Father and daughter lead Classified Doubles at 2017 USBC Open Championships
May 15, 2017
LAS VEGAS - As if reaching 50 years of participation at the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships wasn't going to be exciting enough, Bud Olriksen of Las Vegas has put himself in position to celebrate the milestone next year as a defending champion.
The 74-year-old right-hander rallied with three late strikes in his final game of doubles Sunday at the South Point Bowling Plaza, including one to start the 10th frame, to lift him and his daughter Ashley Olriksen of Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, into the top spot in Classified Doubles with a 1,105 total.
Ashley put the duo in position for a run at the lead with five strikes in the first eight frames of the finale and finished the set with games of 147, 219 and 204 for a 570 series, the second-highest set of her 10 visits to the USBC Open Championships.
Bud, who made his 49th tournament appearance and is scheduled to join the event's 50-Year Club next year in Syracuse, New York, added games of 147, 194 and 194 for a 535 series.
Brothers Aaron and Brody Hagen of Benson, Minnesota, previously shared the lead with Mark Nelson of Clitherall, Minnesota, and Lynn Good of Battle Lake, Minnesota, at 1,102.
"I really enjoy being able to bowl with the kids and all these guys, and this is absolutely the best finish we've ever had," Bud Olriksen said. "It would be awesome to see that Eagle up on the board next year. That would be something. I never thought I'd ever be close at 50 years. Maybe years ago, but not now."
Sharing the lanes with all three of his children - daughters Ashley and Nicole and son Walter - is part of what has kept Olriksen returning to the Open Championships each year, and he has enjoyed the opportunity to bowl doubles with each of them over the years.
Nicole leads the crew with 12 consecutive years on the championship lanes, starting in 2006, while Ashley and Walter both have been bowling since 2008 and reached the 10-year mark this weekend in Las Vegas. Together, the clan has combined for 81 years of tournament participation.
Olriksen's own Open Championships career started at the 1965 event in St. Paul, Minnesota, near where he grew up and lived until retiring to the Las Vegas area in 1998.
Off the lanes, he has served the sport for decades in a variety of administrative roles at the league and local levels. He also is an accomplished bowling coach, which includes helping Henderson, Nevada's Coronado High School to six state championships.
Olriksen was an assistant bowling coach for the Cougars for 13 years, starting in 2000. During that time, the Coronado boys won state titles in 2004, 2005 and 2010, and the girls achieved the feat in 2006, 2007 and 2008.
Ashley was a member of the winning team in 2006 and nearly was speechless when asked about the possibility of claiming an Open Championships title with her father.
Since she accepted a job transfer and moved back to Minnesota, the family only gets together once or twice a year, with the Open Championships as one of those annual meetings.
"This always is an amazing experience and something we both really enjoy," Ashley said. "I'm kind of speechless right now. It's exciting and definitely about time for us to do something like this together."
This year at the Bowling Plaza, Bud added sets of 450 in singles and 366 in team for a 1,351 all-events total, while Ashley had 499 in singles and 481 in team for 1,550, a career high.
Should they hold on to win the Classified Doubles crown, Bud will be just short of being the tournament's oldest champion. That honor belongs to Glenn Smith of Grove, Oklahoma, who became a Booster Team champion in 1996 at the age of 75.
Visit us on Facebook at the official USBC Open Championships Facebook page.
The 74-year-old right-hander rallied with three late strikes in his final game of doubles Sunday at the South Point Bowling Plaza, including one to start the 10th frame, to lift him and his daughter Ashley Olriksen of Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, into the top spot in Classified Doubles with a 1,105 total.
Ashley put the duo in position for a run at the lead with five strikes in the first eight frames of the finale and finished the set with games of 147, 219 and 204 for a 570 series, the second-highest set of her 10 visits to the USBC Open Championships.
Bud, who made his 49th tournament appearance and is scheduled to join the event's 50-Year Club next year in Syracuse, New York, added games of 147, 194 and 194 for a 535 series.
Brothers Aaron and Brody Hagen of Benson, Minnesota, previously shared the lead with Mark Nelson of Clitherall, Minnesota, and Lynn Good of Battle Lake, Minnesota, at 1,102.
"I really enjoy being able to bowl with the kids and all these guys, and this is absolutely the best finish we've ever had," Bud Olriksen said. "It would be awesome to see that Eagle up on the board next year. That would be something. I never thought I'd ever be close at 50 years. Maybe years ago, but not now."
Sharing the lanes with all three of his children - daughters Ashley and Nicole and son Walter - is part of what has kept Olriksen returning to the Open Championships each year, and he has enjoyed the opportunity to bowl doubles with each of them over the years.
Nicole leads the crew with 12 consecutive years on the championship lanes, starting in 2006, while Ashley and Walter both have been bowling since 2008 and reached the 10-year mark this weekend in Las Vegas. Together, the clan has combined for 81 years of tournament participation.
Olriksen's own Open Championships career started at the 1965 event in St. Paul, Minnesota, near where he grew up and lived until retiring to the Las Vegas area in 1998.
Off the lanes, he has served the sport for decades in a variety of administrative roles at the league and local levels. He also is an accomplished bowling coach, which includes helping Henderson, Nevada's Coronado High School to six state championships.
Olriksen was an assistant bowling coach for the Cougars for 13 years, starting in 2000. During that time, the Coronado boys won state titles in 2004, 2005 and 2010, and the girls achieved the feat in 2006, 2007 and 2008.
Ashley was a member of the winning team in 2006 and nearly was speechless when asked about the possibility of claiming an Open Championships title with her father.
Since she accepted a job transfer and moved back to Minnesota, the family only gets together once or twice a year, with the Open Championships as one of those annual meetings.
"This always is an amazing experience and something we both really enjoy," Ashley said. "I'm kind of speechless right now. It's exciting and definitely about time for us to do something like this together."
This year at the Bowling Plaza, Bud added sets of 450 in singles and 366 in team for a 1,351 all-events total, while Ashley had 499 in singles and 481 in team for 1,550, a career high.
Should they hold on to win the Classified Doubles crown, Bud will be just short of being the tournament's oldest champion. That honor belongs to Glenn Smith of Grove, Oklahoma, who became a Booster Team champion in 1996 at the age of 75.
Visit us on Facebook at the official USBC Open Championships Facebook page.