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HALL OF FAMER JOINS ELITE CLUB AT USBC OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS
RENO, Nev. - United States Bowling Congress Hall of Famer Les Zikes of Palatine, Ill., has a bowling resume filled with accomplishments at the USBC Open Championships, and he added another milestone to his legacy at the National Bowling Stadium on Thursday night.
The 75-year-old right-hander entered the 2010 USBC Open Championships needing just 272 pins to become the newest member of the tournament's elite 100,000-Pin Club, and he got there in the seventh frame of his second team game. As always, his wife, Mary Cay, was by his side, and he was joined on the lanes by his granddaughter Cathy Kipp and his son, Lyle.
Zikes posted games of 171, 178 and 150 for a 499 series as he became the 12th bowler in 107 years of tournament competition to eclipse the 100,000-pin mark. Late USBC Hall of Famer Joe Norris of San Diego tops the all-time pinfall list with 123,770.
"Tonight was very special," said Zikes, who is the proprietor of Beverly Lanes in Arlington Heights, Ill. "I was hoping to bowl better for my teammates, but it was a big thrill. I only needed 272 pins to get to 100,000, and for a minute, I thought it was going to take me all three games to get there. I do feel very proud and very fortunate to be able to bowl for that long."
Zikes began his Open Championships journey at the 1950 event in Columbus, Ohio, as a curious 15-year-old. Just 12 years later, he claimed the first of his six titles as he helped Strike 'n Spare of Chicago to the top spot in Regular Team at the 1962 tournament in Des Moines, Iowa. He added another Regular Team title in 1963 and Regular All-Events and Team All-Events crowns in 1964 to become the only bowler in history to win in three consecutive years.
The hall of famer later took home the Classic Singles title in 1975 and Classic Team in 1977. He also is a two-time Professional Bowlers Association national champion and a three-time winner on the PBA Senior Tour.
Over the years, Zikes also found international success, winning gold medals at the 1963 and 1967 World Championships and the 1964 Pan American Bowling Confederation Championships.
"I have had a lot of milestones," Zikes said. "To win three consecutive years against that many bowlers, you have to be at the right place at the right time. I have had so many big thrills, and tonight, achieving 100,000 pins and receiving a crystal pin was another one for me. I am so lucky to have been at the right place at the right time. Someone has been looking out for me."
Although Zikes has made 58 Open Championships appearances, every year seems like his first.
"I still get goose bumps when I walk down Center Aisle," Zikes said. "When a team walks down the Center Aisle, they may act nonchalant, but they are really nervous. There is something about this tournament that 70,000 bowlers look forward to. I still feel the butterflies when I walk down the aisle, and I hope I always will."
There aren't many milestones left for Zikes to achieve, but he does have his eye on making 60 Open Championships appearances. Only 13 bowlers have reached the 60-year mark.
"If I'm healthy, I will be back," Zikes said. "The last few years, I have had a few physical problems, which has not allowed me to practice like I normally would. I feel pretty good right now, and if I feel this good next year, I will be back. So if I am healthy, I hope to reach 60."
Zikes closed out his 2010 tournament campaign with 581 in singles and 513 in doubles for a 1,593 all-events total. In 58 years on the championship lanes, he has knocked down 101,321 pins for a career average of 199.8.
Presenting sponsors for the 2010 USBC Open Championships are Circus Circus, Eldorado Hotel Casino and Silver Legacy Resort Casino in Reno, Nevada. Other sponsors include Sands Regency Casino Hotel, official brackets sponsor, Kegel, official lane maintenance provider, US Steltronic, official scoring system, and supporting sponsors Storm Bowling Products, UPS, Nationwide Insurance, Atlantis Casino Resort and Spa, Harrah's Reno Casino and Hotel and Peppermill Hotel Casino.
For more information on the USBC Open Championships, visit USBCopen.com.
United States Bowling Congress
The United States Bowling Congress, as the national governing body, ensures the integrity and protects the future of the sport, provides programs and services to more than two million adult and youth members and enhances the bowling experience.
2010 USBC OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS
At National Bowling Stadium, Reno, Nev.
(Top 10 division leaders with hometowns and pinfalls)
REGULAR DIVISION
Team
1, Bowlers Edge Pro Shop (Brad Kuhr, Timothy Rice, Dan Paul, Kenny Kempf, Jason Wendt), Neenah, Wis., 3,408. 2, Turbo 2-N-1 Grips 1, Madison, Wis., 3,298. 3, Red Carpet Lanes, Greenfield, Wis., 3,250. 4, Up An Adam, Coral Springs, Fla., 3,247. 5, Rob Bailey's Pro Shop 1, Sun Prairie, Wis., 3,202. 6, Larry's Precision Pro Shop, Cape Coral, Fla., 3,190. 7, Living Water Pools 2, Piedmont, Okla., 3,176. 8, Plaza Lanes, Washington, Ill., 3,164. 9 (tie), Janzs H I, Beaver Dam, Wis., and Design Wizards, Mandan, N.D., 3,159.
Doubles
1, Jeffrey Mersch, Orlando, Fla./Erik Vermilyea, Mansfield, Texas, 1,507. 2, Tom Milton, St. Petersburg, Fla./David Taylor, Seminole, Fla., 1,498. 3, Jeff Nimke, Oshkosh, Wis./Chad Maas, Brookfield, Wis., 1,480. 4, Kenneth Stephens, Frankfort, Ky./Randall Montoya, Albuquerque, N.M., 1,434. 5 (tie), Terry Hall, Rocklin, Calif./Andrew Udahl, Elk Grove, Calif., and Scott Helm, Hartford, Wis./Dave Beres, Greenfield, Wis., 1,421. 7, Mandy Wilson, Dayton, Ohio/Douglas Stone, Troy, Ohio, 1,419. 8 (tie), Jason Hale, Des Moines, Iowa/Matt Smith, Altoona, Iowa, and Lana Schwab, Lake Villa, Ill./Davey Rosen, Northbrook, Ill., 1,411. 10, Ryan Lever, New Berlin, Wis./Dale Traber, Cedarburg, Wis., 1,388.
Singles
1, Terrence Syring, Bay City, Mich., 833. 2, Jimmy Johnson, Pataskala, Ohio, 804. 3, Dan Gould, East Hampton, Mass., 783. 4, Barry Zimmerman, Grand Forks, N.D., 766. 5, George Kontos, Joliet, Ill., 760. 6, Christopher Webb, Racine, Wis., 755. 7. Jimmy Hilligas, Kettering, Ohio, 749. 8, Brian Himmler, Cincinnati, 748. 9, Larry Thompson Jr., Spring, Texas, 742. 10 (tie), Anthony Woollis, Lubbock, Texas, and Michael Bourcier, 740.
All-Events
1, Terrence Syring, Bay City, Mich., 2,155. 2, Chad Maas, Brookfield, Wis., 2,141. 3, Jeffrey Mersch, Orlando, Fla., 2,112. 4, Jimmy Johnson, Pataskala, Ohio, 2,108. 5, Erik Vermilyea, Mansfield, Texas, 2,104. 6, Robert Gotchall, Lincoln, Neb., 2,096. 7, Shannon Pluhowsky, Phoenix, 2,083. 8 (tie), Matt Smith, Altoona, Iowa, and George Kontos Joliet, Ill., 2,073. 10, Christopher Webb, Racine, Wis., 2,067.
Team All-Events
1, Red Carpet Lanes (Jeff Nimke, Scott Helm, Steve Brinkman, Chad Maas, Dave Beres), Greenfield, Wis, 10,131. 2, Junior Team USA Support, Orlando, Fla., 9,893. 3, Don Johnson Memorial, Shepherdsville, Ky., 9,813. 4, Turbo 2-N-1 Grips 1, Madison, Wis., 9,609. 5, Bluebird Lanes, Orland Park, Ill., 9,602. 6, Professional Image Center 1, Coffeyville, Kan., 9,599. 7, Linds Limited, Milwaukee, 9,598. 8, Design Wizards, Mandan, N.D., 9,578. 9, Janzs H I, Beaver Dam, Wis., 9,506. 10, Thunderbird Bowl 2, Wichita, Kan., 9,467.
CLASSIFIED DIVISION
Team
1, Huikko's Bowling Center 3 (Pam Strong, Ronda Bauman, Jeanne Schmid, Jeffrey Schmid, Dale Bauman), Buffalo, Minn., 2,730. 2, EWI/NPS/Denny's, Mentor, Ohio, 2,699. 3, Wothe Bait 1, Perham, Minn., 2,684. 4, Garden Center Lanes 2, Alexandria, Minn., 2,683. 5, Garden Center Lanes 3, Alexandria, Minn., 2,663. 6, Sportsman Bowling Club 5, Moreno Valley, Calif., 2,662. 7, Paradise Lanes, Walden, Colo., 2,648. 8, Red Carpet, West Union, Minn., 2,627. 9, Roadrunners, Las Cruces, N.M., 2,604. 10, Whitlow Furnace, Scobey, Mont., 2,602.
Doubles
1, Tyson Sims/Scott Wilcox, Georgetown, Idaho, 1,182. 2, John Bishop/Dan Mosteller, Tooele, Utah, 1,175. 3, Wayne Doney, Lamar, Colo./Jim Matusek, Hartland, Wis., 1,174. 4, Pat Fitzgibbons, Colorado Springs, Colo./Pete Fitzgibbons, Goodland, Kan., 1,173. 5, Chris Nugent, Mays Landing, N.J./Jason Campbell, Galloway, N.J., 1,171. 6, Greg Allen/Stacey Bauer, Ogallala, Neb., 1,166. 7, Joe McKee/Mark Nalan, Sheffield, Iowa, 1,155. 8, Walter Cook, Inverness, Fla./Stephen Liik, Homosassa, Fla., 1,153. 9, Holly Ventura, Harwood Heights, Ill./Bob Zurek, River Grove, Ill., 1,149. 10, Delmar Brownell/Dale Brownell, Spearfish, S.D., 1,148.
Singles
1, David Garcez, Merced, Calif., 669. 2, Blake Sandidge, Lead, S.D., 653. 3, Mark Plute, Montrose, Colo., 644. 4, Curt VanLaningham, Ogallala, Neb., 624. 5, Dan Dahlquist, Wheaton, Ill., 622. 6, Terrance Hall, Spanish Fork, Utah, 620. 7, Ryan Goettsch, Galva, Iowa, 618. 8, Ryan Burmester, Chandler, Ariz., 615. 9, Flor Crowley, Oxnard, Calif., 611. 10, Preston Cheeks, Brooklyn, N.Y., 609.
All-Events
1, Steve Miller, Roanoke, Ill., 1,775. 2, Richard Eisenhut, Downers Grove, Ill., 1,766. 3, Harry Berg, Eau Claire, Wis., 1,743. 4, Paul Daniels, Bonner, Mont., 1,739. 5, Jake Acuna, Pocatello, Idaho, 1,736. 6, John Stolarski, Waterford, Mich., 1,733. 7, Tom Sellers, Barstow, Calif., 1,732. 8, Preston Cheeks, Brooklyn, N.Y., 1,721. 9, Doug Boleyn, Waterloo, Iowa, 1,719. 10, Ken Hoffman, Durand, Ill., 1,718.
