By Matt Cannizzaro and Christine Nichols
USBC Communications

SYRACUSE, N.Y. - During his five decades at the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships, Donald Witt of Oak Park, Illinois, has been present for a handful of special milestones, but the spotlight belonged entirely to him Saturday night at the Oncenter Convention Center.

With his wife, Lupe, sons Mike and Rich, and daughter, Lisa, by his side, Witt became the newest member of the tournament's 50-Year Club, completing a lifelong journey that began at the 1969 USBC Open Championships in Madison, Wisconsin.

Witt made his tournament debut as a fill-in, invited by a bowling proprietor who was short a competitor, and he immediately knew it was something he wanted to experience again.

The first time he saw a 50-year presentation on the lanes, he knew he wanted to reach that milestone, too. He was presented with a plaque, chevron and diamond lapel pin to commemorate the achievement.

"I liked the guys I bowled with, and I enjoyed the format, and since I wasn't really one for taking vacations, it was a way for me to travel and do something I enjoy," said Witt, a 42-time participant at the famed Petersen Classic, where he is a member of the event's hall of fame for meritorious service. "That was a start of a great journey, and here I am for my 50th consecutive tournament."

In the years leading up to his own milestone, Witt has had the chance to compete alongside participation icon Frank Clay of Crystal Lake, Illinois, who is slated to celebrate his 65th Open Championships appearance in Las Vegas in 2019.

Witt and Clay were travel league opponents decades ago, and their reunion on the biggest stage in bowling has inspired Witt even more. Being present at the 2016 event in Reno, Nevada, when Clay joined the tournament's elite 100,000-Pin Club is as much a highlight for Witt as it was for Clay.

Their group also includes bowling historian Jake "J.R." Schmidt of Park Ridge, Illinois, who reached the 50-year mark last year in Las Vegas. Witt had the honor of escorting Schmidt to the lanes.

Despite his familiarity with the process, Witt knew his own celebratory march to the lanes would feel much different. The anticipation grew as the moment grew closer, and he compared himself to a 5-year-old waiting for Christmas to come.

"There has been a lot of excitement and anticipation, and I'm glad it's finally here," said Witt, a 75-year-old right-hander. "I've been blessed with good health, so no issues there. Sometimes it was a real chore financially to get here, but we always found a way. We've been married more than 50 years and had four kids and eight grandchildren, but I still was able to make it each year."

Not only did Witt have his children with him Saturday for his big moment at the Oncenter Convention Center, two of them - Michael (Witt) and Lisa (Beattie) - bowled on his team as well.

The two progressed through the youth bowling program in which Witt coached for 25 years. His other son, Rich, is in the military and flew in from California just for the day.

Also among Witt's guests at the convention center Saturday was the lifelong friend who first invited him to join a youth league at 10 years old.

Witt's commitment to the sport endured the demands of real life, including his career in sales. He even owned his own business at one time, so getting away always was a challenge. However, a few non-negotiable off days were scheduled each year for his annual trip to the Open Championships.

"We had some good outings and scored well at times, I liked the competitiveness, how the tournament was run and getting to visit places I probably wouldn't have been to otherwise, like Billings, Montana; Salt Lake City; Memphis, Tennessee; Corpus Christi, Texas; El Paso, Texas; Albuquerque, New Mexico; and many more," Witt said. "I don't know that I can pick one as the most enjoyable, though, since sometimes the most enjoyment comes out of the teammates you're with."

Outside of the Open Championships, Witt still competes in a couple of leagues each year, and he recently achieved another special bowling milestone when he rolled his first certified perfect game in Novemeber.

The feat came during a critical match in his travel league, and it wasn't something he was thinking about. He toppled a wobbly 7 pin early in the game, and everything fell into place from there.

The 2017-2018 bowling season definitely will be a memorable one for Witt.

"The 300 is something I've been chasing for a long time, and reaching 50 years at the tournament is special in a different way," Witt said. "But, I think they're equal in the way I'm going to treat them."

Witt now will take his own participation one year at a time, and he'll look forward to helping Clay celebrate 65 years. Through this weekend, only 12 bowlers in tournament history have reach 65 years of participation.

Late USBC Hall of Famers Bill Doehrman and Joe Norris, along with Sylvester Thiel, share the tournament's participation milestone with 71 years.

This year at the Open Championships, Witt rolled sets of 535 in team, 503 in doubles and 401 in singles for a 1,439 all-events total.

In 50 tournament appearances, he has knocked down 78,511 pins for a career average of 174.

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