Idaho bowler wins truck through Eagle's Nest
Click here to see all Eagle's Nest winners for the month of May
RENO, Nev. - When John Conway of Boise, Idaho, heard his name echo throughout the National Bowling Stadium right before practice began at the USBC Open Championships on Friday, it took him a second to process what was happening.
As he walked toward Center Aisle to meet Reno-Sparks Convention and Visitors Authority Communications Manager Ben McDonald and Open Championships Tournament Manager Duane Hagen, it finally sunk in that he had just become the proud owner of a 2011 Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck through the USBC Eagle's Nest, a club formed by USBC and the RSCVA to recognize team captains who fielded teams in 2010 and 2011.
"Well, I didn't know where I was at when I heard my name announced," said Conway, who bowls league at Westy's Garden Lanes. "Everybody kept on pushing me to go up and receive the award. I just can't give you enough words to say how much I appreciate it. This will probably be the only thing in my life that I will never forget."
The 84-year-old right-hander, who made his tournament debut at the 1964 event in Oakland, Calif., has been a dedicated team captain for 43 years. When the tournament made its first trip Reno in 1977, he brought along an entire flight full of bowlers.
"I've been a team captain ever since we formed our team," Conway said. "We've only had three major sponsors on our team. We brought two teams this year, but when the tournament first came to Reno, we brought a complete flight of teams. We had a heck of a time with everybody coming and going."
The Eagle's Nest was created in conjunction with the RSCVA as a way to recognize captains for their hard work and to celebrate the return of the Open Championships to Reno for an unprecedented second-consecutive year. Conway earned the third of four trucks being given away through the club this year.
The response to the Eagle's Nest was overwhelming, and the club includes more than 5,900 captains. In addition, nearly 200 captains earned Super-Captain status with four or more teams.
As Eagle's Nest members, captains receive the USBC 'E-Nest' Newsletter - a monthly e-newsletter, featuring tournament tips, the latest bowling trends and special offers from Reno sponsors, USBC Travel and the RSCVA. They also have the opportunity to enter captain-only brackets and are eligible to win one of the high-performance Storm bowling balls being given away each day at this year's event.
Conway has made 43 Open Championships appearances, and each one has been special for him. He has enjoyed competing in the tournament and especially loves the city of Reno.
"It's been really nice to go to a different area every year," said Conway, who is a life member of the Idaho State Bowling Association. "You meet different people, and make a lot of friends. I really enjoy coming to Reno, though. I always have, and I always will."
Conway was joined on the tournament lanes by four family members, including his wife, Linda. Combined, there were three generations of the Conways, and there would have been four, but his granddaughter was in Boise giving birth to his great granddaughter.
"Today was the first time I've had four family members bowling with me," said Conway, who struggled in team due to the excitement and rolled games of 108, 117 and 143 for a 368 series. "I've been waiting on that for a long time. My granddaughter just had a baby this morning in Boise, otherwise she would have been here, too. There would have been five Conways on the same team. They're all feeling like I am, happy as heck."
Click here to watch video highlights from the 2011 Open Championships.
Presenting sponsors for the 2011 USBC Open Championships are Circus Circus, Eldorado Hotel Casino Reno and Silver Legacy Resort Casino Reno. Other sponsors include Sands Regency Casino Hotel, official brackets sponsor, Kegel, official lane maintenance provider, Humana, official registration sponsor, US Steltronic, official scoring system, and supporting sponsors Storm Bowling Products, UPS, Nationwide Insurance, Atlantis Casino Resort and Spa, Harrah's Reno Casino and Hotel and Peppermill Hotel Casino.
Previous Eagle's Nest truck winners: