96-year-old bowler makes first trip to USBC Open Championships
07/04/09
At 96 years old, there probably isn't much that Fred Finkeldei of Kansas City, Mo., hasn't done, but this week, he got to try something new as he made his first trip to the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships.
Finkeldei has been an avid bowler for more than 30 years, still bowls in six leagues in the winter and two in the summer and averages in the 180s, but it took a special invitation to get him to test his skills on bowling's biggest stage.
Photo courtesy of ABC Graphics.
"We've been bowling leagues together for about six years now," said Earl Freeman, who bowls with Finkeldei at AMF West Lanes. "I thought it would be a good experience for everyone involved, including Fred, so I asked him to join us."
Finkeldei turned down the initial invitation, but during the weeks that followed, he started to open up to the idea of heading west to Las Vegas. He also knew the trip would be quite an adventure, especially since he doesn't like to fly.
"At first, I told Earl I didn't think I wanted to go," said Finkeldei, who is a retired truck driver. "I heard people talking about going to tournaments over the summer, but I never heard about this one before. After four or five weeks, they convinced me that it would be a good thing for me to experience at least once."
As a modest man who tends to shy away from attention, Finkeldei didn't think his Open Championships debut would garner as much attention as it did.
"I don't need that much notoriety," said Finkeldei, whose late wife, Hildegarde, was an avid bowler and urged him to take up the sport after he retired. "I'm not seeking anything, but it happens to be a unique deal. I will look at it as something neat that has happened to me."
Freeman, and the rest of their fellow league bowlers, have been behind Finkeldei ever since he decided he would compete in the 2009 Open Championships.
"We think it's great," Freeman said. "The whole league thinks it's great, and we have given him all of our support. It's really unique. We had an idea he might be the oldest, but we didn't know for sure. He also keeps a good average."
Although Finkeldei is not the oldest rookie to hit the lanes at the Open Championships, he is the oldest first-time participant in 2009.
Art Shaver of Atlanta and William Hargrove of Clermont, Ga., made history in 2001 as the tournament's oldest first-timers and set the record for a combined doubles age at 203. At the time, Shaver was the oldest league bowler at 103, and Hargrove was 100.
Last year in Albuquerque, N.M., Flossie and Al Duffey of Osage City, Kan., both were 95 years old when they competed together at the Albuquerque Convention Center. It was Flossie's tournament debut, while Al made his second tournament appearance. His first came at the 1989 event in Wichita, Kan., just two hours from their home.
When he made his way to Cashman Center on Tuesday, Finkeldei couldn't believe his eyes. "I have never seen anything like this," said Finkeldei about the state-of-the-art 60-lane facility. "It looks scary. We take bowling seriously, but we are still here to have fun."
Finkeldei ended his first year at the Open Championships with a 452 series in doubles, 425 in singles and 422 in team for a 1,299 all-events total.
When asked about the possibility of attending next year's event at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nev., Finkeldei quickly shared his intentions.
"I'm too old to look that far in advance," said Finkeldei, who stays active by participating in a program that delivers meals to elderly people who can not leave their homes. "But we will talk about it later in the year during league."
Presenting sponsors for the 2009 USBC Open Championships are the Coast Casinos in Las Vegas and the Eldorado Hotel Casino, Silver Legacy Resort Casino and Circus Circus in Reno, Nev. Other participating sponsors are Kegel, official lane maintenance provider; Brunswick, capital equipment supplier; Storm Products, Inc.; Binion's Gambling Hall and Hotel and Four Queens Hotel and Casino, the official brackets sponsors; Sapphire Gentleman's Club; Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino; MGM Mirage; Jerry's Nugget Casino and Fitzgerald's Casino and Hotel.
Cashman Center in Las Vegas, Nev. (Feb. 21 - July 24, 2009)
Top 10 division leaders with hometown and pinfalls
1, Linds Limited (Gus Yannaras, Gary Daroszewski, Ryan Lever, Lennie Boresch Jr., Dale Traber), Milwaukee, 3,449. 2, Sack Toe, Sacramento, Calif., 3,427. 3, Turbo 2-N-1 Grips 1, Madison, Wis., 3,403. 4, Buddy Tierno Senior Tour, Mount Laurel, N.J., 3,335. 5, S and B Pro Shop 2, Sterling Heights, Mich., 3,325. 6, Don Johnson Memorial, 3,306. 7, Northern Lanes Rec, Gaylord, Mich., 3,290. 8, Rock River Lanes, Fort Atkinson, Wis., 3,285. 9, Lodge Lanes 1, Saline, Mich., 3,280. 10, Northern Lanes Pro Shop, Sanford, Mich., 3,272.
Doubles
1, Stephen Padilla/Brenda Edwards, Mansfield, Texas, 1,566. 2, Marc McDowell, Monona, Wis./Mike Shady, Fairview, Pa., 1,474. 3, Ron Nelson, Bridgeview, Ill./Bryan O'Keefe, Arlington, Texas, 1,466. 4, Adam Cardwell, Woodbury, Minn./Richard Volhard, Marathon, Wis., 1,460. 5, Jason Guest, Urbandale, Iowa/Scott Wohlwend, Moline, Ill., 1,453. 6, Steve Brinkman, Sussex, Wis./Lennie Boresch, Kenosha, Wis., 1,446. 7, John Brodersen, Helena, Mont./Bruce Steffani, Great Falls, Mont., 1,444. 8. Greg Thompson, Cupertino, Calif./Fero Williams, West Carrollton, Ohio, 1443. 9, Edward Gallagher, Clarksville, Tenn./Ray Edwards, Middle Island, N.Y., 1,440. 10, Mike Holland/Ryan Holland, Houston, 1,429.
Singles
1, Bo Goergen, Midland, Mich., 862. 2, Ron Vokes, Racine, Wis., 857. 3, Rick Perry, Kalispell, Mont., 814. 4, Vincent Yoder, Wooster, Ohio, 810. 5, David Cirigliano, Phoenix, Ariz., 793. 6, Sean Riccardi, Piscataway, N.J., 789. 7, Joseph Burgio, Buffalo, N.Y., 788. 8, Brenda Edwards, Mansfield, Texas, 785. 9, Hutch Battreall, St. Joseph, Mo., 783. 10, Tommy Barnwell, Peoria Heights, Ill., 782.
All-Events
1, Ron Vokes, Racine, Wis., 2,321. 2, Lennie Boresch Jr., Kenosha, Wis., 2,223. 3, Bo Goergen, Midland, Mich., 2,190. 4, Don Burdick, DeKalb, Ill., 2,168. 5, Sean Riccardi, Piscataway, N.J., 2,164. 6, Joe Hostetler, Minerva, Ohio, 2,156. 7, Brett Wolfe, Scottsdale, Ariz., 2,147. 8, Ron Nelson Jr., Bridgeview, Ill., 2,138. 9, Chris Collins, Savannah, Ga., 2,136. 10, Matt Descoteaux, Spokane, Wash., 2,134.
Team All-Events
1, Linds Limited (Gus Yannaras, Gary Daroszewski, Ryan Lever, Lennie Boresch Jr., Dale Traber), Milwaukee, 10,372. 2, Turbo 2-N-1 Grips 1, Madison, Wis., 10,317. 3, Northern Lanes Pro Shop, Sanford, Mich., 10,116. 4, Don Johnson Memorial, Lexington, Ky., 10,056. 5, Rock River Lanes, Fort Atkinson, Wis., 9,915. 6, Sack Toe, Sacramento, Calif., 9,858. 7, Junior Team USA Support, Orlando, Fla., 9,846. 8, Northern Lanes Rec, Gaylord, Mich., 9,839. 9, Pepsi/Lanemasters 1, Rochester, N.Y., 9,829. 10, Cambridge 1, Feeding Hills, Mass., 9,784.
Top 10 division leaders with hometown and pinfalls
1, K&K Bowling Services 11 (Bob Godden, Bruce Burkey, Rich Hunter, Oscar Jimenez, Robert Yadao), Las Vegas, 2,813. 2, Exterminators, Camp Springs, Md., 2,749. 3, Malad Gun Club, Malad City, Idaho, 2,745. 4, Kens Old West, Page, Ariz., 2,743. 5,E. Montana Flatlanders, Rio Rancho, N.M., 2,734. 6, Pinboy's Faithful 2, Virginia Beach, Va., 2,708. 7, Fire One, Clearlake Oaks, Calif., 2,703. 8, ATW, New London, Minn., 2,698. 9, Pro Zone 3, Mission Hills, Calif., 2,696. 10 (tie), Eagle Bowl 2, Eagle Grove, Iowa, and 5 Star Farms, Bowling Green, Mo., 2,686.
Doubles
1, Melanie Sweet, Capitol Heights, Md./Lashawn Farrish, Bowie, Md., 1,220. 2, Eric Douglass, Goldfield, Iowa/Troy Schultz, Clarion, Iowa, 1,204. 3, Veronica Boone/Luis Boone, Mission Hills, Calif., 1,195. 4, George Marquez, Whittier/ Pete Dumpit, El Monte, Calif., 1,192. 5, Po Ling Klip, San Francisco/Maria Lau, Daly City, Calif., 1,185. 6, Bootnie Gray/Denis Gray Sr., Charlotte, N.C., 1,183. 7, Bob Godden, Las Vegas/Bruce Burkey, Henderson, Nev., 1,181. 8, Brandon Vaught, McGill, Nev./Mike Kapetan, Ely, Nev., 1,178. 9, Devonn Turner, Charlotte, N.C./Darryl Turner, Mint Hill, N.C., 1,174. 10 (tie), Rick Armitage/Angela Kathol, Norfolk, Neb., and Angel Rodriquez, San Juan, Puerto Rico/Juan Cains, Hollywood, Fla., 1,169.
Singles
1, Vernon Daniels, Bermuda, 692. 2, Ed Gronski, Mulkeytown, Ill., 687. 3 (tie), Dennis Tomhave, Vermillion, S.D., and Tom Hammack, Jenks, Okla., 679. 5, Kelly Aeikens, Benson, Minn., 677. 6, Ryan Knutson, Dilworth, Minn., 664. 7, Adam Macleod, Brampton, Ontario, 662. 8, Roy Umehira, Honolulu, 657. 9, Jean Reese, Owatonna, Minn., 654. 10, Elizabeth Scott, Lenoir, N.C., 652.
All-Events
1, Bob Godden, Las Vegas, 1,854. 2, Anthony Kastle, Charlotte, N.C., 1,834. 3, Frank Boehm Jr., Regina, Saskatchewan, 1,818. 4, Dennis Tomhave, Vermillion, S.D., 1,799. 5, Pete Dumpit, El Monte, Calif., 1,798. 6, Richard Ruby, Milford, N.J., 1,796. 7, John Waliczek, Pflugerville, Texas, 1,795. 8, Darryl Turner, Mint Hill, N.C., 1,788. 9, Roy Umehira, Honolulu, 1,782. 10, Jason Davis, Marshall, Mo., 1,777.
United States
Cashman Center in Las Vegas, Nev., United States (Feb. 21 - July 24, 2009)
At 96 years old, there probably isn't much that Fred Finkeldei of Kansas City, Mo., hasn't done, but this week, he got to try something new as he made his first trip to the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships.Finkeldei has been an avid bowler for more than 30 years, still bowls in six leagues in the winter and two in the summer and averages in the 180s, but it took a special invitation to get him to test his skills on bowling's biggest stage.
Photo courtesy of ABC Graphics.
"We've been bowling leagues together for about six years now," said Earl Freeman, who bowls with Finkeldei at AMF West Lanes. "I thought it would be a good experience for everyone involved, including Fred, so I asked him to join us."
Finkeldei turned down the initial invitation, but during the weeks that followed, he started to open up to the idea of heading west to Las Vegas. He also knew the trip would be quite an adventure, especially since he doesn't like to fly.
"At first, I told Earl I didn't think I wanted to go," said Finkeldei, who is a retired truck driver. "I heard people talking about going to tournaments over the summer, but I never heard about this one before. After four or five weeks, they convinced me that it would be a good thing for me to experience at least once."
As a modest man who tends to shy away from attention, Finkeldei didn't think his Open Championships debut would garner as much attention as it did.
"I don't need that much notoriety," said Finkeldei, whose late wife, Hildegarde, was an avid bowler and urged him to take up the sport after he retired. "I'm not seeking anything, but it happens to be a unique deal. I will look at it as something neat that has happened to me."
Freeman, and the rest of their fellow league bowlers, have been behind Finkeldei ever since he decided he would compete in the 2009 Open Championships.
"We think it's great," Freeman said. "The whole league thinks it's great, and we have given him all of our support. It's really unique. We had an idea he might be the oldest, but we didn't know for sure. He also keeps a good average."
Although Finkeldei is not the oldest rookie to hit the lanes at the Open Championships, he is the oldest first-time participant in 2009.
Art Shaver of Atlanta and William Hargrove of Clermont, Ga., made history in 2001 as the tournament's oldest first-timers and set the record for a combined doubles age at 203. At the time, Shaver was the oldest league bowler at 103, and Hargrove was 100.
Last year in Albuquerque, N.M., Flossie and Al Duffey of Osage City, Kan., both were 95 years old when they competed together at the Albuquerque Convention Center. It was Flossie's tournament debut, while Al made his second tournament appearance. His first came at the 1989 event in Wichita, Kan., just two hours from their home.
When he made his way to Cashman Center on Tuesday, Finkeldei couldn't believe his eyes. "I have never seen anything like this," said Finkeldei about the state-of-the-art 60-lane facility. "It looks scary. We take bowling seriously, but we are still here to have fun."
Finkeldei ended his first year at the Open Championships with a 452 series in doubles, 425 in singles and 422 in team for a 1,299 all-events total.
When asked about the possibility of attending next year's event at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nev., Finkeldei quickly shared his intentions.
"I'm too old to look that far in advance," said Finkeldei, who stays active by participating in a program that delivers meals to elderly people who can not leave their homes. "But we will talk about it later in the year during league."
Presenting sponsors for the 2009 USBC Open Championships are the Coast Casinos in Las Vegas and the Eldorado Hotel Casino, Silver Legacy Resort Casino and Circus Circus in Reno, Nev. Other participating sponsors are Kegel, official lane maintenance provider; Brunswick, capital equipment supplier; Storm Products, Inc.; Binion's Gambling Hall and Hotel and Four Queens Hotel and Casino, the official brackets sponsors; Sapphire Gentleman's Club; Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino; MGM Mirage; Jerry's Nugget Casino and Fitzgerald's Casino and Hotel.
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2009 USBC Open Championships
Cashman Center in Las Vegas, Nev. (Feb. 21 - July 24, 2009)
REGULAR DIVISION
Top 10 division leaders with hometown and pinfalls
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Team1, Linds Limited (Gus Yannaras, Gary Daroszewski, Ryan Lever, Lennie Boresch Jr., Dale Traber), Milwaukee, 3,449. 2, Sack Toe, Sacramento, Calif., 3,427. 3, Turbo 2-N-1 Grips 1, Madison, Wis., 3,403. 4, Buddy Tierno Senior Tour, Mount Laurel, N.J., 3,335. 5, S and B Pro Shop 2, Sterling Heights, Mich., 3,325. 6, Don Johnson Memorial, 3,306. 7, Northern Lanes Rec, Gaylord, Mich., 3,290. 8, Rock River Lanes, Fort Atkinson, Wis., 3,285. 9, Lodge Lanes 1, Saline, Mich., 3,280. 10, Northern Lanes Pro Shop, Sanford, Mich., 3,272.
Doubles
1, Stephen Padilla/Brenda Edwards, Mansfield, Texas, 1,566. 2, Marc McDowell, Monona, Wis./Mike Shady, Fairview, Pa., 1,474. 3, Ron Nelson, Bridgeview, Ill./Bryan O'Keefe, Arlington, Texas, 1,466. 4, Adam Cardwell, Woodbury, Minn./Richard Volhard, Marathon, Wis., 1,460. 5, Jason Guest, Urbandale, Iowa/Scott Wohlwend, Moline, Ill., 1,453. 6, Steve Brinkman, Sussex, Wis./Lennie Boresch, Kenosha, Wis., 1,446. 7, John Brodersen, Helena, Mont./Bruce Steffani, Great Falls, Mont., 1,444. 8. Greg Thompson, Cupertino, Calif./Fero Williams, West Carrollton, Ohio, 1443. 9, Edward Gallagher, Clarksville, Tenn./Ray Edwards, Middle Island, N.Y., 1,440. 10, Mike Holland/Ryan Holland, Houston, 1,429.
Singles
1, Bo Goergen, Midland, Mich., 862. 2, Ron Vokes, Racine, Wis., 857. 3, Rick Perry, Kalispell, Mont., 814. 4, Vincent Yoder, Wooster, Ohio, 810. 5, David Cirigliano, Phoenix, Ariz., 793. 6, Sean Riccardi, Piscataway, N.J., 789. 7, Joseph Burgio, Buffalo, N.Y., 788. 8, Brenda Edwards, Mansfield, Texas, 785. 9, Hutch Battreall, St. Joseph, Mo., 783. 10, Tommy Barnwell, Peoria Heights, Ill., 782.
All-Events
1, Ron Vokes, Racine, Wis., 2,321. 2, Lennie Boresch Jr., Kenosha, Wis., 2,223. 3, Bo Goergen, Midland, Mich., 2,190. 4, Don Burdick, DeKalb, Ill., 2,168. 5, Sean Riccardi, Piscataway, N.J., 2,164. 6, Joe Hostetler, Minerva, Ohio, 2,156. 7, Brett Wolfe, Scottsdale, Ariz., 2,147. 8, Ron Nelson Jr., Bridgeview, Ill., 2,138. 9, Chris Collins, Savannah, Ga., 2,136. 10, Matt Descoteaux, Spokane, Wash., 2,134.
Team All-Events
1, Linds Limited (Gus Yannaras, Gary Daroszewski, Ryan Lever, Lennie Boresch Jr., Dale Traber), Milwaukee, 10,372. 2, Turbo 2-N-1 Grips 1, Madison, Wis., 10,317. 3, Northern Lanes Pro Shop, Sanford, Mich., 10,116. 4, Don Johnson Memorial, Lexington, Ky., 10,056. 5, Rock River Lanes, Fort Atkinson, Wis., 9,915. 6, Sack Toe, Sacramento, Calif., 9,858. 7, Junior Team USA Support, Orlando, Fla., 9,846. 8, Northern Lanes Rec, Gaylord, Mich., 9,839. 9, Pepsi/Lanemasters 1, Rochester, N.Y., 9,829. 10, Cambridge 1, Feeding Hills, Mass., 9,784.
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CLASSIFIED DIVISION
Top 10 division leaders with hometown and pinfalls
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Team1, K&K Bowling Services 11 (Bob Godden, Bruce Burkey, Rich Hunter, Oscar Jimenez, Robert Yadao), Las Vegas, 2,813. 2, Exterminators, Camp Springs, Md., 2,749. 3, Malad Gun Club, Malad City, Idaho, 2,745. 4, Kens Old West, Page, Ariz., 2,743. 5,E. Montana Flatlanders, Rio Rancho, N.M., 2,734. 6, Pinboy's Faithful 2, Virginia Beach, Va., 2,708. 7, Fire One, Clearlake Oaks, Calif., 2,703. 8, ATW, New London, Minn., 2,698. 9, Pro Zone 3, Mission Hills, Calif., 2,696. 10 (tie), Eagle Bowl 2, Eagle Grove, Iowa, and 5 Star Farms, Bowling Green, Mo., 2,686.
Doubles
1, Melanie Sweet, Capitol Heights, Md./Lashawn Farrish, Bowie, Md., 1,220. 2, Eric Douglass, Goldfield, Iowa/Troy Schultz, Clarion, Iowa, 1,204. 3, Veronica Boone/Luis Boone, Mission Hills, Calif., 1,195. 4, George Marquez, Whittier/ Pete Dumpit, El Monte, Calif., 1,192. 5, Po Ling Klip, San Francisco/Maria Lau, Daly City, Calif., 1,185. 6, Bootnie Gray/Denis Gray Sr., Charlotte, N.C., 1,183. 7, Bob Godden, Las Vegas/Bruce Burkey, Henderson, Nev., 1,181. 8, Brandon Vaught, McGill, Nev./Mike Kapetan, Ely, Nev., 1,178. 9, Devonn Turner, Charlotte, N.C./Darryl Turner, Mint Hill, N.C., 1,174. 10 (tie), Rick Armitage/Angela Kathol, Norfolk, Neb., and Angel Rodriquez, San Juan, Puerto Rico/Juan Cains, Hollywood, Fla., 1,169.
Singles
1, Vernon Daniels, Bermuda, 692. 2, Ed Gronski, Mulkeytown, Ill., 687. 3 (tie), Dennis Tomhave, Vermillion, S.D., and Tom Hammack, Jenks, Okla., 679. 5, Kelly Aeikens, Benson, Minn., 677. 6, Ryan Knutson, Dilworth, Minn., 664. 7, Adam Macleod, Brampton, Ontario, 662. 8, Roy Umehira, Honolulu, 657. 9, Jean Reese, Owatonna, Minn., 654. 10, Elizabeth Scott, Lenoir, N.C., 652.
All-Events
1, Bob Godden, Las Vegas, 1,854. 2, Anthony Kastle, Charlotte, N.C., 1,834. 3, Frank Boehm Jr., Regina, Saskatchewan, 1,818. 4, Dennis Tomhave, Vermillion, S.D., 1,799. 5, Pete Dumpit, El Monte, Calif., 1,798. 6, Richard Ruby, Milford, N.J., 1,796. 7, John Waliczek, Pflugerville, Texas, 1,795. 8, Darryl Turner, Mint Hill, N.C., 1,788. 9, Roy Umehira, Honolulu, 1,782. 10, Jason Davis, Marshall, Mo., 1,777.
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