Two bowlers reach 50-year mark at 2019 USBC Open Championships
May 30, 2019
By Matt Cannizzaro and Daniel Farish
USBC Communications
LAS VEGAS - For the second time at the 2019 United States Bowling Congress Open Championships, two bowlers shared the spotlight as they celebrated 50 years of tournament participation.
Stanley Schoenfeld of San Antonio and Tom Slezak of Sullivan, Missouri, made the ceremonial walk down the approach, joined by their families, Wednesday night at the South Point Bowling Plaza.
They each received a chevron, plaque and diamond lapel pin to commemorate their respective achievements.
Slezak, a 66-year-old right-hander who competed for the 50th consecutive time, got into bowling the same way many young bowlers do. Then, at just 17 years of age, he got invited to his first USBC Open Championships. His debut came at the 1970 event in Knoxville, Tennessee.
"I started bowling when I was 4," Slezak said. "My brother and I would bowl while mom and dad were bowling in league. It was kind of a family activity for us. I got hooked early."
The experienced bowlers who offered him his first Open Championships opportunity obviously saw something in him. After traveling with them for five years, they asked him to take over the duties of organizing the group.
"I was nervous that first year, bowling with guys who were a lot older than me," Slezak said. "One of the guys that worked for my dad at the lumber yard got sick at the last minute, so they talked me into bowling. I was so young, the tournament had to call my parents to get permission. It was really cool."
Slezak committed himself to the sport, tournament and responsibilities of being a team captain, despite how challenging and stressful it could be at times.
He exhibited the same dedication in his role as a business owner. At 21, he bought a bowling center in his hometown and ran it for over 40 years. He sold it a few years ago and officially retired.
Of all the cities the Open Championships has taken him to, Slezak said his favorite is Baltimore, which hosted the tournament in 1982.
"They have a lot of great restaurants on the pier there in Baltimore, and I like to eat," Slezak said. "It was also my first trip to the East Coast, so it holds a special place in my heart."
Hitting the 50-year mark at such a young age opens a lot of possibilities for Slezak when it comes to records at the Open Championships, something he is fully aware of.
"I'm just taking it one year at a time, but I really want to hit the 100,000-pin mark," Slezak said. "I think I'm about 17,000 pins shy, so it may take nine or 10 more years. I mean, I never thought I'd get to this point, let alone 50 consecutive years. But, I think I can do it."
Slezak finished his 2019 Open Championships campaign with a 1,663 all-events total, which included a 568 series in doubles, 563 in team and 532 in singles. In 50 years on the championship lanes, he has knocked down 84,706 pins for a 188.2 career average.
Schoenfeld's journey to the 50-Year Club began in St. Paul, Minnesota, in 1965.
He didn't even pick up a bowling ball until he was 16 years old, but after just two games with a neighborhood friend, he was hooked.
"A friend of mine invited me to go bowling, and I didn't really want to, but he talked me into it," Schoenfeld said. "I think my first two games were 109 and 110. The very next year, I joined my first league."
That fateful trip to the bowling center began a lifelong love affair with the game of bowling, and Schoenfeld dove head first into everything it had to offer.
"In college, I worked the control counter at a bowling center," Schoenfeld said. "Afterward, when I was working for AT&T, my friend who worked for Columbia Industries there in San Antonio invited me to come work part-time in his pro shop. I started doing that in 1987."
Along with the work in the pro shop and his competitive career, Schoenfeld spent 14 years as a national director for USBC and has spent more than 30 years on the Greater San Antonio Bowling Association board of directors.
When it came time for bowling in the Open Championships, Schoenfeld and his teammates were very focused.
They chose to drive instead of fly most of the time, which limited the amount of people who could go. For this reason, the 1988 Open Championships in Jacksonville, Florida, stands out to Schoenfeld.
"My family got to go in 1988, and my youngest daughter was 3, so we drove down to Orlando and took her to Disney World," Schoenfeld said. "That was a special trip, not because of anything bowling-related, but because my family was there and we got to share that experience."
Schoenfeld and his teammates always have tried to do something in the host city that wasn't bowling-related, and that ritual continued throughout the years, no matter who was in the group.
"The basic core has been the same, but we always have a few spots that open up and are filled by people for a few years at a time. We've all got along and enjoyed each other, and that's what matters."
This year at the South Point Bowling Plaza, Schoenfeld rolled sets of 532 in singles, 524 in doubles and 514 in team for a 1,570 total. In 50 years, he has toppled 84,242 pins for a career average of 188.7.
Slezak and Schoenfeld are two of 23 bowlers scheduled to reach 50 years of participation during the 2019 Open Championships.
Visit us on Facebook at the official USBC Open Championships Facebook page.
USBC Communications
LAS VEGAS - For the second time at the 2019 United States Bowling Congress Open Championships, two bowlers shared the spotlight as they celebrated 50 years of tournament participation.
Stanley Schoenfeld of San Antonio and Tom Slezak of Sullivan, Missouri, made the ceremonial walk down the approach, joined by their families, Wednesday night at the South Point Bowling Plaza.
They each received a chevron, plaque and diamond lapel pin to commemorate their respective achievements.
Slezak, a 66-year-old right-hander who competed for the 50th consecutive time, got into bowling the same way many young bowlers do. Then, at just 17 years of age, he got invited to his first USBC Open Championships. His debut came at the 1970 event in Knoxville, Tennessee."I started bowling when I was 4," Slezak said. "My brother and I would bowl while mom and dad were bowling in league. It was kind of a family activity for us. I got hooked early."
The experienced bowlers who offered him his first Open Championships opportunity obviously saw something in him. After traveling with them for five years, they asked him to take over the duties of organizing the group.
"I was nervous that first year, bowling with guys who were a lot older than me," Slezak said. "One of the guys that worked for my dad at the lumber yard got sick at the last minute, so they talked me into bowling. I was so young, the tournament had to call my parents to get permission. It was really cool."
Slezak committed himself to the sport, tournament and responsibilities of being a team captain, despite how challenging and stressful it could be at times.
He exhibited the same dedication in his role as a business owner. At 21, he bought a bowling center in his hometown and ran it for over 40 years. He sold it a few years ago and officially retired.
Of all the cities the Open Championships has taken him to, Slezak said his favorite is Baltimore, which hosted the tournament in 1982.
"They have a lot of great restaurants on the pier there in Baltimore, and I like to eat," Slezak said. "It was also my first trip to the East Coast, so it holds a special place in my heart."
Hitting the 50-year mark at such a young age opens a lot of possibilities for Slezak when it comes to records at the Open Championships, something he is fully aware of.
"I'm just taking it one year at a time, but I really want to hit the 100,000-pin mark," Slezak said. "I think I'm about 17,000 pins shy, so it may take nine or 10 more years. I mean, I never thought I'd get to this point, let alone 50 consecutive years. But, I think I can do it."
Slezak finished his 2019 Open Championships campaign with a 1,663 all-events total, which included a 568 series in doubles, 563 in team and 532 in singles. In 50 years on the championship lanes, he has knocked down 84,706 pins for a 188.2 career average.
Schoenfeld's journey to the 50-Year Club began in St. Paul, Minnesota, in 1965. He didn't even pick up a bowling ball until he was 16 years old, but after just two games with a neighborhood friend, he was hooked.
"A friend of mine invited me to go bowling, and I didn't really want to, but he talked me into it," Schoenfeld said. "I think my first two games were 109 and 110. The very next year, I joined my first league."
That fateful trip to the bowling center began a lifelong love affair with the game of bowling, and Schoenfeld dove head first into everything it had to offer.
"In college, I worked the control counter at a bowling center," Schoenfeld said. "Afterward, when I was working for AT&T, my friend who worked for Columbia Industries there in San Antonio invited me to come work part-time in his pro shop. I started doing that in 1987."
Along with the work in the pro shop and his competitive career, Schoenfeld spent 14 years as a national director for USBC and has spent more than 30 years on the Greater San Antonio Bowling Association board of directors.
When it came time for bowling in the Open Championships, Schoenfeld and his teammates were very focused.
They chose to drive instead of fly most of the time, which limited the amount of people who could go. For this reason, the 1988 Open Championships in Jacksonville, Florida, stands out to Schoenfeld.
"My family got to go in 1988, and my youngest daughter was 3, so we drove down to Orlando and took her to Disney World," Schoenfeld said. "That was a special trip, not because of anything bowling-related, but because my family was there and we got to share that experience."
Schoenfeld and his teammates always have tried to do something in the host city that wasn't bowling-related, and that ritual continued throughout the years, no matter who was in the group.
"The basic core has been the same, but we always have a few spots that open up and are filled by people for a few years at a time. We've all got along and enjoyed each other, and that's what matters."
This year at the South Point Bowling Plaza, Schoenfeld rolled sets of 532 in singles, 524 in doubles and 514 in team for a 1,570 total. In 50 years, he has toppled 84,242 pins for a career average of 188.7.
Slezak and Schoenfeld are two of 23 bowlers scheduled to reach 50 years of participation during the 2019 Open Championships.
Visit us on Facebook at the official USBC Open Championships Facebook page.