Celebration of 50 years for Ohio bowler at USBC Open Championships
May 20, 2025
BATON ROUGE, La. – Kool & The Gang put together a party anthem for the ages with the release of “Celebration” in 1980. The lyrics let everyone know the plan.
“There’s a party goin’ on right here, a celebration to last throughout the years. So bring your good times, and your laughter, too. We gonna celebrate your party with you.”
Michael Mravec of Lakewood, Ohio, and his wife of 53 years, Diane, thought the song was a fitting choice to celebrate 50 years at the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships, and the pair strutted their stuff across the lanes inside of the Raising Cane’s River Center, getting bowlers and fans involved in the good times for Mravec’s milestone appearance.
The 75-year-old left-hander received a plaque, chevron and diamond lapel pin to commemorate his dedication to the tournament, which started at the 1970 event in Knoxville, Tennessee.
“We were going through songs the last couple weeks, and nothing fit,” Mravec said. “She said, ‘How about ‘Celebration’ from Kool & The Gang?’ It was perfect. I tried to get everyone going, too. It’s all about having fun. I always have a good time coming out to nationals. It’s a celebration, so let’s party tonight.
“I was really excited for today and was looking forward to it, especially after picking out the song. I was even playing it in the room today just to get pumped up. It still hasn’t hit me yet – 50 years – but it will. Especially when I take the plaque home and everybody congratulates me. It’s been an exciting couple of weeks for me.”
Mravec’s passion for the sport stems back to his father, Marty Mravec.
Marty was well-known to many in the bowling community not only as a great competitor and Greater Cleveland (now Cleveland Ohio) and Ohio State USBC Hall of Famer, but also as a pro shop operator. He opened Lakewood Bowling Supplies in 1961, and the business – now run by Michael – still is thriving after 60-plus years in the greater Cleveland area.
“I give all the thanks to my dad,” Mravec said. “When I was a kid, they won the Hoinke in 1968. He had been bowling at nationals since the late 1950s. He always told me, ‘Michael, you’re going to bowl in three tournaments every year – the Ohio State tournament, the Hoinke and the ABC (now USBC) national tournament.’ I started the year after that.
“He made 40 years. I was fortunate to have my 20th appearance when he got his plaque for 30, my 25th during his 35th and my 30th during his 40th. We have the pictures of us up in the pro shop. The plaques are up there, too.”
The pro shop now resides inside of Yorktown Lanes, which will host the Professional Women’s Bowling Association Tour for three events from May 27 – June 2.
“My dad was a big guy with huge hands, and his span was almost 7 inches,” Mravec said. “Back then, there were standard drill pitches for thumbs. His hand was around the ball so much he would tear his hand open. He ended up losing a two-weekend match-game championship in the finals because his thumb ripped open. He went to all these pro shop guys, and they wouldn’t drill it with other pitches, so he opened his own pro shop and started experimenting with different pitches so he could get out of the ball clean.
“Now, the pro shop is at Yorktown Lanes. Mike Cottrell and his two sons, Aaron and Jeremy, are just phenomenal people. Mike asked me to move my pro shop to Yorktown 14 years ago, and it’s the best move I’ve ever made. I’m very blessed that they called me and asked me to move, and I’m glad I did.”
Mravec has had fun from the beginning of his journey at the Open Championships, and he’s always enjoyed the chance to meet new people.
“All the people I’ve met – just so many great people,” Mravec said. “I’ve made friends from all over. When we were in Niagara Falls in 1987, I met so many people from Ohio and New York that knew my dad. They’d come up to me and see Mravec and ask if I was Marty’s son or related to Marty. My dad knew everybody.”
That trip to Niagara Falls in 1987 almost didn’t happen, though. Mravec and his teammates braved a blizzard and made the 200-plus mile trek in challenging conditions.
“It took us 13 hours in a whiteout to get to Niagara Falls,” Mravec said. “I think I still got that video. If you look at the 10 of us during our team event, we were all out of it. But the next day, we come back, and right off the bat in the first game, I start with the front nine for 279. That’s back when there were no shadow balls, either.”
Paying attention to the details is something he believes in, and it’s another trait passed along from his father.
He enjoys looking ahead to the next move on the lanes and watching how the ball goes through the pins, but those details also allow Mravec to share some incredible stories.
His top two sets at the Open Championships came in back-to-back years during singles (710 in 2001 and 704 in 2002), and his 710 at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nevada, could have been a lot more.
“I start the final game with a strike and a spare, followed by five in a row,” Mravec said. “I can still see the next shot. I threw that ball right up the three board and ripped through it. The ball went down, made its move … and I left a solid 8-10. I packed it in there. I took my one pin and punched out.”
Although the pins at the NBS weren’t kind in that frame, the venue has been one of his favorite places to visit along the way.
“I love the (National) Bowling Stadium,” Mravec said. “It’s such a comfortable atmosphere, and I’ve bowled really well there. I love the whole concept of the Stadium.”
Another favorite story for Mravec to share included a big day in brackets.
“In my first year of eligibility as a senior, I had put down $700 and got in 70 brackets,” Mravec said. “I walked by the bracket booth a little later, and they said if I gave them another $170, I’d be in all 87 senior brackets. I ended up winning 84 of the 87 brackets, plus some regular ones, too. That was a real nice payday.”
He's excited to keep building new memories in the sport, even though he’s been battling with his knees as of late.
“It’s tough to keep going when you get a little older,” Mravec said. “I have some issues with my knees and need to have both of them replaced. I’m planning to get to 60, though. Minus the knees, I’m in good shape. I work out and exercise every day, and the pro shop business keeps me active and strong.”
Although his milestone appearance puts his name in record book as the first bowler from the greater Cleveland area to reach 50 years at the Open Championships, he feels like it was something he shared with his father, too.
During his time in Baton Rouge, he wore Marty’s 300 ring from 1956.
“It’s almost 70 years old, and I wear it so my dad is always with me,” Mravec said. “It’s from Sept. 10, 1956. They looked it up, and in the whole state of Ohio for that season – we are talking wooden pins without plastic coatings, rubber bowling balls and wooden lanes – there were only 23 300s shot for the whole season, and my dad had one of them.”
In his 50th appearance, Mravec finished with an all-events total of 1,234 to bring his career pinfall at the Open Championships to 82,009 for an average of 182.2.
The Open Championships is celebrating its third trip to Baton Rouge in 2025 and scheduled to feature more than 58,000 bowlers and 11,600 five-player teams competing across 150 consecutive days at the River Center.
Visit us on Facebook at the official USBC Open Championships page.
“There’s a party goin’ on right here, a celebration to last throughout the years. So bring your good times, and your laughter, too. We gonna celebrate your party with you.”
Michael Mravec of Lakewood, Ohio, and his wife of 53 years, Diane, thought the song was a fitting choice to celebrate 50 years at the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships, and the pair strutted their stuff across the lanes inside of the Raising Cane’s River Center, getting bowlers and fans involved in the good times for Mravec’s milestone appearance.
The 75-year-old left-hander received a plaque, chevron and diamond lapel pin to commemorate his dedication to the tournament, which started at the 1970 event in Knoxville, Tennessee.
“We were going through songs the last couple weeks, and nothing fit,” Mravec said. “She said, ‘How about ‘Celebration’ from Kool & The Gang?’ It was perfect. I tried to get everyone going, too. It’s all about having fun. I always have a good time coming out to nationals. It’s a celebration, so let’s party tonight.
“I was really excited for today and was looking forward to it, especially after picking out the song. I was even playing it in the room today just to get pumped up. It still hasn’t hit me yet – 50 years – but it will. Especially when I take the plaque home and everybody congratulates me. It’s been an exciting couple of weeks for me.”
Mravec’s passion for the sport stems back to his father, Marty Mravec.
Marty was well-known to many in the bowling community not only as a great competitor and Greater Cleveland (now Cleveland Ohio) and Ohio State USBC Hall of Famer, but also as a pro shop operator. He opened Lakewood Bowling Supplies in 1961, and the business – now run by Michael – still is thriving after 60-plus years in the greater Cleveland area.
“I give all the thanks to my dad,” Mravec said. “When I was a kid, they won the Hoinke in 1968. He had been bowling at nationals since the late 1950s. He always told me, ‘Michael, you’re going to bowl in three tournaments every year – the Ohio State tournament, the Hoinke and the ABC (now USBC) national tournament.’ I started the year after that.
“He made 40 years. I was fortunate to have my 20th appearance when he got his plaque for 30, my 25th during his 35th and my 30th during his 40th. We have the pictures of us up in the pro shop. The plaques are up there, too.”
The pro shop now resides inside of Yorktown Lanes, which will host the Professional Women’s Bowling Association Tour for three events from May 27 – June 2.
“My dad was a big guy with huge hands, and his span was almost 7 inches,” Mravec said. “Back then, there were standard drill pitches for thumbs. His hand was around the ball so much he would tear his hand open. He ended up losing a two-weekend match-game championship in the finals because his thumb ripped open. He went to all these pro shop guys, and they wouldn’t drill it with other pitches, so he opened his own pro shop and started experimenting with different pitches so he could get out of the ball clean.
“Now, the pro shop is at Yorktown Lanes. Mike Cottrell and his two sons, Aaron and Jeremy, are just phenomenal people. Mike asked me to move my pro shop to Yorktown 14 years ago, and it’s the best move I’ve ever made. I’m very blessed that they called me and asked me to move, and I’m glad I did.”
Mravec has had fun from the beginning of his journey at the Open Championships, and he’s always enjoyed the chance to meet new people.
“All the people I’ve met – just so many great people,” Mravec said. “I’ve made friends from all over. When we were in Niagara Falls in 1987, I met so many people from Ohio and New York that knew my dad. They’d come up to me and see Mravec and ask if I was Marty’s son or related to Marty. My dad knew everybody.”
That trip to Niagara Falls in 1987 almost didn’t happen, though. Mravec and his teammates braved a blizzard and made the 200-plus mile trek in challenging conditions.
“It took us 13 hours in a whiteout to get to Niagara Falls,” Mravec said. “I think I still got that video. If you look at the 10 of us during our team event, we were all out of it. But the next day, we come back, and right off the bat in the first game, I start with the front nine for 279. That’s back when there were no shadow balls, either.”
Paying attention to the details is something he believes in, and it’s another trait passed along from his father.
He enjoys looking ahead to the next move on the lanes and watching how the ball goes through the pins, but those details also allow Mravec to share some incredible stories.
His top two sets at the Open Championships came in back-to-back years during singles (710 in 2001 and 704 in 2002), and his 710 at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nevada, could have been a lot more.
“I start the final game with a strike and a spare, followed by five in a row,” Mravec said. “I can still see the next shot. I threw that ball right up the three board and ripped through it. The ball went down, made its move … and I left a solid 8-10. I packed it in there. I took my one pin and punched out.”
Although the pins at the NBS weren’t kind in that frame, the venue has been one of his favorite places to visit along the way.
“I love the (National) Bowling Stadium,” Mravec said. “It’s such a comfortable atmosphere, and I’ve bowled really well there. I love the whole concept of the Stadium.”
Another favorite story for Mravec to share included a big day in brackets.
“In my first year of eligibility as a senior, I had put down $700 and got in 70 brackets,” Mravec said. “I walked by the bracket booth a little later, and they said if I gave them another $170, I’d be in all 87 senior brackets. I ended up winning 84 of the 87 brackets, plus some regular ones, too. That was a real nice payday.”
He's excited to keep building new memories in the sport, even though he’s been battling with his knees as of late.
“It’s tough to keep going when you get a little older,” Mravec said. “I have some issues with my knees and need to have both of them replaced. I’m planning to get to 60, though. Minus the knees, I’m in good shape. I work out and exercise every day, and the pro shop business keeps me active and strong.”
Although his milestone appearance puts his name in record book as the first bowler from the greater Cleveland area to reach 50 years at the Open Championships, he feels like it was something he shared with his father, too.
During his time in Baton Rouge, he wore Marty’s 300 ring from 1956.
“It’s almost 70 years old, and I wear it so my dad is always with me,” Mravec said. “It’s from Sept. 10, 1956. They looked it up, and in the whole state of Ohio for that season – we are talking wooden pins without plastic coatings, rubber bowling balls and wooden lanes – there were only 23 300s shot for the whole season, and my dad had one of them.”
In his 50th appearance, Mravec finished with an all-events total of 1,234 to bring his career pinfall at the Open Championships to 82,009 for an average of 182.2.
The Open Championships is celebrating its third trip to Baton Rouge in 2025 and scheduled to feature more than 58,000 bowlers and 11,600 five-player teams competing across 150 consecutive days at the River Center.
Visit us on Facebook at the official USBC Open Championships page.