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MISSOURI BOWLER CELEBRATES 50 YEARS AT USBC OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS
RENO, Nev. - In 1955, Clancy Mueller of St. Charles, Mo., and his high school teammates piled into a car and headed to Fort Wayne, Ind., for the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships.
They were the young hotshots in their local scratch league and wanted to try their luck against thousands of bowlers on the sport's biggest stage. Mueller had such a terrific experience that he's been back to the USBC Open Championships 49 times since.
The 73-year-old right-hander has enjoyed one milestone after another on the tournament lanes and celebrated the crowning moment of his career as he became the 126th bowler in tournament history to compete in the event 50 times. Mueller made his milestone march at the National Bowling Stadium on Monday night.
"The first tournament I went to was terrific, and that's why I've now been to 50," Mueller said. "I started thinking about 50 last year in Las Vegas, and it's actually been on my mind a lot. It's a pretty big deal for me."
This year, Mueller was joined in Reno by his wife, Joann, and their daughters, Linda and Terri. They haven't been to the tournament as a family since the early 1970s, but used the special occasion as an excuse for a family vacation, which included a trip around Lake Tahoe.
Mueller's participation in the Open Championships has taken him all over the country, and through bowling and recreational travel, he has been to all 50 states. He's still energetic and fiercely competitive and has high expectations on the lanes.
"I've had some really good years, and some really bad ones, but I love to bowl, and that's why I keep coming back," said Mueller, who spent nearly 30 years as an air supervisor for UPS until he retired in 1995. "It's a relief to get off a wall shot and see how good or bad you are. I used to be a pretty fair bowler, but now, I'm just a fellow who likes to bowl."
Now that his days are free, Mueller bowls up to 30 games each week between his three leagues and practice, and he also finds time for tournaments.
Hours before he was scheduled to make his 50th march down Center Aisle, Mueller was at a local bowling center rolling a few games just to get loose and comfortable.
Even though he knew what to expect as the man of the hour Monday, Mueller was more nervous than he's ever been at the Open Championships. He'd seen other bowlers celebrate milestones, but didn't realize how overwhelming it would be.
"I was more nervous than I was at my first tournament, but the presentation was so special," said Mueller, who received a plaque, chevron and diamond lapel pin to commemorate his achievement. "As corny as it may sound, I loved every minute of it. The closer it got, the more nervous I got. All eyes were on me, and for a minute, it felt like the time I had 11 in a row here. The place practically shut down to watch me. Overall, though, it was a truly special night tonight."
Among his top Open Championships memories are his first 1,800 all-events total (1,858 at the 1959 event in St. Louis), his first 1,900 (1,914 at the 1963 tournament in Buffalo, N.Y.) and the 298 game he rolled on the way to a career-high all-events effort (1,927) in Billings, Mont., in 2002. He also has a pair of memorable 279 games on the championship lanes.
"There were a lot of great moments over the years, and there seems to be no limit to it," said Mueller, who is particularly proud of his Missouri State Match Games title in 1960. "To start off the way I did in team this year feels pretty good, and the possibility of shooting 1,800, or even 1,900, at my age is amazing. I'd also love another crack at 300 here."
Mueller started his 2010 tournament campaign with a 617 series in team and added 642 in doubles and 607 in singles for a 1,866 all-events total Tuesday. It was his best performance since shooting 1,836 at the 2003 tournament in Knoxville, Tenn., and just the second time in his career that he shot 600 or better in all three events.
IOWA BOWLER SHOOTS 300 GAME AT USBC OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS
Duane Kilts of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, rolled the 10th perfect game of the 2010 USBC Open Championships on Tuesday afternoon.
Kilts didn't get off to the start he hoped for at the National Bowling Stadium this year, but after his brother, David, suggested a small adjustment, everything clicked.
"I wasn't lined up to start and didn't have a good ball reaction, so my brother told me to move farther in to where he was, and it worked," said Kilts, who shot 583 in team and started doubles with a 196 game. "He's a good coach and knows my game pretty well."
The 30-year-old right-hander finished doubles with games of 246 and 247 for a 689 series, and he and David combined for a 1,310 total Tuesday.
Kilts suffered a few bad breaks on the way to a 200 start in singles, and another small move resulted in 12 consecutive strikes. He finished with a 245 game and 745 series, which is just outside of the top 10 in Regular Singles. Terrence Syring of Bay City, Mich., leads with 833.
"The singles lanes seemed similar, but I had a couple of bad breaks the first game," said Kilts, who bowls regularly at Westdale Bowl and owns the Iowa State all-events record with 2,357. "Then, I moved a little bit right based on what my brother was doing, and it was money from there. I couldn't miss."
Kilts finished with a career-best, 2,017, all-events total, more than 300 pins better than the 1,696 he posted last year in Las Vegas and 123 pins better than his previous-high of 1,894.
David Kilts shot 712 in singles, 621 in doubles and 600 in team for 1,933.
Two other bowlers also made runs at perfection.
Jacob Bedard of Waterloo, Iowa, struck first, but settled for a 299 game Monday night, while Lance Stern of Yuma, Ariz., made his run Tuesday morning and finished with 298.
Bedard, a 31-year-old right-hander, left a 7 pin on his final offering and added games of 225 and 215 for a 739 doubles series. He had 652 in singles and 629 in team for a career-best 2,020 all-events total.
Stern, a 42-year-old right-hander, made a ball change and capitalized on a break in the fourth frame of his final doubles game to close out the event with 298 after leaving the 4-7 on his final shot. He ended with a 644 doubles series and added 596 in singles and 583 in team for a 1,823 all-events total.
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, 900 Global, Indianapolis, 3,304. 5, Turbo 2-N-1 Grips 1, Madison, Wis., 3,298. 6, Linds Cedarvale 1, Eagan, Minn., 3,289. 7, Red Carpet Lanes, Greenfield, Wis., 3,250. 8, Ray Cyr's Pro Shop, Baldwinsville, N.Y., 3,248. 9, Up An Adam, Coral Springs, Fla., 3,247. 10, The Locker Guy 1, Mankato, Minn., 3,245.
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, Phil Croak, Johnstown, Ohio/Jason Tom, Mechanicsburg, Ohio, 1,413. 10 (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, Matt McNiel, Chanhassen, Minn., 806. 3, Jimmy Johnson, Pataskala, Ohio, 804. 4, Dan Gould, East Hampton, Mass., 783. 5, Dave Smalley, Louisville, Ky., 781. 6, Richard Brooks, Versailles, Conn., 767. 7, Barry Zimmerman, Grand Forks, N.D., 766. 8, Brian Omara, Webster, N.Y., 764. 9, Brian Huther, Madison, Ala., 762. 10, George Kontos, Joliet, Ill., 760.
All-Events
1, Matt McNiel, Chanhassen, Minn., 2,326. 2, John Bauerle Jr., Indianapolis, 2,225. 3, Terrence Syring, Bay City, Mich., 2,155. 4 (tie), Chad Maas, Brookfield, Wis., and Adam Cardwell, Woodbury, Minn., 2,141. 6, Dave Smalley, Louisville, Ky., 2,124. 7, Dave Ewald, Macomb, Mich., 2,116. 8, Jeffrey Mersch, Orlando, Fla., 2,112. 9, Jimmy Johnson, Pataskala, Ohio, 2,108. 10, Erik Vermilyea, Mansfield, Texas, 2,104.
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, Clone Huskers, Arlington, Texas, 9,743. 8, Linds Cedarvale 1, Eagan, Minn., 9,732. 9, Fran's Pro Shop 3, Waterloo, Iowa, 9,713. 10, 900 Global, Indianapolis, 9,648.
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, Razorback Rollers, Stuttgart, Ark., 2,668. 7, Garden Center Lanes 3, Alexandria, Minn., 2,663. 8, Sportsman Bowling Club 5, Moreno Valley, Calif., 2,662. 9, Queen Bee's Bar/Grill 1, Paynesville, Minn., 2,651. 10, Paradise Lanes, Walden, Colo., 2,648.
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 (tie), Holly Ventura, Harwood Heights, Ill./Bob Zurek, River Grove, Ill., and Scott Lehman/Terry Reineke, Celina, Ohio, 1,149.
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, Scott Lehman, Celina, Ohio, 1,744. 4, Harry Berg, Eau Claire, Wis., 1,743. 5, Matt Tschann, Paynesville, Minn., 1,742. 6, Paul Daniels, Bonner, Mont., 1,739. 7, Jake Acuna, Pocatello, Idaho, 1,736. 8, John Stolarski, Waterford, Mich., 1,733. 9 (tie), Tom Sellers, Barstow, Calif., and Douglas Drake, Princeton, Ill., 1,732.
