Ohio bowler makes 50th consecutive appearance at USBC Open
May 15, 2016
By Matt Cannizzaro and Christian Seaborn
USBC Communications
RENO, Nev. - When Robert Walker of Bergholz, Ohio, attended his first United States Bowling Congress Open Championships in 1967, he was not planning on it becoming a lifelong love affair.
Five decades later, the relationship has afforded him annual rendezvous with bowling pins in cities across the United States, and this year's milestone meeting at the National Bowling Stadium was reason for celebration, complete with a spotlight march down Center Aisle.
The 79-year-old right-hander was presented with a plaque, chevron and special lapel pin to commemorate his 50th consecutive appearance on the championship lanes. He is one of 19 bowlers scheduled to reach the 50-year plateau this year at the NBS.
"There have been a lot of good, funny memories associated with this," said Walker, whose USBC Open Championships debut came in Miami. "We had gone out to a night-club-type place, when out of the blue, from the back of the room, came this loud voice saying 'How sweet it is!' Recognizing the voice immediately, we were all taken by surprise that it was television star Jackie Gleason there in person."
The excitement of the big-city nightlife likely helped with Walker's decision to return to the Open Championships, but the driving force simply was his passion for the sport of bowling, which started in high school, when the nearest bowling center was 30 miles away.
More than a dozen years later, at the age of 29, Walker and his teammates journeyed nearly 1,200 miles to compete on the biggest stage in bowling.
"I was working for the Surity Rubber Company in our small town," Walker said. "It was decided we would put together a bowling team the company would sponsor. The team was formed, and we entered the tournament in Florida. That was how this all started."
Walker, now retired, showed a similar commitment to his company as he has to the Open Championships, having worked there for 40 years.
On the tournament lanes this year in Reno, Walker rolled sets of 460 in singles, 440 in doubles and 348 in team for a 1,248 all-events total. In 50 appearances, he knocked down 68,384 pins.
Visit us on Facebook at the official USBC Open/Women's Championships page.
USBC Communications
RENO, Nev. - When Robert Walker of Bergholz, Ohio, attended his first United States Bowling Congress Open Championships in 1967, he was not planning on it becoming a lifelong love affair.
Five decades later, the relationship has afforded him annual rendezvous with bowling pins in cities across the United States, and this year's milestone meeting at the National Bowling Stadium was reason for celebration, complete with a spotlight march down Center Aisle.
The 79-year-old right-hander was presented with a plaque, chevron and special lapel pin to commemorate his 50th consecutive appearance on the championship lanes. He is one of 19 bowlers scheduled to reach the 50-year plateau this year at the NBS.
"There have been a lot of good, funny memories associated with this," said Walker, whose USBC Open Championships debut came in Miami. "We had gone out to a night-club-type place, when out of the blue, from the back of the room, came this loud voice saying 'How sweet it is!' Recognizing the voice immediately, we were all taken by surprise that it was television star Jackie Gleason there in person."
The excitement of the big-city nightlife likely helped with Walker's decision to return to the Open Championships, but the driving force simply was his passion for the sport of bowling, which started in high school, when the nearest bowling center was 30 miles away.
More than a dozen years later, at the age of 29, Walker and his teammates journeyed nearly 1,200 miles to compete on the biggest stage in bowling.
"I was working for the Surity Rubber Company in our small town," Walker said. "It was decided we would put together a bowling team the company would sponsor. The team was formed, and we entered the tournament in Florida. That was how this all started."
Walker, now retired, showed a similar commitment to his company as he has to the Open Championships, having worked there for 40 years.
On the tournament lanes this year in Reno, Walker rolled sets of 460 in singles, 440 in doubles and 348 in team for a 1,248 all-events total. In 50 appearances, he knocked down 68,384 pins.
Visit us on Facebook at the official USBC Open/Women's Championships page.