, Ohio, and the first of his six career titles came 12 years later in Des Moines, Iowa.
He was a member of the 1962 and '63 Regular Team champions, took home the Regular All-Events crown and was a member of the Team All-Events winner in 1964, grabbed the top spot in Classic Singles in 1975 and helped his squad to the 1977 Classic Team title.
His win in 1963 qualified him to bowl on the United States team at the 1963 World Championships, where he claimed three gold medals. He collected eight medals in two World Championships and one American Zone Championships.
Zikes has maintained a 200.3 average through 56 years of Open Championships competition. He has knocked down 97,933 pins, and is 2,067 shy of becoming the 12th member of the 100,000 Pin Club.
Last year in Albuquerque, N.M., he tossed a 707 series in doubles and teamed up with Hank Sorensen of Rolling Meadows, Ill., for a 1,389 total and a 27th place finish in Regular Doubles.
He was inducted into the USBC Hall of Fame in 1983.
HOMETOWN: Palatine Ill., for the last 46 years
OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP TITLES: 6
BOWLING BALL WEIGHT: 15 lbs. (16 lbs. until 1998)
FAVORITE BRAND OF BOWLING BALLS: Over the years, I've used Columbia more than any other single company
ONE all-time favorite host city: Columbus, Ohio, where I bowled my first ABC tournament in 1950 at the age of 15. I was paired with my dad in the doubles and got to meet Ned Day.
TWO best Open Championships memories: 1, winning All-Events in Oakland, Calif., in 1964, which included leaving a ringing 10 pin in the final frame to keep me from also winning the singles; 2, having a good night and leading Columbia 300 to the Classic Team title in Reno in 1977.
THREE keys to success at the Open Championships: 1, concentration; 2, confidence under pressure; 3, drawing a favorable pair of lanes
FOURgettable Open Championships moment: 1, leaving the 3-6 on 11 in row in Corpus Christi in 1992; 2, being a member of the Sara Lee Team in the early 1960s that included Ned Day and Joe Kristoff that bowled so badly the headline in the paper the next day was "Big Guns Misfire" 3, being overtaken by two pins by Jimmy Mack for the Classic All-Events title in Syracuse (1973); 4, our Columbia team was disappointed not to be able to repeat our championship in 1978, despite having added Mark Roth to our roster.
FIVE bowlers in history on your Open Championships fantasy all-star team: Dick Weber, Earl Anthony, Bill Lillard and Nelson Burton Jr.
SIX bowling balls currently in your Open Championships arsenal: Sorry, I'm only brining four: Hammer Black Widow, Hammer Vibe, Ebonite Big One and a White Dot for spares
SEVEN cities you'd like to see the Open Championships go to/return to: Las Vegas, Reno, Orlando, Charlotte, N.C., Denver, Dallas/Ft. Worth and Indianapolis
EIGHT favorite bowling balls ever: I can recall doing well and/or winning tournaments with these balls: Brunswick Black Beauty, Roto Star, Columbia Yellow Dot, AMF Black Angle, Columbia Black U-Dot, Columbia Wine U-Dot, Ebonite Thunderbolt and Black Hammer
NINE other current/eligible bowlers you would choose to join you on your ideal pair of companion teams at the Open Championships: I would like to continue bowling with my son, Lyle, and doubles partner, Hank Sorensen, as we have for the last 17 years. Otherwise, I'm happy to bowl with any teammates who are eager to bowl this tournament and will give it their best.
TEN seconds or less, who is your favorite bowler of all-time?: Dick Weber
ELEVEN strikes in a row to start a game at the Open Championships, what's
going through your head?: Make a really good shot.
TWELVE years from now, where do you hope to be in your bowling career?: Undecided
This week, we heard from USBC Hall of Famer Les Zikes, who will be in Las Vegas to compete in this year's event on June 23 and 24.
The 74-year-old right-hander has claimed six titles on the tournament lanes and is the only bowler in history to win in three consecutive years.
Zikes made his tournament debut as in teenager at the 1950 event in Columbus, Ohio, and the first of his six career titles came 12 years later in Des Moines, Iowa.
He was a member of the 1962 and '63 Regular Team champions, took home the Regular All-Events crown and was a member of the Team All-Events winner in 1964, grabbed the top spot in Classic Singles in 1975 and helped his squad to the 1977 Classic Team title.
His win in 1963 qualified him to bowl on the United States team at the 1963 World Championships, where he claimed three gold medals. He collected eight medals in two World Championships and one American Zone Championships.
Zikes has maintained a 200.3 average through 56 years of Open Championships competition. He has knocked down 97,933 pins, and is 2,067 shy of becoming the 12th member of the 100,000 Pin Club.
Last year in Albuquerque, N.M., he tossed a 707 series in doubles and teamed up with Hank Sorensen of Rolling Meadows, Ill., for a 1,389 total and a 27th place finish in Regular Doubles.
He was inducted into the USBC Hall of Fame in 1983.
HOMETOWN: Palatine Ill., for the last 46 years
OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP TITLES: 6
BOWLING BALL WEIGHT: 15 lbs. (16 lbs. until 1998)
FAVORITE BRAND OF BOWLING BALLS: Over the years, I've used Columbia more than any other single company
ONE all-time favorite host city: Columbus, Ohio, where I bowled my first ABC tournament in 1950 at the age of 15. I was paired with my dad in the doubles and got to meet Ned Day.
TWO best Open Championships memories: 1, winning All-Events in Oakland, Calif., in 1964, which included leaving a ringing 10 pin in the final frame to keep me from also winning the singles; 2, having a good night and leading Columbia 300 to the Classic Team title in Reno in 1977.
THREE keys to success at the Open Championships: 1, concentration; 2, confidence under pressure; 3, drawing a favorable pair of lanes
FOURgettable Open Championships moment: 1, leaving the 3-6 on 11 in row in Corpus Christi in 1992; 2, being a member of the Sara Lee Team in the early 1960s that included Ned Day and Joe Kristoff that bowled so badly the headline in the paper the next day was "Big Guns Misfire" 3, being overtaken by two pins by Jimmy Mack for the Classic All-Events title in Syracuse (1973); 4, our Columbia team was disappointed not to be able to repeat our championship in 1978, despite having added Mark Roth to our roster.
FIVE bowlers in history on your Open Championships fantasy all-star team: Dick Weber, Earl Anthony, Bill Lillard and Nelson Burton Jr.
SIX bowling balls currently in your Open Championships arsenal: Sorry, I'm only brining four: Hammer Black Widow, Hammer Vibe, Ebonite Big One and a White Dot for spares
SEVEN cities you'd like to see the Open Championships go to/return to: Las Vegas, Reno, Orlando, Charlotte, N.C., Denver, Dallas/Ft. Worth and Indianapolis
EIGHT favorite bowling balls ever: I can recall doing well and/or winning tournaments with these balls: Brunswick Black Beauty, Roto Star, Columbia Yellow Dot, AMF Black Angle, Columbia Black U-Dot, Columbia Wine U-Dot, Ebonite Thunderbolt and Black Hammer
NINE other current/eligible bowlers you would choose to join you on your ideal pair of companion teams at the Open Championships: I would like to continue bowling with my son, Lyle, and doubles partner, Hank Sorensen, as we have for the last 17 years. Otherwise, I'm happy to bowl with any teammates who are eager to bowl this tournament and will give it their best.
TEN seconds or less, who is your favorite bowler of all-time?: Dick Weber
ELEVEN strikes in a row to start a game at the Open Championships, what's
going through your head?: Make a really good shot.
TWELVE years from now, where do you hope to be in your bowling career?: Undecided