ARLINGTON, Texas – Sherri Hoheisel of Pierz, Minnesota, Susie Minshew of Alvarado, Texas, and George Kontos of Joliet, Illinois, were selected by the United States Bowling Congress Board of Directors to receive USBC National Recognition Awards.

Hoheisel is this year’s recipient of the Helen Baker Award for Outstanding Association Service, Minshew is the Joyce Deitch Unity Award winner and Kontos has been selected as the USBC Proprietor of the Year.

The annual awards honor outstanding bowling leaders for their contributions to the sport. Selections were made from submitted applications, and the recipients will receive their awards at the 2025 USBC Convention in Las Vegas.

The USBC Helen Baker Award for Outstanding Association Service is named in honor of the fifth president of the Women’s International Bowling Congress (WIBC) and recognizes an outstanding bowling leader who has made invaluable contributions to local and state associations as an innovator, creator and mentor of adult programs.

Hoheisel has been involved in leagues and associations on the local and state level in Minnesota for more than 40 years. Her work in the sport started as a league officer and then progressed to her local USBC association (Little Falls-Pierz) where she served as association secretary (1993-2005) and president (2005-present).

From there, Hoheisel moved to the state level with the Minnesota State USBC where she was a director (2007-2011), vice president (2011-2012) and president (2012-2018). In 2018, she became the association manager for the organization and remains in that role today. She has been a national delegate to the USBC Convention since 2011.

Hoheisel also serves on the tournament side, serving as director for the Minnesota State USBC Women’s Tournament since 2011, which she describes as a “source of great pride and joy.” Hoheisel says her role with that event provides her with “the boots on the ground opportunity to meet and greet about 3,000 women bowlers from across the state” who participate.

For Hoheisel, the enjoyment she derives from being involved in the sport has always come from her relationship with the bowlers.

“For me, it’s always been about working with the bowlers,” Hoheisel said. “The excitement of bowing has always attracted me, and I’ve always wanted to be involved in that community because it was fun. It was something that I could do and, as I did more of the service part of it, realized it was something I could do well. I’ve just really enjoyed being able to help others grow in the sport, whether that was adults or youths.”

In 2015, Hoheisel proposed the Youth Scholarship Program to the state board, and that program now awards approximately $20,000 a year in scholarships for Minnesota youth bowlers.

In addition to her league and association work, Hoheisel also is involved in publicity work for the sport. She manages bowling-related websites and social media for events like the state tournament, youth state tournament and women’s state tournament in an effort to “get the buzz out there about these events and get people motivated to participate in them.” Additionally, she was chairperson of the Minnesota State USBC’s Publicity Committee from 2008-2017.

Hoheisel notes one her biggest publicity highlights was establishing an official “bowling week” in the state of Minnesota. In 2013, Hoheisel submitted a proclamation request to the governor’s office to have the first week of August proclaimed “Minnesota State USBC Bowling Week.” Governor Mark Dayton granted the request, and that tradition continued through 2018.

“I’m just so humbled to receive this award,” Hoheisel said. “I’ve read and I know about Helen Baker’s vast and outstanding service to bowlers. It just comes naturally to me to get others enthused about bowling, so to be recognized for something that you truly, truly enjoy and love to do is tremendous.”

Hoheisel also wanted to give credit to her family.

“None of this happens for me without a really great support system that starts with my husband Rick,” Hoheisel said. “My current bowling team is me, my daughter (Angie), my son (Rich) and my son-in-law (Jeremy), and my daughter-in-law (Jessica) subs for the team. As I’ve been involved in all these different roles in bowling, my family has been involved as well. They’re my teammates on the lanes, and they’re my go-to people whenever I need help with anything in the bowling world.”

In addition to being honored as this year’s USBC Helen Baker Award recipient, Hoheisel is a member of the Little Falls-Pierz and Minnesota State USBC Halls of Fame.

The USBC Joyce Deitch Unity Award is named in honor of the seventh president of the WIBC. It recognizes organizations and individuals who have made important contributions to the sport of bowling by being motivators, visionaries, leaders and/or innovators.

Minshew didn’t get started in bowling until the age of 38 and only did so because a friend asked her to give it a try. Minshew said that, at the time, she thought, “Why not? How hard can it be to throw a big ball and knock down a bunch of sticks?”

Minshew admits that from that point on, her life would never be the same, and she is now one of the most highly recognized and respected coaches, authors and promoters in the sport of bowling.

Her deep dive into coaching started mostly from a frustration on her part that she was “averaging around 169 and not able to get any better,” so she started asking around if there were any bowling coaches in her area. She was referred to Bill Harris, a proprietor and coach in the Fort Worth, Texas, area.

“I pursued him mercilessly and finally got hooked up with him,” Minshew said. “I’ve always said my curiosity is my superpower, and that led me to seeing him a couple times a week and practicing relentlessly. Then, he asked me to help him with his learn to bowl classes. I knew that teaching was something I really wanted to do, and, my goodness, I just went crazy as soon as he asked me that. I said ‘yes,’ and off I went, and I haven’t stopped since.”

Not stopping led Minshew to achieving her USBC Bronze Level Coaching Certificate in 1992, her Silver Level in 1994 (the year she began coaching full-time) and her Gold Level in 2000.

“I was working in hospitals in management when I made the decision to take the plunge and do this (coaching) full-time,” said Minshew. “The year after that was the only time I’ve been audited by the IRS because they couldn’t believe how much my income went down, but that’s how I built the business. I made the decision to make being a bowling coach my real job, and I just kept after it.”

Her coaching stints have included head coach of the National Bowling Team for the Republic of Panama for the 1995 World Championships and as an assistant coach with Team USA in 1999.

Minshew was twice named United States Olympic Committee Bowling Coach of the Year (1998 and 2002), becoming the first coach to earn the honor more than once. She has been named a “Top 100 Coach” by Bowlers Journal International 10 times, and her work on various committees is extensive and includes numerous years on the National Selection Committee for Team USA, the Coaches Hall of Fame Committee and the Bowling Proprietors’ Association of America’s Coaching Committee, where she was chairperson in 2008 and 2009.

Minshew also has been active with the International Bowling Pro Shop and Instructors Association, serving two terms on the IBPSIA Board. She served as the association’s Secretary-Treasurer in 2000, Vice President in 2006 and became the first woman and coach to be elected IBPSIA’s President in 2007.

And while all these accolades are impressive, it’s really her grassroots work with the bowlers in a coaching environment that motivates Minshew.

Asked how she feels when someone she is coaching seems to “get” what she’s teaching, Minshew said, “Your cheeks hurt from smiling so much. It’s so gratifying. Bowling is just life; that’s what it is. I get to go out and change people’s lives through bowling. How fortunate am I? I feel like my gift is being able to meet people where they are. If you want to be the best bowler in your league, we can do that. We don’t all have to be on tour.”

Minshew has put in countless hours as an instructor at various bowling camps and clinics, as a featured speaker/presenter at an untold number of conferences and conventions and as a private instructor. She has authored books and instructional columns and been a bowling columnist for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and a number of bowling magazines.

Minshew talked about what it means to win an award named after Deitch.

“Joyce Deitch was so quietly powerful and so well respected,” said Minshew. “Unity is the perfect word to describe her and the work she did, and I’m very honored to win this award that is named after her.”

Minshew also had praise for the person who got her started on her coaching journey.

“I’d really like to thank Bill Harris, my coach,” said Minshew. “He’s passed away, but that doesn’t change his influence at all, and I’m real proud to pass on the integrity and the knowledge he had. And, I’d like to say there is room for everyone in this sport, and there are plenty of people who want to learn to bowl, and I’m happy to be someone who helps them.”

In addition to this honor, Minshew was presented with the President’s Award from IBPSIA in 2016 and was inducted into the Fort Worth WIBC (now North Texas USBC) Hall of Fame in 1996.

The USBC Proprietor of the Year Award annually recognizes a bowling center proprietor for outstanding support of USBC local, state and/or national association programs.

Kontos’ parents, John and Sophie, and their partners, opened Town and Country Lanes in Joliet, Illinois, as a 26-lane center in 1958, and it has been solely owned by the Kontos family since 1976.

Starting at around age 11, Kontos began helping out at the center after school and has been an integral part of it ever since. After finishing college in 1976, Kontos made the decision to get involved in the management of the center and, from that point forward, slowly worked his way into the proprietorship role.

“Over the years, I’ve done everything there is to do in this center,” Kontos said. “I’ve worked the back, I’ve worked the front counter, I’ve tended bar, just everything. From the mid-80s, I’ve been involved in the day-to-day operations. It’s been my life for the last 40 years. I sometimes wonder what life would be without it, but I can’t figure that out, and I don’t think I want to.”

As expected with a center that has been around since 1958, Town and Country Lanes has seen its share of renovations and revisions, and Kontos has been around for basically all of them. The first major change came in 1976 when Kontos’ parents bought out their last partner and then added 18 more lanes to become a 44-lane center in January of 1977.

Since then, renovations have included the “normal” items such as a pair of lane replacements, scoring system upgrades, bathroom remodels, parking lot improvements, etc., but they’ve also included the creation of some “non-traditional” items like a game room/arcade and the addition of the Specto scoring/analysis system to six lanes for the more serious bowlers. A remodel of the bowler’s area is on tap as well. Kontos gives credit to building supervisor Rick Plunge for keeping him on track with all the renovations.

“You don’t ever want your thinking to get old,” said Kontos. “What was acceptable maybe 20 years ago isn’t acceptable today. You have to change and keep up with the times. I used to be the guy, the young kid, with all the big ideas, and people would laugh at me. Now, I’m the old guy in the room, and my kids or my staff come up to me with those ideas. They keep me young, and it keeps me involved.”

Town and Country Lanes has hosted, and continues to host, its share of tournaments and events, including the professional variety. It hosted national PBA Tour events in 1968 and 1969, three consecutive national professional women’s tour events in the early 1980s and has hosted PBA regional and PBA50 regional tournaments.

Additionally, it is the home center for two high school bowling programs (Joliet West and Plainfield South) and one collegiate bowling program (University of St. Francis-Illinois). Kontos was instrumental in getting that college program off the ground, working with the athletic director of the university to create the program and serving on the selection committee to find its first coaches. Kontos served as an assistant coach with the program for six years, helping guide the women’s team to an NAIA National Invitational championship in 2017.

Kontos noted the center’s involvement with youth leagues and tournaments, many of which are spearheaded by Jeff Bailey, who is Kontos’ day manager. One of those tournaments hosted by the center is the state tournament for the Illinois Elementary School Association (IESA). According to Kontos, Bailey was “instrumental” in bringing that event for sixth, seventh and eighth graders to Town and Country Lanes.

Another program Kontos is proud of is the center’s “Lousy Bowlers” program. It’s a series of “short season” 14-week leagues where the participants aren’t competing for prize money. Instead, the league has integrated the bowling with the food and beverage program at the center and created a league that is “less about the competition and more of a social or recreational event.”

“It started kind of small but has grown now to a 16-team league,” Kontos said. “They bowl 14 weeks, take a couple weeks off and then come back for another 14-week session. It attracts the bowler that doesn’t want to commit to a long league season. It’s attracted a different kind of customer, the kind of customer we were having trouble reaching, and it’s grown every year. It’s the kind of thing I might not have considered 10 or 15 years ago, but it’s helped our business.”

For Kontos, that business has always been a family business. His father, who passed away in 2016, continued to come to the center to check on things when he was 90. His mother had a presence at the center as well, and now Kontos’ wife (Cindy), son (John) and daughter (DeAnna) are all involved.

That’s why winning the award is even more special to Kontos.

“Winning this award gave me the opportunity to reflect,” said Kontos. “I’m very lucky. I’ve got great employees and a great customer base, and I’m able to do this with my family involved. It’s made me aware of what it’s taken to get to this point. It’s given me some perspective about how lucky I was to get to work with my father for so many years and to see my mom and dad every day for most of my adult life.

“I know it’s a two-way street,” Kontos concluded. “We treat our customers well, but they treat us well. I understand that, and so do my employees.”

Kontos also is an accomplished bowler and was part of the winning team (Joliet Town and Country Lanes) at the 2001 USBC Open Championships in Reno, Nevada. His team’s total of 3,273 tied KJ Excavating for the title in Regular Team.

In addition to this award, Kontos has been inducted into the Joliet Area and Illinois Bowling Halls of Fame (1991 and 2002, respectively) and the Joliet Sports Hall of Fame (2017). His wife Cindy also is a member of all three of those halls of fame and was inducted into the Joliet Sports Hall of Fame on the same night as George.

The National Recognition Awards will be presented during the 2025 USBC Convention and Annual Meeting from May 5-8 at South Point Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

Visit BOWL.com/ScholarshipsAwards for more information on the National Recognition Awards and to learn about past recipients.

Visit BOWL.com/Convention for information about the 2025 USBC Convention.