Lodge Lanes Too of Orlando, Fla., rolled the highest team series in the 110-year history of the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships on Tuesday, shooting 3,538 at the National Bowling Stadium to break the 20-year-old record by a single pin.
Five-time Team USA member and two-time USBC Open Championships titlist John Janawicz threw three strikes in his final frame to put the finishing touches on the historic performance.
The team opened with a 1,206 game, the highest of the 2013 event, and added 1,167 and 1,165. Bruegger’s Bagels of Albany, N.Y., previously held the record with 3,537, rolled in Tulsa, Okla., in 1993.
USBC Open Championships Records (as of 9/21/12)
“It was an unbelievable feeling, especially because I had no clue what I needed,” said Janawicz, who won Regular Singles and Regular All-Events at the NBS in 2004. “I knew we were in good position to take the lead, so at that point, you just try to get every stick you can. I had no idea, and it’s probably a good thing I didn’t know, actually. You just have to trust in yourself and make the three best shots you can, one at a time.”
Former Team USA member Vernon Peterson led the way for Lodge Lanes Too with a 772 series. He was followed by Janawicz (752), three-time Open Championships winner John Gaines (681), 1987 Team All-Events champion Mitch Jabczenski (669) and Professional Bowlers Association Tour titlist Scott Newell (664).
“We were just focused on bowling, and nothing else,” said Gaines, who made his 25th Open Championships appearance. “We were obviously making good shots, and we were in the right part of the lane with the right balls, and so on, so at that point in time, you kind of have to turn it off and just start to bowl. You can’t get too far ahead of yourself. You hate the cliches, but it’s really just one frame at a time.”
Gaines, who won the 1998 Regular Singles title and helped Lodge Lanes of Belleville, Mich., to back-to-back Team All-Events titles in 1997 and ’98, holds team bowling in the highest regard and also has found past success with Team USA and in the Brunswick World Team Challenge. One key to their success Tuesday is that they are great friends as well as talented and accomplished bowlers.
“This goes back to (USBC Hall of Famer) Bob Goike and Chris Barnes and the guys I bowled with back in the 90s, and it morphed into bringing Mitch in with us and then the rest of the guys. That’s what makes it so special. It’s not just the five of us, it’s the 10 of us.”
Lodge Lanes Too’s companion team, HammerBowling.com, moved into ninth place in Regular Team on Tuesday with a 3,247 total on games of 1,033, 1,127 and 1,087. Breakpoint Pro Shop 2 of Sartell, Minn., previously held the team lead at the 2013 Open Championships with 3,358.
Mike Sealy set the pace for HammerBowling.com with a 686 series and was followed by Jeff Ussery (665), Matt Gilman (645), Shawn Lee, who rolled a perfect game at the Storm Bowlers Journal Championships presented by USBC earlier in the day (633) and Keith Nolan (618).
As posted on digitalbowling.com
