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DEFENDING CHAMPION FALLS SHORT AT USBC OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS
RENO, Nev. - Under the watchful eyes of many spectators at the National Bowling Stadium, Ron Vokes of Racine, Wis., attempted to become the first bowler in United States Bowling Congress Open Championships history to claim back-to-back Regular All-Events titles.
Although Vokes fell short in his quest to repeat, he posted the second-highest all-events total of his 25-year tournament career. The 50-year-old right-hander shot 673 in singles, 673 in doubles and 614 in team for a 1,960 total Wednesday.
"I felt more excitement coming into this year than pressure," said Vokes, who won the crown last year in Las Vegas with a record 2,321 total. "My goal was to come and have fun and meet new people. I try to keep everything at the status quo. I tried to throw the best shots possible and just take it from there. Last year was very special, and I wasn't expecting to shoot 2,321 again."
Vokes, who shot 857 in singles, 767 in team and 697 in doubles on the way to his title, may not have been well-known outside of the Badger State before his record-setting performance, but now his name hangs over the championship lanes as a champion and record holder at the world's largest participatory sporting event.
"I was really looking forward to this year's event," said Vokes, whose highest all-events total before his win was 1,926. "If you're a champion, you should come out and just enjoy yourself. If you don't bowl well, you can still have fun. I was totally surprised at how many people actually came up and congratulated me on winning last year. I have many accolades in Wisconsin, and I am known more there, but for people to just come up to me and say hello was exciting."
Even though he has an eagle on his mantle and a 25-year plaque to hang on the wall, Vokes still is striving for another achievement that has been a goal since his tournament debut at the 1981 event in Memphis, Tenn.
"My goal is to win a team eagle," Vokes said. "I always thought that a team win would have come before I won an individual eagle. I am bowling with four good guys, and that is our drive right now. We either have to win team or Team All-Events."
Vokes' all-events effort this year helped Coach's 5 Horsemen into sixth place in Team All-Events with a 9,753 total. Red Carpet Lanes of Greenfield, Wis., leads with 10,131.
Henry Teetz III added 2,055 for Coach's 5 Horsemen and was followed by Mike Jamrose (2,002), John Bodish Jr. (1,908) and Mike Herron (1,828). The group just missed placing in the top 10 in Regular Team, too. They currently are 13th with 3,201, while Bowlers Edge Pro Shop of Neenah, Wis., leads with 3,408, the highest team total in the tournament's six visits to the Stadium.
FINAL NUMBERS ARE IN FOR 2010 USBC OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS
All of the last-minute entries for the 2010 USBC Open Championships have been counted, and the official number of teams heading to the National Bowling Stadium this year is 14,189.
Although the official entry deadline for 2010 has passed, it is still possible to purchase a canceled spot. Entries also are being taken for the 2011 tournament, which will mark the event's record 10th trip to Reno.
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.
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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, S & B Pro Shop, Clinton Township, Mich., 3,347. 3, Lakeview Lanes, Baldwinsville, N.Y., 3,313. 4, Turbo 2-N-1 Grips 1, Madison, Wis., 3,298. 5, Red Carpet Lanes, Greenfield, Wis., 3,250. 6, Ray Cyr's Pro Shop, Baldwinsville, N.Y., 3,248. 7, Up An Adam, Coral Springs, Fla., 3,247. 8, The Locker Guy 1, Mankato, Minn., 3,245. 9, Brian Brazeau Pro Shop, Ocala, Fla., 3,232. 10, Woody's, Mulvane, Kan., 3,228.
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, Art Alexander III/Matt Chetney, Baldwinsville, N.Y., 1,416. 9 (tie), Jason Hale, Des Moines, Iowa/Matt Smith, Altoona, Iowa, and Lana Schwab, Lake Villa, Ill./Davey Rosen, Northbrook, Ill., 1,411.
Singles
1, Terrence Syring, Bay City, Mich., 833. 2, Jimmy Johnson, Pataskala, Ohio, 804. 3, Dan Gould, East Hampton, Mass., 783. 4, Richard Brooks, Versailles, Conn., 767. 5, Barry Zimmerman, Grand Forks, N.D., 766. 6, Brian Omara, Webster, N.Y., 764. 7, Brian Huther, Madison, Ala., 762. 8, George Kontos, Joliet, Ill., 760. 9, Nick Wissinger, Clinton Township, Mich., 758. 10, Christopher Webb, Racine, Wis., 755.
All-Events
1, Terrence Syring, Bay City, Mich., 2,155. 2, Chad Maas, Brookfield, Wis., 2,141. 3, Dave Ewald, Macomb, Mich., 2,116. 4, Jeffrey Mersch, Orlando, Fla., 2,112. 5, Jimmy Johnson, Pataskala, Ohio, 2,108. 6, Erik Vermilyea, Mansfield, Texas, 2,104. 7, Mark Moore, Macomb Township, Mich., 2,097. 8, Robert Gotchall, Lincoln, Neb., 2,096. 9, Larry Verble, Mason, Mich., 2,093. 10, Nick Wissinger, Clinton Township, Mich., 2,091.
Team All-Events
1, Red Carpet Lanes (Jeff Nimke, Scott Helm, Steve Brinkman, Chad Maas, Dave Beres), Greenfield, Wis., 10,131. 2, S & B Pro Shop, Clinton Township, Mich., 9,920. 3, Junior Team USA Support, Orlando, Fla., 9,893. 4, Don Johnson Memorial, Shepherdsville, Ky., 9,813. 5, Victor's Caf, Reading, Penn., 9,808. 6, Coach's 5 Horsemen, Racine, Wis., 9,753. 7, Royal Scott 1, Lansing, Mich., 9,647. 8, Turbo 2-N-1 Grips 1, Madison, Wis., 9,609. 9, Bluebird Lanes, Orland Park, Ill., 9,602. 10, Professional Image Center 1, Coffeyville, Kan., 9,599.
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, We Don't Know, Columbia, S.C., 2,687. 4, Wothe Bait 1, Perham, Minn., 2,684. 5, Garden Center Lanes 2, Alexandria, Minn., 2,683. 6, Garden Center Lanes 3, Alexandria, Minn., 2,663. 7, Sportsman Bowling Club 5, Moreno Valley, Calif., 2,662. 8, Queen Bee's Bar/Grill 1, Paynesville, Minn., 2,651. 9, Paradise Lanes, Walden, Colo., 2,648. 10 (tie), Razorback Rollers, Stuttgart, Ark., and Nelson Cartage Company, Montgomery, Ill., 2,636.
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, Joseph Buggs, Honolulu, 647. 4, Mark Plute, Montrose, Colo., 644. 5, Gino Cerullo, Caspey, Wyo., 634. 6, Matt Tschann, Paynesville, Minn., 630. 7, Curt VanLaningham, Ogallala, Neb., 624. 8, Dan Dahlquist, Wheaton, Ill., 622. 9, Gerald Petersen, Sidney, Mich., 621. 10, Terrance Hall, Spanish Fork, Utah, 620.
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, Matt Tschann, Paynesville, Minn., 1,742. 5, Paul Daniels, Bonner, Mont., 1,739. 6, Jake Acuna, Pocatello, Idaho, 1,736. 7, John Stolarski, Waterford, Mich., 1,733. 8 (tie), Tom Sellers, Barstow, Calif., and Douglas Drake, Princeton, Ill., 1,732. 10, Mervin Davis Jr., Randallstown, Md., 1,731.
