RENO, Nev. - Mike Schmid of Arden Hills, Minn., has been dedicated to the USBC Open Championships since he made his debut at the age of 19.

That dedication allowed Schmid to become the 137th bowler in tournament history to make 50 tournament appearances. The 69-year-old right-hander made his milestone march down Center Aisle at the National Bowling Stadium on Sunday.

Schmid competed in his first Open Championships in Detroit in 1961 and only missed the 1966 event in Rochester, N.Y., along the way. He now has made 44 consecutive appearances since.

"It was awesome," said Schmid, who has owned Mike's Pro Shop for 50 years. "I have been thinking about it for several years. This tournament is the highlight of my year, and I wouldn't miss this for anything. I was almost moved to tears after the national anthem thinking about what I had just gone through. I still can't believe I have 50 in. It's just hard to comprehend. It went by in a blink."

One of the reasons Schmid returns to the Open Championships is to compete against the best bowlers from across the country.

"I always wanted to be competitive," said Schmid, who competes on the Professional Bowlers Association Senior Tour. "I want to measure myself against the other bowlers across the country. You want to measure yourself against other bowlers because anybody can throw strikes in league. That doesn't mean anything."

Even after five decades in the pro shop business, Schmid still wakes up every morning looking forward to work. Bowling also has given him the opportunity to meet hundreds of special people over the years.

"My pro shop has been my whole life," said Schmid, who finished in a tie for second in all-events at the 1970 Open Championships in Knoxville, Tenn. "It's just unbelievable how many people I've met throughout the years. I've bowled with the FIQ team, and in the Tournament of Americas, and it doesn't matter who you are or where you're from, we're all the same, which is very cool."

Now that Schmid has reached the 50-year milestone, he is taking aim at the tournament's all-time participation record held by late USBC Hall of Famer Joe Norris of San Diego and the late Bill Doehrman of Fort Wayne, Ind.

"I think constantly about the 71 years of participation," said Schmid, who is a member of the St. Paul Bowling Association Hall of Fame, Minnesota State Bowling Hall of Fame and the CBA Hall of Fame. "I would be 90 if I can get there to tie it. Just recently, I began to think about 100,000 pins because that would be quite a milestone, and not too many guys have that."

During his singles event, Schmid gave the crowd something to cheer about as he began the event with 11 consecutive strikes before the 4-7 deprived him of his first Open Championships 300 game, settling for 298. He followed with games of 216 and 215 for a 729 total, the highest of his Open Championships career. Edward Rede of El Paso, Texas, leads with 814.

"It really hasn't sunk in yet," Schmid said. "But, this will be one of the biggest thrills I've ever had in the game. This is tied with my second place in all-events in 1970. When I got up in the 10th frame, I said to myself, 'this is what you dream about'. For 50 years I've been waiting to shoot 300 at this tournament, as my highest game was 290. Considering this is my 50th tournament, it takes the sting out of not shooting 300 just a little bit. But, it's very cool to shoot your highest series of the tournament in your 50th appearance."

Along with his 729 in singles, Schmid added 586 in doubles and 550 in team for a 1,865 all-events total. In 50 tournament appearances, Schmid has knocked down 87,463 pins for an average of 193.

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.