On the Lanes with Norm Cummings
March 12, 2010
In the coming months, we'll talk with some of the best-known bowlers at the USBC Open Championships and get their thoughts on their time at the tournament and what it takes to succeed on the championship lanes.
This week, we heard from Norm Cummings, who is one of eight bowlers who will reach 50 years of tournament participation this year in Reno, Nev.
In 49 tournament appearances, Cummings has knocked down 78,511 pins for a 184.3 career average.
This year, he will be joined on the lanes by former Open Championships tournament director Hal Kaminski, who also will reach the 50-year milestone. Their team includes three-time champion Glen Olson, who will compete for the 53rd time, Paul Gustke, who will make his 52nd tournament appearance and Gene Kirkham, who will bowl for the 49th time.
Cummings' experience at the Open Championships extends well beyond the lanes. He served as a member of the public relations team from 1989-1999 and now serves as the photo and video vendor at both the Open and Women's Championships.
HOMETOWN: Reno, Nev. (formerly Milwaukee)
OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS APPEARANCES: 49
OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS TITLES: 1 (1990 Booster Team)
BOWLING BALL WEIGHT: 14
FAVORITE BRAND OF BOWLING BALLS: Storm
ONE all-time favorite host city: Reno and the National Bowling Stadium
TWO best Open Championships memories: 1. winning the 1990 Booster Team title as a sub with a team from Milwaukee; 2. first walk down Center Aisle; Bonus- bowling doubles with Dick Weber in 1991
THREE keys to success at the Open Championships: 1. study the bowlers who are getting good carry; 2. hit the head pin on every shot for easy spares; 3. correct breakpoint so the ball falls back when it enters the pocket
FOURgettable Open Championships moment: None- it's all part of the experience.
FIVE bowlers in history on your Open Championships fantasy all-star team: Me, Joe Norris, Ned Day, Dick Weber, Bill Lillard
SIX bowling balls currently in your Open Championships arsenal: Just five: Storm Virtual Gravity, Storm Hy-Road, Storm Invasion, Storm Second Dimension, Roto Grip Mutant Cell
SEVEN cities you'd like to see the Open Championships go to/return to: Reno; Jacksonville, Fla.; Las Vegas; Huntsville, Ala.; Salt Lake City; Tulsa, Okla.; Mobile, Ala.
EIGHT favorite bowling balls ever: Impossible to answer
NINE other bowlers you would choose to join you on your ideal pair of companion teams at the Open Championships: Mike Stranney, Joe Alivo, Hal Kaminski, John Socha, Joe Natoli, Rich Wonders, Don Cook, Bob Larson, Junior Posnanski
TEN seconds or less, who is your favorite bowler of all-time?: Joe Norris
ELEVEN strikes in a row to start a game at the Open Championships, what's going through your head?: The odds are with me to strike
TWELVE years from now, where do you hope to be in your bowling career?: The practice mode for No. 62 at the Open Championships in Orlando, Fla.
This week, we heard from Norm Cummings, who is one of eight bowlers who will reach 50 years of tournament participation this year in Reno, Nev.
In 49 tournament appearances, Cummings has knocked down 78,511 pins for a 184.3 career average.
This year, he will be joined on the lanes by former Open Championships tournament director Hal Kaminski, who also will reach the 50-year milestone. Their team includes three-time champion Glen Olson, who will compete for the 53rd time, Paul Gustke, who will make his 52nd tournament appearance and Gene Kirkham, who will bowl for the 49th time.
Cummings' experience at the Open Championships extends well beyond the lanes. He served as a member of the public relations team from 1989-1999 and now serves as the photo and video vendor at both the Open and Women's Championships.
HOMETOWN: Reno, Nev. (formerly Milwaukee)
OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS APPEARANCES: 49
OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS TITLES: 1 (1990 Booster Team)
BOWLING BALL WEIGHT: 14
FAVORITE BRAND OF BOWLING BALLS: Storm
ONE all-time favorite host city: Reno and the National Bowling Stadium
TWO best Open Championships memories: 1. winning the 1990 Booster Team title as a sub with a team from Milwaukee; 2. first walk down Center Aisle; Bonus- bowling doubles with Dick Weber in 1991
THREE keys to success at the Open Championships: 1. study the bowlers who are getting good carry; 2. hit the head pin on every shot for easy spares; 3. correct breakpoint so the ball falls back when it enters the pocket
FOURgettable Open Championships moment: None- it's all part of the experience.
FIVE bowlers in history on your Open Championships fantasy all-star team: Me, Joe Norris, Ned Day, Dick Weber, Bill Lillard
SIX bowling balls currently in your Open Championships arsenal: Just five: Storm Virtual Gravity, Storm Hy-Road, Storm Invasion, Storm Second Dimension, Roto Grip Mutant Cell
SEVEN cities you'd like to see the Open Championships go to/return to: Reno; Jacksonville, Fla.; Las Vegas; Huntsville, Ala.; Salt Lake City; Tulsa, Okla.; Mobile, Ala.
EIGHT favorite bowling balls ever: Impossible to answer
NINE other bowlers you would choose to join you on your ideal pair of companion teams at the Open Championships: Mike Stranney, Joe Alivo, Hal Kaminski, John Socha, Joe Natoli, Rich Wonders, Don Cook, Bob Larson, Junior Posnanski
TEN seconds or less, who is your favorite bowler of all-time?: Joe Norris
ELEVEN strikes in a row to start a game at the Open Championships, what's going through your head?: The odds are with me to strike
TWELVE years from now, where do you hope to be in your bowling career?: The practice mode for No. 62 at the Open Championships in Orlando, Fla.