Illinois bowler gets recognized for 50 years at USBC Open Championships
April 20, 2024
LAS VEGAS – Jim Dura of Edwards, Illinois, accomplished a huge milestone this week at the 2024 United States Bowling Congress Open Championships.
Dura is celebrating 50 consecutive years of bowling at the tournament, and he was honored with a ceremony and received a plaque, chevron and diamond lapel pin Wednesday at the South Point Bowling Plaza.
This was a moment that Dura said, “He always planned on being a part of in his lifetime.”
He also mentioned that his father’s friend, Harold Spaulding, was part of the 50-Year Club at the tournament, and that has been an inspiration for Dura ever since.
He made his first appearance at the 1974 event in Indianapolis. That year, the participants bowled at the Indiana Convention and Exposition Center.
“The Indiana Pacers played there as well at the time,” Dura said.
Dura’s life has always been involved in the bowling scene. His parents owned two bowling centers in Kewanee, Illinois. One was an eight-lane house, and the other was a 10-lane center.
He grew up working at the bowling center with his family. Sometimes, your parents’ best quality is to encourage or push their kids into an activity that might best suit them. That was the case for Dura when it came to the USBC Open Championships.
“I am thankful that my parents got me involved in the 1974 tournament,” Dura said. “Without their backing and encouragement, I do not know if I would have done this.”
Dura’s an ironman in his own right, having never missed a tournament since he started.
“I feel very lucky to reach this consecutively, because the injuries and surgeries along the way have always had to fit around it,” Dura said.
Dura has traveled to the tournament in a plethora of ways. His life when traveling for the Open Championships is literally the movie “Planes, Trains and Automobiles.”
“I hate flying,” Dura said. “Going by train has been the best form of travel so far in my 50 years in the Open.”
Dura made different family trips while visiting the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, during his tournament appearances.
One of Dura’s favorite road trips was in an RV on the way to Corpus Christi, Texas, with his Kewanee teammates. Also along for the ride was his favorite bowling writer, Wayne Raguse.
“It was a great memory because we would go fill up our coolers with alcohol, and we also barbequed steaks in the parking lot after our late, late shift in the tournament,” Dura said.
Outside of bowling, Dura is a retired postmaster for the U.S. Postal Service. He worked for the organization for 30 years, eventually retiring in October 2023.
With his 50th tournament completed, the 68-year-old right-hander has knocked down 72,335 pins for a career average at the tournament of 178.6
Dura’s best individual game at the tournament was a high score of 289, noting it’s his favorite accomplishment at the event. That happened for Dura during the 2003 event in Knoxville, Tennessee, his 30th tournament appearance.
He had his family supporting him there was well, and he had just bought a new bowling ball right beforehand.
“When I bought that new Brunswick ball, I changed grips back to a conventional type of grip and I played up the middle – like fifth arrow – and it was sinking in,” Dura said. “I had the first 10, and then threw it high on the 11th ball.”
Dura has had a good experience over his 50 years with the Open Championships, and he wants to keep the ride going.
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.
Dura is celebrating 50 consecutive years of bowling at the tournament, and he was honored with a ceremony and received a plaque, chevron and diamond lapel pin Wednesday at the South Point Bowling Plaza.
This was a moment that Dura said, “He always planned on being a part of in his lifetime.”
He also mentioned that his father’s friend, Harold Spaulding, was part of the 50-Year Club at the tournament, and that has been an inspiration for Dura ever since.
He made his first appearance at the 1974 event in Indianapolis. That year, the participants bowled at the Indiana Convention and Exposition Center.
“The Indiana Pacers played there as well at the time,” Dura said.
Dura’s life has always been involved in the bowling scene. His parents owned two bowling centers in Kewanee, Illinois. One was an eight-lane house, and the other was a 10-lane center.
He grew up working at the bowling center with his family. Sometimes, your parents’ best quality is to encourage or push their kids into an activity that might best suit them. That was the case for Dura when it came to the USBC Open Championships.
“I am thankful that my parents got me involved in the 1974 tournament,” Dura said. “Without their backing and encouragement, I do not know if I would have done this.”
Dura’s an ironman in his own right, having never missed a tournament since he started.
“I feel very lucky to reach this consecutively, because the injuries and surgeries along the way have always had to fit around it,” Dura said.
Dura has traveled to the tournament in a plethora of ways. His life when traveling for the Open Championships is literally the movie “Planes, Trains and Automobiles.”
“I hate flying,” Dura said. “Going by train has been the best form of travel so far in my 50 years in the Open.”
Dura made different family trips while visiting the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, during his tournament appearances.
One of Dura’s favorite road trips was in an RV on the way to Corpus Christi, Texas, with his Kewanee teammates. Also along for the ride was his favorite bowling writer, Wayne Raguse.
“It was a great memory because we would go fill up our coolers with alcohol, and we also barbequed steaks in the parking lot after our late, late shift in the tournament,” Dura said.
Outside of bowling, Dura is a retired postmaster for the U.S. Postal Service. He worked for the organization for 30 years, eventually retiring in October 2023.
With his 50th tournament completed, the 68-year-old right-hander has knocked down 72,335 pins for a career average at the tournament of 178.6
Dura’s best individual game at the tournament was a high score of 289, noting it’s his favorite accomplishment at the event. That happened for Dura during the 2003 event in Knoxville, Tennessee, his 30th tournament appearance.
He had his family supporting him there was well, and he had just bought a new bowling ball right beforehand.
“When I bought that new Brunswick ball, I changed grips back to a conventional type of grip and I played up the middle – like fifth arrow – and it was sinking in,” Dura said. “I had the first 10, and then threw it high on the 11th ball.”
Dura has had a good experience over his 50 years with the Open Championships, and he wants to keep the ride going.
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.