Father and son lead Standard Doubles at 2024 USBC Open Championships
June 07, 2024
LAS VEGAS – The top score in Standard Doubles at the 2024 United States Bowling Congress Open Championships had stayed the same for over a month before a pair of lead changes took place in less than 12 hours Thursday at the South Point Bowling Plaza.
When the pinfall went quiet for the day in Las Vegas, the father-and-son pairing of Gary and Shane Goldermann found their names at the top of the leaderboard with a 1,319 total.
Earlier in the day, Glenn Hashizumi of Binghamton, New York, and Kenneth Coy of Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota, had taken over the top spot with 1,246.
Courtney Hayes of Thornton, Colorado, and Matthew Johnson of Brighton, Colorado, had started Thursday in the lead with 1,244. Hayes and Thornton competed at the Bowling Plaza on May 5.
Shane Goldermann, of Ault, Colorado, paced the first score north of 1,300 in Standard Doubles at the 2024 event with games of 214, 215 and 246 for a 675 series. Gary Goldermann, of Keenesburg, Colorado, had 175, 234 and 235 for 644.
The pair put themselves in position to make a run at the lead after two games Thursday, and they got off to a quick start in Game 3. Gary started the game with four strikes, while Shane had a spare in the first frame before adding three strikes of his own.
“My heart started pounding in the fourth frame,” said Gary, who made his 25th consecutive appearance at the USBC Open Championships. “We started the game off well, we had a shot and just need to make quality shots. But, this is nationals. You can make a quality shot and get rewarded with a 10 pin or a lot of 10 pins. All you can do is put the ball on the lane and hope you made a good shot.
“This is something I hoped to do for 25 years and never really thought I’d get a shot. To do this with my son, who’s an amazing bowler now, doubles was probably my last hope, because he was going to carry me.”
While Gary knew that getting to 1,200 or more would give them a chance in Standard Doubles, Shane was on top of the numbers and knew exactly what they needed going into Game 3.
“Going into the third game, I knew we needed a low 400 between the two of us, and that it was achievable,” said Shane, making his seventh appearance at the Open Championships. “Having my mom (Michelle Goldermann) and sister (Kaitlynn Goldermann) on the lane with us helped to break it down, and it made a bumper for us. I knew going into that last game it was within reach, and with the way we started off, I thought, ‘We’re about to do this.’ Going into the 10th frame, I knew we were already there, and anything we did in the 10th would push the score higher.
“The heart was pounding. It was nerve-wracking, but once we finally did it, it was surreal. To now be in this position to wait and see if we’re able to hold on is a surreal feeling.”
The tournament has been a family trip for the Goldermanns for the last couple years, and last year’s excursion to Reno, Nevada, and the National Bowling Stadium brought a little extra excitement to the mix.
Since they bring one team to the tournament, they were paired with another group that didn’t bring a companion team for their squad – Riding Kenny’s Coattails of Cincinnati.
The members of Riding Kenny’s Coattails – Ron Pollard Jr., Jeff Fehr, Kenny Abner, Charles Easton and Bill O’Neill – went on to post the second highest team series in tournament history (3,578) during the time they shared on the lanes at the NBS to take the lead and eventually claim the Regular Team title for the 2023 Open Championships.
“It was very cool being able to bowl with the team champion last year,” Shane said. “I grew up watching Bill O’Neill on the PBA (Professional Bowlers Association), so it was cool having him on the pair and watching them work together as a team. That was our first real taste of watching someone win.”
Gary used that experience to work on his game in preparation for his 2024 appearance.
“We were having fun watching them, and they were all very complimentary of us,” Gary said. “They told us where we played helped to create a bumper for them, but that bumper hurt me. I kept going through the nose and felt like I was throwing the ball well. So, for the rest of the summer, I worked on increasing my ball speed. I felt better coming in after that.”
Now, the father and son get to wait and see if their performance will remain at the top of the leaderboard when the final ball is rolled in July.
“The Eagle is what this is all about,” Gary said. “It means everything, and to do that with my son … oh my gosh. Not many people get a shot at it, and if you are one of the lucky ones to post a score and it sticks, you get to return the following year and see your name on that banner – that could be our little piece of history. We’ll be holding our breath for two months. Anybody can have a day, and that’s why we all do it.”
“It’s still sinking in,” Shane said. “It would be really cool to go to Baton Rouge next year and see our names on that banner. I’ll be checking every day.”
Gary added 627 in singles and 529 in team to move into 12th place in Standard All-Events with a final score of 1,800. Shane, competing in the Regular Division, had 579 in team and 529 in singles for 1,783.
Hashizumi and Coy had taken the lead during the 7 a.m. shift Thursday, and each marked in the final frame to edge their way to the top spot by two pins.
Coy, making his 14th appearance at the Open Championships, rolled to his top overall score at the event. He led the pair with games of 211, 224 and 200 for a 635 series. Hashizumi, in his 26th year at the tournament, had 202, 232 and 177 for 611.
Standard Doubles includes pairs with combined entering averages of 311-350.
The 2024 Open Championships got underway Feb. 23 and will run through July 29 at the South Point Bowling Plaza. The tournament is scheduled to feature more than 11,000 teams and 55,000 bowlers making their way to compete in Las Vegas.
Visit us on Facebook at the official USBC Open Championships page.
When the pinfall went quiet for the day in Las Vegas, the father-and-son pairing of Gary and Shane Goldermann found their names at the top of the leaderboard with a 1,319 total.
Earlier in the day, Glenn Hashizumi of Binghamton, New York, and Kenneth Coy of Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota, had taken over the top spot with 1,246.
Courtney Hayes of Thornton, Colorado, and Matthew Johnson of Brighton, Colorado, had started Thursday in the lead with 1,244. Hayes and Thornton competed at the Bowling Plaza on May 5.
Shane Goldermann, of Ault, Colorado, paced the first score north of 1,300 in Standard Doubles at the 2024 event with games of 214, 215 and 246 for a 675 series. Gary Goldermann, of Keenesburg, Colorado, had 175, 234 and 235 for 644.
The pair put themselves in position to make a run at the lead after two games Thursday, and they got off to a quick start in Game 3. Gary started the game with four strikes, while Shane had a spare in the first frame before adding three strikes of his own.
“My heart started pounding in the fourth frame,” said Gary, who made his 25th consecutive appearance at the USBC Open Championships. “We started the game off well, we had a shot and just need to make quality shots. But, this is nationals. You can make a quality shot and get rewarded with a 10 pin or a lot of 10 pins. All you can do is put the ball on the lane and hope you made a good shot.
“This is something I hoped to do for 25 years and never really thought I’d get a shot. To do this with my son, who’s an amazing bowler now, doubles was probably my last hope, because he was going to carry me.”
While Gary knew that getting to 1,200 or more would give them a chance in Standard Doubles, Shane was on top of the numbers and knew exactly what they needed going into Game 3.
“Going into the third game, I knew we needed a low 400 between the two of us, and that it was achievable,” said Shane, making his seventh appearance at the Open Championships. “Having my mom (Michelle Goldermann) and sister (Kaitlynn Goldermann) on the lane with us helped to break it down, and it made a bumper for us. I knew going into that last game it was within reach, and with the way we started off, I thought, ‘We’re about to do this.’ Going into the 10th frame, I knew we were already there, and anything we did in the 10th would push the score higher.
“The heart was pounding. It was nerve-wracking, but once we finally did it, it was surreal. To now be in this position to wait and see if we’re able to hold on is a surreal feeling.”
The tournament has been a family trip for the Goldermanns for the last couple years, and last year’s excursion to Reno, Nevada, and the National Bowling Stadium brought a little extra excitement to the mix.
Since they bring one team to the tournament, they were paired with another group that didn’t bring a companion team for their squad – Riding Kenny’s Coattails of Cincinnati.
The members of Riding Kenny’s Coattails – Ron Pollard Jr., Jeff Fehr, Kenny Abner, Charles Easton and Bill O’Neill – went on to post the second highest team series in tournament history (3,578) during the time they shared on the lanes at the NBS to take the lead and eventually claim the Regular Team title for the 2023 Open Championships.
“It was very cool being able to bowl with the team champion last year,” Shane said. “I grew up watching Bill O’Neill on the PBA (Professional Bowlers Association), so it was cool having him on the pair and watching them work together as a team. That was our first real taste of watching someone win.”
Gary used that experience to work on his game in preparation for his 2024 appearance.
“We were having fun watching them, and they were all very complimentary of us,” Gary said. “They told us where we played helped to create a bumper for them, but that bumper hurt me. I kept going through the nose and felt like I was throwing the ball well. So, for the rest of the summer, I worked on increasing my ball speed. I felt better coming in after that.”
Now, the father and son get to wait and see if their performance will remain at the top of the leaderboard when the final ball is rolled in July.
“The Eagle is what this is all about,” Gary said. “It means everything, and to do that with my son … oh my gosh. Not many people get a shot at it, and if you are one of the lucky ones to post a score and it sticks, you get to return the following year and see your name on that banner – that could be our little piece of history. We’ll be holding our breath for two months. Anybody can have a day, and that’s why we all do it.”
“It’s still sinking in,” Shane said. “It would be really cool to go to Baton Rouge next year and see our names on that banner. I’ll be checking every day.”
Gary added 627 in singles and 529 in team to move into 12th place in Standard All-Events with a final score of 1,800. Shane, competing in the Regular Division, had 579 in team and 529 in singles for 1,783.
Hashizumi and Coy had taken the lead during the 7 a.m. shift Thursday, and each marked in the final frame to edge their way to the top spot by two pins.
Coy, making his 14th appearance at the Open Championships, rolled to his top overall score at the event. He led the pair with games of 211, 224 and 200 for a 635 series. Hashizumi, in his 26th year at the tournament, had 202, 232 and 177 for 611.
Standard Doubles includes pairs with combined entering averages of 311-350.
The 2024 Open Championships got underway Feb. 23 and will run through July 29 at the South Point Bowling Plaza. The tournament is scheduled to feature more than 11,000 teams and 55,000 bowlers making their way to compete in Las Vegas.
Visit us on Facebook at the official USBC Open Championships page.