Iowa team rolls to top Standard spot at 2018 USBC Open Championships
March 27, 2018
SYRACUSE, N.Y. - The goal of many competitors at the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships is to see their names at the top of the standings, even if only for a day.
The members of Mel's Diner of Calmar, Iowa, have had that distinction in the past as a team that always looks to bowl in the opening week of the tournament, but their run often has been short-lived.
As the group completed its team competition at the Oncenter Convention Center on Tuesday, the teammates hope for an extended stay at the top of the leaderboard after cruising to the Standard Team lead with a 2,720 total.
#teambruce of Clarksville, Tennessee, previously held the top spot with 2,541, rolled during the tournament's opening squad Saturday.
Led by Mitchell's Losen's 266 finish and 632 series, Mel's Diner improved each game Tuesday with games of 795, 914 and 1,011. Losen was joined in the effort by Melvin Tieskotter (531), Kenneth Humpal (529), Aarin Reicks (526) and Robert Quinnell (502).
With many of the players in the group working in construction or farming, the early weeks of the USBC Open Championships are the only time they are able to compete before the weather begins to warm up and they hit their busy season.
"We always try to bowl the first week, and we've been in the top 10 and leading by a few pins in the past," said Humpal, who leads the group with 28 Open Championships appearances. "But we've never built a lead quite like this, so it's pretty awesome."
The group's look to the pocket during the second and third games at the Oncenter Convention Center improved as they worked together and kept their emotions in check.
The moment also was highlighted as Reicks celebrated his 47th birthday on the championship lanes.
"Mitch really came on strong at the end, and the rest of us were able to find a nice line," Humpal said. "Sometimes in those situations, you can get nervous or tighten up, but everybody really held it together well. We're on top of the world right now, and we are going to celebrate."
Teams in the Standard Division, which was introduced in 2017, have combined entering averages of 901-1,045.
The 2018 Open Championships got underway Saturday and will run for 107 days, concluding July 8.
The members of Mel's Diner of Calmar, Iowa, have had that distinction in the past as a team that always looks to bowl in the opening week of the tournament, but their run often has been short-lived.
As the group completed its team competition at the Oncenter Convention Center on Tuesday, the teammates hope for an extended stay at the top of the leaderboard after cruising to the Standard Team lead with a 2,720 total.
#teambruce of Clarksville, Tennessee, previously held the top spot with 2,541, rolled during the tournament's opening squad Saturday.
Led by Mitchell's Losen's 266 finish and 632 series, Mel's Diner improved each game Tuesday with games of 795, 914 and 1,011. Losen was joined in the effort by Melvin Tieskotter (531), Kenneth Humpal (529), Aarin Reicks (526) and Robert Quinnell (502).
With many of the players in the group working in construction or farming, the early weeks of the USBC Open Championships are the only time they are able to compete before the weather begins to warm up and they hit their busy season.
"We always try to bowl the first week, and we've been in the top 10 and leading by a few pins in the past," said Humpal, who leads the group with 28 Open Championships appearances. "But we've never built a lead quite like this, so it's pretty awesome."
The group's look to the pocket during the second and third games at the Oncenter Convention Center improved as they worked together and kept their emotions in check.
The moment also was highlighted as Reicks celebrated his 47th birthday on the championship lanes.
"Mitch really came on strong at the end, and the rest of us were able to find a nice line," Humpal said. "Sometimes in those situations, you can get nervous or tighten up, but everybody really held it together well. We're on top of the world right now, and we are going to celebrate."
Teams in the Standard Division, which was introduced in 2017, have combined entering averages of 901-1,045.
The 2018 Open Championships got underway Saturday and will run for 107 days, concluding July 8.