Indiana bowler reaches 50 years at USBC Open Championships
April 18, 2025
BATON ROUGE, La. – In 1974, Earl Vandermark of Marion, Indiana, made his debut at the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships at the age of 37.
Although his first appearance occurred a little later than most who end up reaching a major participation milestone at the tournament, Vandermark’s dedication to the event is something to envy.
He's made his annual excursion to the tournament each year since 1977, and this week at the Raising Cane’s River Center, the 88-year-old was celebrated for making his 50th appearance at the event.
Vandermark was presented with a plaque, chevron and diamond lapel pin to commemorate his longevity, and he was joined by his three daughters – Julie, Lisa and Michele – during his on-lane recognition.
Even though he had been bowling 10-15 years before his trip to Indianapolis in 1974, it took the encouragement from some of his coworkers at General Motors to get a team together. His debut also was special for a family connection.
“I only bowled with my dad one year,” Vandermark said. “I bowled with him at home, but that was the only time at the ABC (American Bowling Congress – now USBC).”
Another memorable tournament experience took place during the 1979 event in Tampa, Florida, which marked the first year of automatic scoring at the Open Championships.
“Down in Tampa was the first year they put in the automatic scoring system,” Vandermark said. “It went down on us while we were bowling, so they had to keep manual scoring.
“Every year, there’s been something that made that particular trip. We had a lot of them over the years. In Louisville (1980), the captain of our team was shooting at a spare and hit the pin, and it came all the way up the alley. It stopped right in front of him, but they wouldn’t let him keep the pin. We’ve had a lot of different things happen over the years. A lot of good memories.”
While Vandermark has enjoyed the chance to travel for the tournament, he noted Reno and Las Vegas as two of his favorite spots. Las Vegas holds the edge with the introduction of the South Point Bowling Plaza – inside the South Point Hotel, Casino and Spa – to the rotation in 2017.
His best performance at Open Championships took place during the 1992 event in Corpus Christi, Texas, which included a 662 series in singles and 1,788 score in all-events.
With his 50th appearance in the books, Vandermark has toppled 75,244 pins over the course of his career for a lifetime average of 167.2 at the tournament.
Even though he considered reaching 50 years his goal at the Open Championships, Vandermark is not planning to slow down.
“I figured that was a goal I could accomplish,” Vandermark said. “Maybe we’ll get to 55. It depends on how well I feel at the time.
“The nerves weren’t too bad this year, but it was the 50th, and I enjoyed it.”
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.
Although his first appearance occurred a little later than most who end up reaching a major participation milestone at the tournament, Vandermark’s dedication to the event is something to envy.
He's made his annual excursion to the tournament each year since 1977, and this week at the Raising Cane’s River Center, the 88-year-old was celebrated for making his 50th appearance at the event.
Vandermark was presented with a plaque, chevron and diamond lapel pin to commemorate his longevity, and he was joined by his three daughters – Julie, Lisa and Michele – during his on-lane recognition.
Even though he had been bowling 10-15 years before his trip to Indianapolis in 1974, it took the encouragement from some of his coworkers at General Motors to get a team together. His debut also was special for a family connection.
“I only bowled with my dad one year,” Vandermark said. “I bowled with him at home, but that was the only time at the ABC (American Bowling Congress – now USBC).”
Another memorable tournament experience took place during the 1979 event in Tampa, Florida, which marked the first year of automatic scoring at the Open Championships.
“Down in Tampa was the first year they put in the automatic scoring system,” Vandermark said. “It went down on us while we were bowling, so they had to keep manual scoring.
“Every year, there’s been something that made that particular trip. We had a lot of them over the years. In Louisville (1980), the captain of our team was shooting at a spare and hit the pin, and it came all the way up the alley. It stopped right in front of him, but they wouldn’t let him keep the pin. We’ve had a lot of different things happen over the years. A lot of good memories.”
While Vandermark has enjoyed the chance to travel for the tournament, he noted Reno and Las Vegas as two of his favorite spots. Las Vegas holds the edge with the introduction of the South Point Bowling Plaza – inside the South Point Hotel, Casino and Spa – to the rotation in 2017.
His best performance at Open Championships took place during the 1992 event in Corpus Christi, Texas, which included a 662 series in singles and 1,788 score in all-events.
With his 50th appearance in the books, Vandermark has toppled 75,244 pins over the course of his career for a lifetime average of 167.2 at the tournament.
Even though he considered reaching 50 years his goal at the Open Championships, Vandermark is not planning to slow down.
“I figured that was a goal I could accomplish,” Vandermark said. “Maybe we’ll get to 55. It depends on how well I feel at the time.
“The nerves weren’t too bad this year, but it was the 50th, and I enjoyed it.”
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.