RENO, Nev. - Nolan Harlamert of Dayton, Ohio, is one of the hardest-working team captains at the USBC Open Championships, and this year, he brought 21 teams to the National Bowling Stadium.

Those 100 bowlers had the opportunity to be a part of tournament history as they helped Harlamert celebrate his 50th Open Championships appearance Friday. He became the 134th bowler in history to reach the coveted milestone.

Harlamert knew what to expect because he was present when his friend, William DeHaven of Tucson, Ariz., reached 50 years at the 2009 event in Las Vegas, but that still couldn't prepare him for the emotion he'd feel when finally walking down Center Aisle and achieving his goal.

"Today was really nice," said Harlamert, who received a plaque, chevron and diamond lapel pin to commemorate his achievement. "I had an idea of what to expect because I watched William DeHaven achieve the same goal. I was able to keep him going because he was going to the tournament with our group. It was still new to me, though. It was a great feeling and nice to have my group watching me."

Harlamert began his Open Championships journey at the 1961 event in Detroit and has only missed one event since, making this year 46 in a row.

Before he began taking his own group to the tournament, the 72-year-old right-hander traveled with his friend, Heinz Balzuweit, who made 49 Open Championships appearances from 1955-2006. Harlamert traveled as an extra man and bowled with Balzuweit's group.

"He was one of the guys that got me started," Harlamert said. "A lot of the guys knew him, and he also was on the Dayton Bowling Association Board of Directors. It was really sad that he couldn't make it to 50 years, but I think he is looking down and very happy that I made it."

Harlamert, a DBA Hall of Famer and former board member and president of the organization, recalls several times when he talked to another former DBA President, Carl Copp, about the Open Championships, which really got him thinking seriously about reaching the 50-year plateau.

"Carl used to always tell me stories about bowling," said Harlamert, who bowls league at Thunderbowl Lanes in Englewood, Ohio. "He would tell me stories about the tournament, and from that point on, I knew I wanted to be one of the guys from Dayton to reach 50 years."

Harlamert has brought and average of 28 teams per event since 1980, and next year, he intends to bring at least 21 again, and possibly a few more.

"When I first started bringing a group of teams, I had four," Harlamert said. "In 1975, I took my entire league and entered us into the tournament, and that was our league night. I never wanted to lose any spots, so I tried to keep as many people as possible. After a certain point, everybody wanted to come. It hasn't been very hard to keep track because I've had a great group of guys who are pretty good at getting their paperwork done."

Harlamert has been bothered by knee pain for the past several years, and is scheduled to see a doctor to discuss pain-relieving options when he returns home. However, he was not going to allow pain to prevent him from missing this year's event. He does travel light these days, however, bringing only one ball and his briefcase.

"First, everything was really well put together, and now that I have reached 50 years, I am going to get it checked out," Harlamert said. "Even if I am unable to bowl at any point, I still will try to come out with my group to enjoy my vacation and keep everything in tact."

On the lanes this year, Harlamert rolled a 252 series in team. In 50 tournament appearances, he has knocked down 64,171 pins for a career average of 164.5. He did not compete in doubles and singles this year.

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.