RENO, Nev. - Judd Hall of Carrollton, Ohio, bowled in his first United States Bowling Congress Open Championships when he was 13 years old, so much of his life has revolved around his annual trip to the world's largest participatory sporting event.

This week at the National Bowling Stadium, the 78-year-old right-hander added his name to the most elite list at the USBC Open Championships as became the seventh bowler in tournament history to reach 65 years of tournament participation.

Hall made his first Open Championships appearance at the 1949 event in Atlantic City, N.J., and has been to every tournament since. USBC Hall of Famer Jimmy Schroeder of Tonawanda, N.Y., also reached the 65-year mark this year.

Late USBC Hall of Famer Joe Norris of San Diego, and the late Bill Doehrman of Fort Wayne, Ind., share the event's participation record with 71 appearances. Sylvester Thiel of Lake City, Minn., is the active participation leader with 68 years, and USBC Hall of Famer Bill Lillard Sr. of Houston (66) and the late Les Berry of Wooster, Ohio (66), are the only other members of the exclusive club.

Hall feels extremely fortunate that work and health haven't held him back in his quest to catch Norris and Doehrman. Hall shows no signs of slowing down, and his job as a consultant in rubber production still has him traveling across the globe, including a trip to Guatemala two weeks before his 2013 appearance on the championship lanes.

A business trip to Indonesia before his appearance at the 1989 event in Wichita, Kan., nearly ended his consecutive streak at 40 years, but he managed to make the 12,000-mile trip just in time to keep his streak intact.

"I do a lot of consulting work overseas, so a lot of times, I have to fly to get back," Hall said. "I flew back from Indonesia to get to Wichita, and the connections weren't very good, so I got in late the night before we were scheduled to bowl. I've just been fortunate to make it 65 consecutive years. You have to be lucky."

Hall made his debut alongside his father and continued to bowl with him until he passed away in 1988. He notes the changes he has seen over the years as the tournament has changed and evolved.

"At the very first tournament I bowled in, everybody wore shirts and ties," Hall said. "There were no bowling shirts, and everybody looked the same. I bowled singles and doubles with my dad that first year, and we probably bowled singles and doubles together for about 30 of the 42 tournaments he bowled. I started bowling in a men's league at 11. There was no junior bowling or high school bowling, so a lot has changed there, too, in those 65 years. I just try to keep going as long as I can and as long as my teammates will put up with me."

Hall only bowled in team event this year, and with encouragement from his teammates and the chance to make tournament history, he plans to continue making the Open Championships an annual tradition.

"It feels really good to get here," said Hall, who rolled a 464 series this year to bring his career pinfall to 89,727. "I don't bowl singles and doubles anymore, just team to keep the streak going. The streak is a big reason to why I keep coming back, but I'd probably come anyway because I enjoy it, and it keeps me bowling. I'll keep going as long as I can stagger up to the lanes."

Presenting sponsors for the 2013 USBC Open Championships include Circus Circus Reno, Eldorado Hotel Casino Reno and Silver Legacy Resort Casino Reno.