Pennsylvania bowler reaches 50 years at USBC Open Championships
06/25/09
In 1959, Frank Dunn of Wayne, Pa., boarded a train headed for the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships in St. Louis, and the 17-hour trip turned into a lifelong journey.
Dunn has been back to the USBC Open Championships every year but one since 1959, and this week, he made his 50th appearance on the tournament lanes. During his tournament career, he has participated in 33 different cities.
L-R USBC Championships Director Brian Lewis and Frank Dunn.
The 72-year-old left-hander, who bowls regularly at Devon Lanes, first was invited to the tournament in 1958, but delayed his debut because he was still in school.
"I was a rookie, and someone I bowled with in league asked me if I wanted to come to the nationals," said Dunn, who will celebrate his 73rd birthday on Thursday. "I enjoy competitive bowling and the nationals is it. If they would've bowled at a different time that year, I could've gone, but I didn't mind waiting until the following year."
The only year since his debut that Dunn has missed the Open Championships was the 1965 event in St. Paul, Minn., ironically, because he was back in school for an additional degree, a master's in math statistics.
Over the years, Dunn has bowled with a variety of teams, some for many years at a time, and some just once. He occasionally misses the camaraderie and memories he shared competing with the same bowlers over the years, but he also enjoys the opportunity to make new friends and new memories.
This year, Dunn was unable to secure a spot on a team, but had no intentions of postponing his 50th trip down Center Aisle. His plan simply was to make his way to Las Vegas and find a team using the on-site sub board, but that turned out not to be necessary.
When Open Championships Tournament Manager Duane Hagen heard about Dunn's situation, he invited him onto his own team, and hoped to make the experience as memorable as possible.
"It worked out that we needed a bowler, and we were honored to have Frank on our team," Hagen said. "He's had an exciting career at the tournament, and he had a lot of great stories to share with us. It certainly allowed me to see the tournament from a different perspective, and I'm glad he was able to join us and share his memories."
Dunn, who was 16 years old when he took up bowling, became the 10th bowler this year and 108th in tournament history to compete for the 50th time.
This year, he shot 553 in singles, 517 in doubles and 462 in team for a 1,532 all-events total. In 50 years on the championship lanes, Dunn has knocked down 83,283 pins for a 185 career average.
Reaching the 50-year milestone at the Open Championships has been one of Dunn's goals for a long time, and although he didn't bowl as well as he would've liked, he'll be back to give it another shot next year in Reno, Nev. And hopefully, he and some of his former teammates and fellow league bowlers can once again take to the tournament lanes together.
"After my 30th tournament, I realized that bowling is so much a part of my life that only physical ailments would prevent me from coming," said Dunn, who is a member of the Greater Philadelphia Bowling Association Hall of Fame. "It's embarrassing to bowl so badly, but I always enjoy coming here no matter how I do. This really has been a great experience, and I'm thankful to the people who helped make it happen."
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.
Cashman Center in Las Vegas, Nev. (Feb. 21 - July 24, 2009)
Top 10 division leaders with hometown and pinfalls
1, Linds Limited (Gus Yannaras, Gary Daroszewski, Ryan Lever, Lennie Boresch Jr., Dale Traber), Milwaukee, 3,449. 2, Sack Toe, Sacramento, Calif., 3,427. 3, Turbo 2-N-1 Grips 1, Madison, Wis., 3,403. 4, Buddy Tierno Senior Tour, Mount Laurel, N.J., 3,335. 5, S and B Pro Shop 2, Sterling Heights, Mich., 3,325. 6, Don Johnson Memorial, 3,306. 7, Northern Lanes Rec, Gaylord, Mich., 3,290. 8, Rock River Lanes, Fort Atkinson, Wis., 3,285. 9, Lodge Lanes 1, Saline, Mich., 3,280. 10, Northern Lanes Pro Shop, Sanford, Mich., 3,272.
Doubles
1, Marc McDowell, Monona, Wis./Mike Shady, Fairview, Pa., 1,474. 2, Ron Nelson, Bridgeview, Ill./Bryan O'Keefe, Arlington, Texas, 1,466. 3, Adam Cardwell, Woodbury, Minn./Richard Volhard, Marathon, Wis., 1,460. 4, Jason Guest, Urbandale, Iowa/Scott Wohlwend, Moline, Ill., 1,453. 5, Steve Brinkman, Sussex, Wis./Lennie Boresch, Kenosha, Wis., 1,446. 6, John Brodersen, Helena, Mont./Bruce Steffani, Great Falls, Mont., 1,444. 7. Greg Thompson, Cupertino, Calif./Fero Williams, West Carrollton, Ohio, 1443. 8, Edward Gallagher, Clarksville, Tenn./Ray Edwards, Middle Island, N.Y., 1,440. 9, Mike Holland/Ryan Holland, Houston, 1,429. 10, Mike Terrell, Williamsburg, Va./Brandon Smith, Newport News, Va., 1,419.
Singles
1, Bo Goergen, Midland, Mich., 862. 2, Ron Vokes, Racine, Wis., 857. 3, Rick Perry, Kalispell, Mont., 814. 4, Vincent Yoder, Wooster, Ohio, 810. 5, David Cirigliano, Phoenix, Ariz., 793. 6, Sean Riccardi, Piscataway, N.J., 789. 7, Joseph Burgio, Buffalo, N.Y., 788. 8, Hutch Battreall, St. Joseph, Mo., 783. 9, Tommy Barnwell, Peoria Heights, Ill., 782. 10, Greg Thomas, New Berlin, Wis., 780.
All-Events
1, Ron Vokes, Racine, Wis., 2,321. 2, Lennie Boresch Jr., Kenosha, Wis., 2,223. 3, Bo Goergen, Midland, Mich., 2,190. 4, Don Burdick, DeKalb, Ill., 2,168. 5, Sean Riccardi, Piscataway, N.J., 2,164. 6, Joe Hostetler, Minerva, Ohio, 2,156. 7, Brett Wolfe, Scottsdale, Ariz., 2,147. 8, Ron Nelson Jr., Bridgeview, Ill., 2,138. 9, Chris Collins, Savannah, Ga., 2,136. 10, Matt Descoteaux, Spokane, Wash., 2,134.
Team All-Events
1, Linds Limited (Gus Yannaras, Gary Daroszewski, Ryan Lever, Lennie Boresch Jr., Dale Traber), Milwaukee, 10,372. 2, Turbo 2-N-1 Grips 1, Madison, Wis., 10,317. 3, Northern Lanes Pro Shop, Sanford, Mich., 10,116. 4, Don Johnson Memorial, Lexington, Ky., 10,056. 5, Rock River Lanes, Fort Atkinson, Wis., 9,915. 6, Sack Toe, Sacramento, Calif., 9,858. 7, Junior Team USA Support, Orlando, Fla., 9,846. 8, Northern Lanes Rec, Gaylord, Mich., 9,839. 9, Pepsi/Lanemasters 1, Rochester, N.Y., 9,829. 10, Cambridge 1, Feeding Hills, Mass., 9,784.
Top 10 division leaders with hometown and pinfalls
1, K&K Bowling Services 11 (Bob Godden, Bruce Burkey, Rich Hunter, Oscar Jimenez, Robert Yadao), Las Vegas, 2,813. 2, Exterminators, Camp Springs, Md., 2,749. 3, Malad Gun Club, Malad City, Idaho, 2,745. 4, Kens Old West, Page, Ariz., 2,743. 5,E. Montana Flatlanders, Rio Rancho, N.M., 2,734. 6, Pinboy's Faithful 2, Virginia Beach, Va., 2,708. 7, Fire One, Clearlake Oaks, Calif., 2,703. 8, ATW, New London, Minn., 2,698. 9, Pro Zone 3, Mission Hills, Calif., 2,696. 10 (tie), Eagle Bowl 2, Eagle Grove, Iowa, and 5 Star Farms, Bowling Green, Mo., 2,686.
Doubles
1, Melanie Sweet, Capitol Heights, Md./Lashawn Farrish, Bowie, Md., 1,220. 2, Eric Douglass, Goldfield, Iowa/Troy Schultz, Clarion, Iowa, 1,204. 3, Veronica Boone/Luis Boone, Mission Hills, Calif., 1,195. 4, George Marquez, Whittier/ Pete Dumpit, El Monte, Calif., 1,192. 5, Po Ling Klip, San Francisco/Maria Lau, Daly City, Calif., 1,185. 6, Bob Godden, Las Vegas/Bruce Burkey, Henderson, Nev., 1,181. 7, Brandon Vaught, McGill, Nev./Mike Kapetan, Ely, Nev., 1,178. 8 (tie), Rick Armitage/Angela Kathol, Norfolk, Neb., and Angel Rodriquez, San Juan, Puerto Rico/Juan Cains, Hollywood, Fla., 1,169. 10, Gerald Blair Jr./David Lavallee, Southbridge, Mass., 1,167.
Singles
1, Vernon Daniels, Bermuda, 692. 2, Ed Gronski, Mulkeytown, Ill., 687. 3 (tie), Dennis Tomhave, Vermillion, S.D., and Tom Hammack, Jenks, Okla., 679. 5, Kelly Aeikens, Benson, Minn., 677. 6, Ryan Knutson, Dilworth, Minn., 664. 7, Adam Macleod, Brampton, Ontario, 662. 8, Roy Umehira, Honolulu, 657. 9, Jean Reese, Owatonna, Minn., 654. 10, Elizabeth Scott, Lenoir, N.C., 652.
All-Events
1, Bob Godden, Las Vegas, 1,854. 2, Anthony Kastle, Charlotte, N.C., 1,834. 3, Frank Boehm Jr., Regina, Saskatchewan, 1,818. 4, Dennis Tomhave, Vermillion, S.D., 1,799. 5, Pete Dumpit, El Monte, Calif., 1,798. 6, Richard Ruby, Milford, N.J., 1,796. 7, john Waliczek, Pflugerville, Texas, 1,795. 8, Roy Umehira, Honolulu, 1,782. 9, Jason Davis, Marshall, Mo., 1,777. 10, Dave Dubois, Santa Moncia, Calif., 1,770.
United States
Cashman Center in Las Vegas, Nev., United States (Feb. 21 - July 24, 2009)
In 1959, Frank Dunn of Wayne, Pa., boarded a train headed for the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships in St. Louis, and the 17-hour trip turned into a lifelong journey. Dunn has been back to the USBC Open Championships every year but one since 1959, and this week, he made his 50th appearance on the tournament lanes. During his tournament career, he has participated in 33 different cities.
L-R USBC Championships Director Brian Lewis and Frank Dunn.
The 72-year-old left-hander, who bowls regularly at Devon Lanes, first was invited to the tournament in 1958, but delayed his debut because he was still in school.
"I was a rookie, and someone I bowled with in league asked me if I wanted to come to the nationals," said Dunn, who will celebrate his 73rd birthday on Thursday. "I enjoy competitive bowling and the nationals is it. If they would've bowled at a different time that year, I could've gone, but I didn't mind waiting until the following year."
The only year since his debut that Dunn has missed the Open Championships was the 1965 event in St. Paul, Minn., ironically, because he was back in school for an additional degree, a master's in math statistics.
Over the years, Dunn has bowled with a variety of teams, some for many years at a time, and some just once. He occasionally misses the camaraderie and memories he shared competing with the same bowlers over the years, but he also enjoys the opportunity to make new friends and new memories.
This year, Dunn was unable to secure a spot on a team, but had no intentions of postponing his 50th trip down Center Aisle. His plan simply was to make his way to Las Vegas and find a team using the on-site sub board, but that turned out not to be necessary.
When Open Championships Tournament Manager Duane Hagen heard about Dunn's situation, he invited him onto his own team, and hoped to make the experience as memorable as possible.
"It worked out that we needed a bowler, and we were honored to have Frank on our team," Hagen said. "He's had an exciting career at the tournament, and he had a lot of great stories to share with us. It certainly allowed me to see the tournament from a different perspective, and I'm glad he was able to join us and share his memories."
Dunn, who was 16 years old when he took up bowling, became the 10th bowler this year and 108th in tournament history to compete for the 50th time.
This year, he shot 553 in singles, 517 in doubles and 462 in team for a 1,532 all-events total. In 50 years on the championship lanes, Dunn has knocked down 83,283 pins for a 185 career average.
Reaching the 50-year milestone at the Open Championships has been one of Dunn's goals for a long time, and although he didn't bowl as well as he would've liked, he'll be back to give it another shot next year in Reno, Nev. And hopefully, he and some of his former teammates and fellow league bowlers can once again take to the tournament lanes together.
"After my 30th tournament, I realized that bowling is so much a part of my life that only physical ailments would prevent me from coming," said Dunn, who is a member of the Greater Philadelphia Bowling Association Hall of Fame. "It's embarrassing to bowl so badly, but I always enjoy coming here no matter how I do. This really has been a great experience, and I'm thankful to the people who helped make it happen."
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.
Â
Â
2009 USBC Open Championships
Cashman Center in Las Vegas, Nev. (Feb. 21 - July 24, 2009)
REGULAR DIVISION
Top 10 division leaders with hometown and pinfalls
Â
Team1, Linds Limited (Gus Yannaras, Gary Daroszewski, Ryan Lever, Lennie Boresch Jr., Dale Traber), Milwaukee, 3,449. 2, Sack Toe, Sacramento, Calif., 3,427. 3, Turbo 2-N-1 Grips 1, Madison, Wis., 3,403. 4, Buddy Tierno Senior Tour, Mount Laurel, N.J., 3,335. 5, S and B Pro Shop 2, Sterling Heights, Mich., 3,325. 6, Don Johnson Memorial, 3,306. 7, Northern Lanes Rec, Gaylord, Mich., 3,290. 8, Rock River Lanes, Fort Atkinson, Wis., 3,285. 9, Lodge Lanes 1, Saline, Mich., 3,280. 10, Northern Lanes Pro Shop, Sanford, Mich., 3,272.
Doubles
1, Marc McDowell, Monona, Wis./Mike Shady, Fairview, Pa., 1,474. 2, Ron Nelson, Bridgeview, Ill./Bryan O'Keefe, Arlington, Texas, 1,466. 3, Adam Cardwell, Woodbury, Minn./Richard Volhard, Marathon, Wis., 1,460. 4, Jason Guest, Urbandale, Iowa/Scott Wohlwend, Moline, Ill., 1,453. 5, Steve Brinkman, Sussex, Wis./Lennie Boresch, Kenosha, Wis., 1,446. 6, John Brodersen, Helena, Mont./Bruce Steffani, Great Falls, Mont., 1,444. 7. Greg Thompson, Cupertino, Calif./Fero Williams, West Carrollton, Ohio, 1443. 8, Edward Gallagher, Clarksville, Tenn./Ray Edwards, Middle Island, N.Y., 1,440. 9, Mike Holland/Ryan Holland, Houston, 1,429. 10, Mike Terrell, Williamsburg, Va./Brandon Smith, Newport News, Va., 1,419.
Singles
1, Bo Goergen, Midland, Mich., 862. 2, Ron Vokes, Racine, Wis., 857. 3, Rick Perry, Kalispell, Mont., 814. 4, Vincent Yoder, Wooster, Ohio, 810. 5, David Cirigliano, Phoenix, Ariz., 793. 6, Sean Riccardi, Piscataway, N.J., 789. 7, Joseph Burgio, Buffalo, N.Y., 788. 8, Hutch Battreall, St. Joseph, Mo., 783. 9, Tommy Barnwell, Peoria Heights, Ill., 782. 10, Greg Thomas, New Berlin, Wis., 780.
All-Events
1, Ron Vokes, Racine, Wis., 2,321. 2, Lennie Boresch Jr., Kenosha, Wis., 2,223. 3, Bo Goergen, Midland, Mich., 2,190. 4, Don Burdick, DeKalb, Ill., 2,168. 5, Sean Riccardi, Piscataway, N.J., 2,164. 6, Joe Hostetler, Minerva, Ohio, 2,156. 7, Brett Wolfe, Scottsdale, Ariz., 2,147. 8, Ron Nelson Jr., Bridgeview, Ill., 2,138. 9, Chris Collins, Savannah, Ga., 2,136. 10, Matt Descoteaux, Spokane, Wash., 2,134.
Team All-Events
1, Linds Limited (Gus Yannaras, Gary Daroszewski, Ryan Lever, Lennie Boresch Jr., Dale Traber), Milwaukee, 10,372. 2, Turbo 2-N-1 Grips 1, Madison, Wis., 10,317. 3, Northern Lanes Pro Shop, Sanford, Mich., 10,116. 4, Don Johnson Memorial, Lexington, Ky., 10,056. 5, Rock River Lanes, Fort Atkinson, Wis., 9,915. 6, Sack Toe, Sacramento, Calif., 9,858. 7, Junior Team USA Support, Orlando, Fla., 9,846. 8, Northern Lanes Rec, Gaylord, Mich., 9,839. 9, Pepsi/Lanemasters 1, Rochester, N.Y., 9,829. 10, Cambridge 1, Feeding Hills, Mass., 9,784.
Â
CLASSIFIED DIVISION
Top 10 division leaders with hometown and pinfalls
Â
Team1, K&K Bowling Services 11 (Bob Godden, Bruce Burkey, Rich Hunter, Oscar Jimenez, Robert Yadao), Las Vegas, 2,813. 2, Exterminators, Camp Springs, Md., 2,749. 3, Malad Gun Club, Malad City, Idaho, 2,745. 4, Kens Old West, Page, Ariz., 2,743. 5,E. Montana Flatlanders, Rio Rancho, N.M., 2,734. 6, Pinboy's Faithful 2, Virginia Beach, Va., 2,708. 7, Fire One, Clearlake Oaks, Calif., 2,703. 8, ATW, New London, Minn., 2,698. 9, Pro Zone 3, Mission Hills, Calif., 2,696. 10 (tie), Eagle Bowl 2, Eagle Grove, Iowa, and 5 Star Farms, Bowling Green, Mo., 2,686.
Doubles
1, Melanie Sweet, Capitol Heights, Md./Lashawn Farrish, Bowie, Md., 1,220. 2, Eric Douglass, Goldfield, Iowa/Troy Schultz, Clarion, Iowa, 1,204. 3, Veronica Boone/Luis Boone, Mission Hills, Calif., 1,195. 4, George Marquez, Whittier/ Pete Dumpit, El Monte, Calif., 1,192. 5, Po Ling Klip, San Francisco/Maria Lau, Daly City, Calif., 1,185. 6, Bob Godden, Las Vegas/Bruce Burkey, Henderson, Nev., 1,181. 7, Brandon Vaught, McGill, Nev./Mike Kapetan, Ely, Nev., 1,178. 8 (tie), Rick Armitage/Angela Kathol, Norfolk, Neb., and Angel Rodriquez, San Juan, Puerto Rico/Juan Cains, Hollywood, Fla., 1,169. 10, Gerald Blair Jr./David Lavallee, Southbridge, Mass., 1,167.
Singles
1, Vernon Daniels, Bermuda, 692. 2, Ed Gronski, Mulkeytown, Ill., 687. 3 (tie), Dennis Tomhave, Vermillion, S.D., and Tom Hammack, Jenks, Okla., 679. 5, Kelly Aeikens, Benson, Minn., 677. 6, Ryan Knutson, Dilworth, Minn., 664. 7, Adam Macleod, Brampton, Ontario, 662. 8, Roy Umehira, Honolulu, 657. 9, Jean Reese, Owatonna, Minn., 654. 10, Elizabeth Scott, Lenoir, N.C., 652.
All-Events
1, Bob Godden, Las Vegas, 1,854. 2, Anthony Kastle, Charlotte, N.C., 1,834. 3, Frank Boehm Jr., Regina, Saskatchewan, 1,818. 4, Dennis Tomhave, Vermillion, S.D., 1,799. 5, Pete Dumpit, El Monte, Calif., 1,798. 6, Richard Ruby, Milford, N.J., 1,796. 7, john Waliczek, Pflugerville, Texas, 1,795. 8, Roy Umehira, Honolulu, 1,782. 9, Jason Davis, Marshall, Mo., 1,777. 10, Dave Dubois, Santa Moncia, Calif., 1,770.
Â