Nebraska bowler takes Classifed AE lead at OC
May 04, 2010
RENO, Nev. - Harry Arnold of Falls City, Neb., knew he bowled well at the 2010 USBC Open Championships, but once he left the lanes at the National Bowling Stadium, he was focused on getting his family packed up and back on the road.
His teammates told him he was the new Classified All-Events leader, and after some brief congratulations, he proudly and humbly started driving back to Nebraska. Although only a few minutes had passed, Arnold, his wife, Samantha, and their three children, Samuhl (13), Henry (12) and Sean (10), were 15 miles away before they got the official word about Arnold's accomplishment.
"I was excited, and everybody congratulated me, but the kids were tired of sitting there watching me bowl and were bothering me to get going," said Arnold, who made his 19th Open Championships appearance. "I knew I bowled well, but I didn't think I did that well. I was pretty surprised. When I got the call, the kids knew we were turning around, but didn't know exactly why. This is all pretty exciting."
The 41-year-old right-hander's performance this year was consistent and well above his 177.9 career average at the Open Championships. This year, he shot 619 in singles, 599 in doubles and 578 in team for a career-high 1,796 all-events total. Steve Miller of Roanoke, Ill., previously held the lead with 1,775.
For most of his career, the Open Championships has been about an annual vacation and reuniting with old friends, but Arnold has had success on the tournament lanes before, including a top-five Classified Doubles finish at the 2003 event in Knoxville, Tenn., and a previous-high all-events total of 1,770 at the Stadium in 2001.
"If I bowl well when I come here, great, and if I don't, that's OK, too," said Arnold, who bowls regularly at Falls City Lanes. "This is my vacation every year, and most of the time, my family will go, too. It's also special because we get the chance to see people we only see once a year when we come to bowl. This year, we rejoined a group I bowled with 10 years ago, so that was also exciting."
Because of the Open Championships, the Arnolds have gotten to see much of the country. The children particularly enjoyed last year's trip to Las Vegas because they got to see the Grand Canyon and the beautiful scenery of Utah and Colorado on the way home. This year, they got to see their father's name at the top of the leaderboard.
"I've bowled well before, but I never thought about walking out of here in first place," Arnold said. "I look at the standings online once in a while, but I'll probably check more often now."
Presenting sponsors for the 2010 USBC Open Championships are Circus Circus, Eldorado Hotel Casino and Silver Legacy Resort Casino in Reno, Nevada. Other sponsors include Sands Regency Casino Hotel, official brackets sponsor, Kegel, official lane maintenance provider, 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.
His teammates told him he was the new Classified All-Events leader, and after some brief congratulations, he proudly and humbly started driving back to Nebraska. Although only a few minutes had passed, Arnold, his wife, Samantha, and their three children, Samuhl (13), Henry (12) and Sean (10), were 15 miles away before they got the official word about Arnold's accomplishment.
"I was excited, and everybody congratulated me, but the kids were tired of sitting there watching me bowl and were bothering me to get going," said Arnold, who made his 19th Open Championships appearance. "I knew I bowled well, but I didn't think I did that well. I was pretty surprised. When I got the call, the kids knew we were turning around, but didn't know exactly why. This is all pretty exciting."
The 41-year-old right-hander's performance this year was consistent and well above his 177.9 career average at the Open Championships. This year, he shot 619 in singles, 599 in doubles and 578 in team for a career-high 1,796 all-events total. Steve Miller of Roanoke, Ill., previously held the lead with 1,775.
For most of his career, the Open Championships has been about an annual vacation and reuniting with old friends, but Arnold has had success on the tournament lanes before, including a top-five Classified Doubles finish at the 2003 event in Knoxville, Tenn., and a previous-high all-events total of 1,770 at the Stadium in 2001.
"If I bowl well when I come here, great, and if I don't, that's OK, too," said Arnold, who bowls regularly at Falls City Lanes. "This is my vacation every year, and most of the time, my family will go, too. It's also special because we get the chance to see people we only see once a year when we come to bowl. This year, we rejoined a group I bowled with 10 years ago, so that was also exciting."
Because of the Open Championships, the Arnolds have gotten to see much of the country. The children particularly enjoyed last year's trip to Las Vegas because they got to see the Grand Canyon and the beautiful scenery of Utah and Colorado on the way home. This year, they got to see their father's name at the top of the leaderboard.
"I've bowled well before, but I never thought about walking out of here in first place," Arnold said. "I look at the standings online once in a while, but I'll probably check more often now."
Presenting sponsors for the 2010 USBC Open Championships are Circus Circus, Eldorado Hotel Casino and Silver Legacy Resort Casino in Reno, Nevada. Other sponsors include Sands Regency Casino Hotel, official brackets sponsor, Kegel, official lane maintenance provider, 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.