Florida bowler celebrates 50 years at USBC Women’s Championships
June 23, 2026
LAS VEGAS – Judy Schwab of Wimauma, Florida, recently achieved an exciting milestone at the United States Bowling Congress Women’s Championships as she made her 50th appearance at the tournament.
In reaching the impressive milestone, Schwab was presented with a plaque, chevron and commemorative necklace during her ceremony at the South Point Bowling Plaza.
The appearance also became a full-circle moment for Schwab, since she made her tournament debut at the 1973 event in Las Vegas.
Bowling for Schwab all started through the influence of her parents. They would regularly take all the children bowling.
“I started bowling very young,” Schwab said. “It was my parents who took us bowling. They would take all of us kids, and that’s how I got into it.”
Later down the road after Schwab finished up college, she started to get back into bowling. She knew immediately after everything settled down that joining a league was on her radar. Little did she know it was going to be a gateway into going to the Women’s Championships.
“After graduating college, I knew right away I wanted to join a league and start bowling again,” Schwab said. “I joined the local league in our community and some of them went to nationals and were always looking for extra people to go. So, I decided to start going.”
Coming to the tournament regularly over the years created a sense of adventure for her because of all the different places she never thought she would visit. A big highlight of her journey to 50 years was the travel.
“I think the thing I enjoyed the most about coming to the tournament was going to all the different cities,” Schwab said. “There were so many places that the tournament was held that I never would have selected to go to.”
Schwab has bowled with her sisters over her time at the tournament, which made it special to keep going.
“I’m still bowling with my one sister today (Brenda Haas), but my other sisters have bowled with me in the past, which has made it so special,” Schwab said. “Bowling with my sister today has just been great. We always have a good time.”
She had a marvelous day achieving her 50th appearance and was overjoyed about everything that happened. Many bowlers reaching the milestone don’t always expect what is to come for that big day, so it was a surprise for Schwab.
“This is just unbelievable,” Schwab said. “I was not expecting any of that, but you know, it’s just been a highlight. My adrenaline was just so high today.”
The Women’s Championships is celebrating its 106th edition in 2026 and making its sixth trip to Las Vegas. The 2026 event is scheduled to feature more than 16,000 bowlers and 4,200 four-player teams competing across 65 consecutive days at the South Point Bowling Plaza.
Follow the action from the tournament’s official Facebook and Instagram accounts.
In reaching the impressive milestone, Schwab was presented with a plaque, chevron and commemorative necklace during her ceremony at the South Point Bowling Plaza.
The appearance also became a full-circle moment for Schwab, since she made her tournament debut at the 1973 event in Las Vegas.
Bowling for Schwab all started through the influence of her parents. They would regularly take all the children bowling.
“I started bowling very young,” Schwab said. “It was my parents who took us bowling. They would take all of us kids, and that’s how I got into it.”
Later down the road after Schwab finished up college, she started to get back into bowling. She knew immediately after everything settled down that joining a league was on her radar. Little did she know it was going to be a gateway into going to the Women’s Championships.
“After graduating college, I knew right away I wanted to join a league and start bowling again,” Schwab said. “I joined the local league in our community and some of them went to nationals and were always looking for extra people to go. So, I decided to start going.”
Coming to the tournament regularly over the years created a sense of adventure for her because of all the different places she never thought she would visit. A big highlight of her journey to 50 years was the travel.
“I think the thing I enjoyed the most about coming to the tournament was going to all the different cities,” Schwab said. “There were so many places that the tournament was held that I never would have selected to go to.”
Schwab has bowled with her sisters over her time at the tournament, which made it special to keep going.
“I’m still bowling with my one sister today (Brenda Haas), but my other sisters have bowled with me in the past, which has made it so special,” Schwab said. “Bowling with my sister today has just been great. We always have a good time.”
She had a marvelous day achieving her 50th appearance and was overjoyed about everything that happened. Many bowlers reaching the milestone don’t always expect what is to come for that big day, so it was a surprise for Schwab.
“This is just unbelievable,” Schwab said. “I was not expecting any of that, but you know, it’s just been a highlight. My adrenaline was just so high today.”
The Women’s Championships is celebrating its 106th edition in 2026 and making its sixth trip to Las Vegas. The 2026 event is scheduled to feature more than 16,000 bowlers and 4,200 four-player teams competing across 65 consecutive days at the South Point Bowling Plaza.
Follow the action from the tournament’s official Facebook and Instagram accounts.