Minnesota team back on top at USBC Open
April 29, 2010
RENO, Nev. - After an uncharacteristically poor spare-shooting performance left them just shy of the Regular Team lead at the 2010 USBC Open Championships, the members of Linds Lakers 1 of Minneapolis easily could've lost their focus on the tournament lanes.
Instead, the group turned to 124 years of Open Championships experience and averaged more than 226 during doubles and singles to take over the top spot in Team All-Events with a 10,187 total, the eighth-highest in tournament history. Red Carpet Lanes of Greenfield, Wis., previously held the lead with 10,131.
Sam Lantto of Eden Prairie, Minn., led the way for Linds Lakers 1 with a 2,174 all-events total, which is third in Regular All-Events. The 46-year-old right-hander has broken the 2,100 mark two other times in his 27-year tournament career, and both efforts lifted his team to the Team All-Events crown. Matt McNiel of Chanhassen, Minn., is the all-events leader with a record 2,326 total.
"Today was about going out and doing what we know we are capable of doing," said Lantto, who helped Linds Lakers 1 to Team All-Events titles in 2002 and 2006. "We've done it before. We had a very good night last night, despite the uncharacteristic misses, and that gave us a lot of confidence coming into today. We knew we were going do better because what we did yesterday was something that wasn't going to happen again. We all felt good, and we've had that feeling before when we were bowling well."
Team veteran John Eiss made his 37th Open Championships appearance and posted a career-best 2,164 all-events total. He was followed by Luke Voaklander (2,092), USBC Hall of Famer and six-time champion Todd Savoy (1,927) and Gary Green (1,830). Eiss, Savoy and Green also were Team All-Events champions in 2002 and 2006.
According to Lantto, Green was the real heart of the team's effort at the National Bowling Stadium on Wednesday.
Green started his 2010 tournament campaign with 568 in team and added 546 in doubles before bouncing back with games of 273, 227 and 216 for a 716 singles series.
"When you're not bowling very well, and the other four guys on the team are striking, it's easy to give up, but Gary never did," said Lantto, who shot 300 during doubles at the Stadium in 2004. "We all had confidence that he'd come through, and he did. As frustrated as he probably was, he hung in there, and I believe his performance was the most important part of our success."
Eiss and Voaklander each shot 715 and helped the group to a 3,390 total Tuesday night, but 16 holes, including six single-pin misses, kept them from the top spot in Regular Team, currently occupied by Bowlers Edge Pro Shop of Neenah, Wis., with 3,408, the highest team total in the tournament's six visits to the Stadium.
"We are not that bad of a spare-shooting team," Lantto said. "That was not normal. Something happened, and things started steamrolling. We missed spares that we pick up 99 percent of the time. Sometimes, when you miss one or two, you get nervous or let it get into your head, and the result isn't good. Fortunately, we were able to use that as motivation tonight."
The Linds Lakers group includes 10 players, most of whom have bowled together in various capacities for more than 20 years. They commit to a game plan and work together on breaking the lanes down. Most importantly, they are friends off the lanes.
"We bowl together because we all like to bowl, and we all like each other," Lantto said. "There's a respect and a confidence that's so important to our success, and we enjoy being together regardless of how we do. These are my friends, and to do well is very rewarding."
Earlier on Wednesday, Armstrong Printing 1 of Naperville, Ill., also made a run at the Regular Team lead, but settled into third place with a 3,382 team effort.
The group performed consistently with games of 1,105, 1,136 and 1,141, but a few miscues left them short.
Former Regular Doubles champion (1998) Rick Hara led the way for Armstrong Printing 1 with a 750 series and was followed by Ronnie Horton (707), Dave Armstrong (671), left-hander Doug Becker (659) and 2008 Bowlers Journal Championships Open Singles champion Jeff Vainauskas (595).
Presenting sponsors for the 2010 USBC Open Championships are Circus Circus, Eldorado Hotel Casino and Silver Legacy Resort Casino in Reno, Nevada. Other sponsors include Sands Regency Casino Hotel, official brackets sponsor, Kegel, official lane maintenance provider, US Steltronic, official scoring system, and supporting sponsors Storm Bowling Products, UPS, Nationwide Insurance, Atlantis Casino Resort and Spa, Harrah's Reno Casino and Hotel and Peppermill Hotel Casino.
Instead, the group turned to 124 years of Open Championships experience and averaged more than 226 during doubles and singles to take over the top spot in Team All-Events with a 10,187 total, the eighth-highest in tournament history. Red Carpet Lanes of Greenfield, Wis., previously held the lead with 10,131.
Sam Lantto of Eden Prairie, Minn., led the way for Linds Lakers 1 with a 2,174 all-events total, which is third in Regular All-Events. The 46-year-old right-hander has broken the 2,100 mark two other times in his 27-year tournament career, and both efforts lifted his team to the Team All-Events crown. Matt McNiel of Chanhassen, Minn., is the all-events leader with a record 2,326 total.
"Today was about going out and doing what we know we are capable of doing," said Lantto, who helped Linds Lakers 1 to Team All-Events titles in 2002 and 2006. "We've done it before. We had a very good night last night, despite the uncharacteristic misses, and that gave us a lot of confidence coming into today. We knew we were going do better because what we did yesterday was something that wasn't going to happen again. We all felt good, and we've had that feeling before when we were bowling well."
Team veteran John Eiss made his 37th Open Championships appearance and posted a career-best 2,164 all-events total. He was followed by Luke Voaklander (2,092), USBC Hall of Famer and six-time champion Todd Savoy (1,927) and Gary Green (1,830). Eiss, Savoy and Green also were Team All-Events champions in 2002 and 2006.
According to Lantto, Green was the real heart of the team's effort at the National Bowling Stadium on Wednesday.
Green started his 2010 tournament campaign with 568 in team and added 546 in doubles before bouncing back with games of 273, 227 and 216 for a 716 singles series.
"When you're not bowling very well, and the other four guys on the team are striking, it's easy to give up, but Gary never did," said Lantto, who shot 300 during doubles at the Stadium in 2004. "We all had confidence that he'd come through, and he did. As frustrated as he probably was, he hung in there, and I believe his performance was the most important part of our success."
Eiss and Voaklander each shot 715 and helped the group to a 3,390 total Tuesday night, but 16 holes, including six single-pin misses, kept them from the top spot in Regular Team, currently occupied by Bowlers Edge Pro Shop of Neenah, Wis., with 3,408, the highest team total in the tournament's six visits to the Stadium.
"We are not that bad of a spare-shooting team," Lantto said. "That was not normal. Something happened, and things started steamrolling. We missed spares that we pick up 99 percent of the time. Sometimes, when you miss one or two, you get nervous or let it get into your head, and the result isn't good. Fortunately, we were able to use that as motivation tonight."
The Linds Lakers group includes 10 players, most of whom have bowled together in various capacities for more than 20 years. They commit to a game plan and work together on breaking the lanes down. Most importantly, they are friends off the lanes.
"We bowl together because we all like to bowl, and we all like each other," Lantto said. "There's a respect and a confidence that's so important to our success, and we enjoy being together regardless of how we do. These are my friends, and to do well is very rewarding."
Earlier on Wednesday, Armstrong Printing 1 of Naperville, Ill., also made a run at the Regular Team lead, but settled into third place with a 3,382 team effort.
The group performed consistently with games of 1,105, 1,136 and 1,141, but a few miscues left them short.
Former Regular Doubles champion (1998) Rick Hara led the way for Armstrong Printing 1 with a 750 series and was followed by Ronnie Horton (707), Dave Armstrong (671), left-hander Doug Becker (659) and 2008 Bowlers Journal Championships Open Singles champion Jeff Vainauskas (595).
Presenting sponsors for the 2010 USBC Open Championships are Circus Circus, Eldorado Hotel Casino and Silver Legacy Resort Casino in Reno, Nevada. Other sponsors include Sands Regency Casino Hotel, official brackets sponsor, Kegel, official lane maintenance provider, US Steltronic, official scoring system, and supporting sponsors Storm Bowling Products, UPS, Nationwide Insurance, Atlantis Casino Resort and Spa, Harrah's Reno Casino and Hotel and Peppermill Hotel Casino.