Family vacation ends with success at 2015 USBC Open Championships
April 20, 2015
EL PASO, Texas - Darin Ziemer of Fargo, North Dakota, and his uncle Michael Heck of Browns Valley, Minnesota, experienced some challenges in getting to the 2015 United States Bowling Congress Open Championships, but they had no trouble navigating their way into the lead in Classified Doubles at the El Paso Convention Center on Monday.
Ziemer, a 30-year-old right-hander, led the way with games of 176, 233 and 235 for a 644 series, the highest set of his six trips to the USBC Open Championships. Heck added a 517 series, and they earned the top spot in the standings with a 1,161 total. Donald Holtz of Hutchinson, Minnesota, and his brother Gary Holtz of Litchfield, Minnesota, previously held the lead with 1,153.
"We were throwing good balls, but we weren't scoring very well," Ziemer said. "In Games 2 and 3, I got some breaks and was able to string a few strikes. I had four or five in a row a couple of times, which really helped. Coming to bowl has become a family tradition, but this makes it even better."
Ziemer's parents, Jean and Bradley Ziemer, started the tradition when they competed in the 2009 event in Las Vegas. Darin made his tournament debut a year later at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nevada, and they recruited Heck, Jean's brother, when they returned to the NBS in 2011.
They time their annual trip to the Open Championships around their jobs. Darin is a certified public accountant, so the family outing serves as a way to relax after tax season. Heck and Bradley Ziemer both work in the agricultural industry, so their busy season is right around the corner.
This year's visit to the tournament started in memorable fashion when mechanical issues grounded their initial flight out of Fargo, and instead of flying through Denver, they made an overnight stop in Dallas before finally making their way to The Sun City.
To add to the chaos, their team only had four members until just hours before they were scheduled to march down Center Aisle for their team event. They used the on-site sub board to complete their lineup and went on to crack the top 100 in the Classified Team standings with a 2,333 effort. Scotty's 3 of Alexandria, Minnesota, leads with 2,676.
"Our trip was a little chaotic and started off kind of negative, but bowling well really helped end it on a good note," said Heck, a 55-year-old right-hander who made his fifth Open Championships appearance. "We'll be watching the scores, for sure, but we know there's a lot of big shooters still to come. Winning here definitely would be an honor."
Ziemer finished his 2015 Open Championships campaign with a 531 series in team and 467 in singles for a 1,642 all-events total. Heck had 431 in singles and 411 in team for 1,359. Marshal Lagred of Starbuck, Minnesota, leads Classified Singles and Classified All-Events with 636 and 1,734, respectively.
Visit us on Facebook at the official USBC Open/Women's Championships page.
Ziemer, a 30-year-old right-hander, led the way with games of 176, 233 and 235 for a 644 series, the highest set of his six trips to the USBC Open Championships. Heck added a 517 series, and they earned the top spot in the standings with a 1,161 total. Donald Holtz of Hutchinson, Minnesota, and his brother Gary Holtz of Litchfield, Minnesota, previously held the lead with 1,153.
"We were throwing good balls, but we weren't scoring very well," Ziemer said. "In Games 2 and 3, I got some breaks and was able to string a few strikes. I had four or five in a row a couple of times, which really helped. Coming to bowl has become a family tradition, but this makes it even better."
Ziemer's parents, Jean and Bradley Ziemer, started the tradition when they competed in the 2009 event in Las Vegas. Darin made his tournament debut a year later at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nevada, and they recruited Heck, Jean's brother, when they returned to the NBS in 2011.
They time their annual trip to the Open Championships around their jobs. Darin is a certified public accountant, so the family outing serves as a way to relax after tax season. Heck and Bradley Ziemer both work in the agricultural industry, so their busy season is right around the corner.
This year's visit to the tournament started in memorable fashion when mechanical issues grounded their initial flight out of Fargo, and instead of flying through Denver, they made an overnight stop in Dallas before finally making their way to The Sun City.
To add to the chaos, their team only had four members until just hours before they were scheduled to march down Center Aisle for their team event. They used the on-site sub board to complete their lineup and went on to crack the top 100 in the Classified Team standings with a 2,333 effort. Scotty's 3 of Alexandria, Minnesota, leads with 2,676.
"Our trip was a little chaotic and started off kind of negative, but bowling well really helped end it on a good note," said Heck, a 55-year-old right-hander who made his fifth Open Championships appearance. "We'll be watching the scores, for sure, but we know there's a lot of big shooters still to come. Winning here definitely would be an honor."
Ziemer finished his 2015 Open Championships campaign with a 531 series in team and 467 in singles for a 1,642 all-events total. Heck had 431 in singles and 411 in team for 1,359. Marshal Lagred of Starbuck, Minnesota, leads Classified Singles and Classified All-Events with 636 and 1,734, respectively.
Visit us on Facebook at the official USBC Open/Women's Championships page.