Missouri bowler joins 50-Year Club at USBC Open Championships
May 30, 2010
RENO, Nev. - John Wonders Sr. of Florissant, Mo., added his name to the record books at the USBC Open Championships when he became the 129th bowler in history to compete in 50 tournaments.
The 75-year-old right-hander has competed in 33 cities in 20 states and made his ceremonial march down Center Aisle surrounded by family and friends at the National Bowling Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Overall, his five decades on the championship lanes have been memorable.
"It's been fun," said Wonders, who bowls league at Camelot Bowl in Collinsville, Ill. "I have done a lot of traveling throughout my time at the tournament. We used to travel in motor homes across the country, and I always looked forward to traveling to the next city."
While Wonders was making his 50th appearance, his brother Rich, a USBC Hall of Famer, was celebrating 45 years. Although the brothers did not share the lanes for team Saturday, Wonders was joined by his niece, Jenny, who has competed in eight Open Championships.
Their companion team included his sons, James (15 tournaments), Jason (14), Joshua (12) and John Jr. (five). His other son, Jeffrey, was unable to make the trip, but has made 13 Open Championships appearances. Together, the group has combined for 162 years at the tournament.
"I have bowled doubles with each of my sons at least once," Wonders said. "I have also bowled with my niece. It is always nice to bowl with your family."
Wonders has been a major player in the bowling industry for much of his life, and he was a co-founder of the Hammer bowling ball brand, which still is a recognizable name on the lanes.
"The Hammer brand was a huge success," Wonders said. "My partner and I got into the business because we wanted to make bowling balls, and we wanted to make a living. We wanted to make the best bowling balls available, and we did for that for a long time. It was a very good run for the company."
After selling the company, Wonders and his sons decided to start a new project and created Visionary Bowling Products. He credits his sons for the Visionary idea.
"My sons are really the company," Wonders said. "They wanted to do it. When they graduated from college, they put their heads together and decided they wanted to make bowling balls. They are all very smart, and each of them brings something unique to the table. All of them were around when I was making bowling balls, so they decided to do the same thing. The company is really about them."
Now that Wonders has joined the 50-year Club at the Open Championships, his sons will have the chance to follow in his footsteps on the lanes, too.
"There is no reason why they shouldn't keep bowling," Wonders said. "The goal is to have fun, and hopefully, they continue to do so. If they choose to keep bowling, it will be their decision. It has been an exciting experience for me, and I know they enjoy it, too."
Wonders, who made his tournament debut at the 1960 event in Toledo, Ohio, finished his milestone appearance with 577 in doubles, 569 in singles and 501 in team for a 1,647 all-events total. He also teamed up with Rich for a 1,182 doubles total Sunday.
In 50 years on the tournament lanes, Wonders has knocked down 83,355 pins for a career average of 186.4.
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.
The 75-year-old right-hander has competed in 33 cities in 20 states and made his ceremonial march down Center Aisle surrounded by family and friends at the National Bowling Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Overall, his five decades on the championship lanes have been memorable.
"It's been fun," said Wonders, who bowls league at Camelot Bowl in Collinsville, Ill. "I have done a lot of traveling throughout my time at the tournament. We used to travel in motor homes across the country, and I always looked forward to traveling to the next city."
While Wonders was making his 50th appearance, his brother Rich, a USBC Hall of Famer, was celebrating 45 years. Although the brothers did not share the lanes for team Saturday, Wonders was joined by his niece, Jenny, who has competed in eight Open Championships.
Their companion team included his sons, James (15 tournaments), Jason (14), Joshua (12) and John Jr. (five). His other son, Jeffrey, was unable to make the trip, but has made 13 Open Championships appearances. Together, the group has combined for 162 years at the tournament.
"I have bowled doubles with each of my sons at least once," Wonders said. "I have also bowled with my niece. It is always nice to bowl with your family."
Wonders has been a major player in the bowling industry for much of his life, and he was a co-founder of the Hammer bowling ball brand, which still is a recognizable name on the lanes.
"The Hammer brand was a huge success," Wonders said. "My partner and I got into the business because we wanted to make bowling balls, and we wanted to make a living. We wanted to make the best bowling balls available, and we did for that for a long time. It was a very good run for the company."
After selling the company, Wonders and his sons decided to start a new project and created Visionary Bowling Products. He credits his sons for the Visionary idea.
"My sons are really the company," Wonders said. "They wanted to do it. When they graduated from college, they put their heads together and decided they wanted to make bowling balls. They are all very smart, and each of them brings something unique to the table. All of them were around when I was making bowling balls, so they decided to do the same thing. The company is really about them."
Now that Wonders has joined the 50-year Club at the Open Championships, his sons will have the chance to follow in his footsteps on the lanes, too.
"There is no reason why they shouldn't keep bowling," Wonders said. "The goal is to have fun, and hopefully, they continue to do so. If they choose to keep bowling, it will be their decision. It has been an exciting experience for me, and I know they enjoy it, too."
Wonders, who made his tournament debut at the 1960 event in Toledo, Ohio, finished his milestone appearance with 577 in doubles, 569 in singles and 501 in team for a 1,647 all-events total. He also teamed up with Rich for a 1,182 doubles total Sunday.
In 50 years on the tournament lanes, Wonders has knocked down 83,355 pins for a career average of 186.4.
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.