South Carolina bowler joins 50-Year Club at USBC Open Championships
June 27, 2019
LAS VEGAS - Reaching 50 years of participation at the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships is something that snuck up on Butch Dieckhoner of McCormick, South Carolina, who became the newest member of the event's 50-Year Club on Wednesday.
The 69-year-old right-hander was escorted to the lanes at the South Point Bowling Plaza by his wife, Kathy, and grandchildren, Violet and Jayden, and he was presented with a chevron, plaque and diamond lapel pin to commemorate the milestone.
He is one of 23 bowlers scheduled to reach the 50-year mark during the 2019 tournament, though one of the other honorees, his longtime teammate Ronald Bowers of North Royalton, Ohio, is going to miss the event due to health issues.
"It was great walking out here with my wife and two grandkids and having my daughter (Chris), son-in-law (Brandon) and some teams from where I used to live sitting out there watching," Dieckhoner said. "It's hard to believe 50 years got here so fast. It really is. All of a sudden I was at 40 years, then 45. This really is a special accomplishment."
On the way to 50 years of USBC Open Championships participation, Dieckhoner has had to overcome some health issues, too. The operating room has been an immediate stop upon returning home on more than one occasion.
One year, he bowled in the event with a torn Achilles tendon, which he had repaired soon after, and another year on the lanes was followed by a hip replacement. Two years ago, it was a torn bicep and rotator cuff that threatened his consecutive streak.
Dieckhoner knows his body and skills on the lanes many not be what they once were, but he's able to enjoy the tournament experience for all of the other things it has to offer, like camaraderie and the chance to experience different parts of the country.
Since he retired to South Carolina from Ohio about six years ago to escape the snow and enjoy life near the water and golf courses, he also now uses the Open Championships as an opportunity to reunite with his longtime teammates, who reside everywhere from Florida to his former home state.
Bowers, who potentially was the most influential ally of Dieckhoner's tournament career, was responsible for introducing him to the Open Championships in 1970, and Dieckhoner hasn't missed a tournament since.
For most of the next five decades, it was not possible to see one without the other at the premier event for USBC members.
Bowers, who made his own tournament debut at the 1968 event in Cincinnati, competed 49 times through 2017. Ongoing health issues kept him from making his milestone appearance in 2018, but Dieckhoner held out hope they could share the spotlight together this year in Las Vegas.
"He got to 49 and couldn't go anymore, and we talked about him possibly making 50 with me this year, or at least being here, but he physically just couldn't make it," Dieckhoner said. "I bowled with him 40-something years in doubles, and one year in Detroit when we weren't partners (1971), our scores actually would've been enough to win the doubles title. It's just amazing how that worked out. I really wish he could've been here. It would've been extra special, for sure."
Dieckhoner first found his way into the spotlight at the Open Championships during the 1989 event in Wichita, Kansas, where he rolled a perfect game on the way to a career-best 756 singles series.
He ranks that as his top tournament memory, possibly until the magnitude of reaching 50 years of participation sinks in.
Along with his bowling success, the countless side trips he and his family and teammates have made have been as memorable as some of the host cities and tournament venues themselves.
One of his favorite years was 1995 when he first got to compete in the new National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nevada.
Their travels have included excursions to Lake Tahoe, San Francisco, locations up and down the West Coast and many more. His wife has been with him for more than 40 of his tournament appearances, and their travels will continue in 2020, when they potentially will explore the Pacific Northwest in conjunction with their return to Reno.
This year on the tournament lanes at the Bowling Plaza, also one of his favorite venues, Dieckhoner rolled sets of 491 in team, 453 in singles and 448 in doubles for a 1,392 all-events total.
In 50 years at the Open Championships, he has knocked down 83,598 pins for a career average of 185.7.
Visit us on Facebook at the official USBC Open Championships Facebook page.
The 69-year-old right-hander was escorted to the lanes at the South Point Bowling Plaza by his wife, Kathy, and grandchildren, Violet and Jayden, and he was presented with a chevron, plaque and diamond lapel pin to commemorate the milestone.
He is one of 23 bowlers scheduled to reach the 50-year mark during the 2019 tournament, though one of the other honorees, his longtime teammate Ronald Bowers of North Royalton, Ohio, is going to miss the event due to health issues.
"It was great walking out here with my wife and two grandkids and having my daughter (Chris), son-in-law (Brandon) and some teams from where I used to live sitting out there watching," Dieckhoner said. "It's hard to believe 50 years got here so fast. It really is. All of a sudden I was at 40 years, then 45. This really is a special accomplishment."
On the way to 50 years of USBC Open Championships participation, Dieckhoner has had to overcome some health issues, too. The operating room has been an immediate stop upon returning home on more than one occasion.
One year, he bowled in the event with a torn Achilles tendon, which he had repaired soon after, and another year on the lanes was followed by a hip replacement. Two years ago, it was a torn bicep and rotator cuff that threatened his consecutive streak.
Dieckhoner knows his body and skills on the lanes many not be what they once were, but he's able to enjoy the tournament experience for all of the other things it has to offer, like camaraderie and the chance to experience different parts of the country.
Since he retired to South Carolina from Ohio about six years ago to escape the snow and enjoy life near the water and golf courses, he also now uses the Open Championships as an opportunity to reunite with his longtime teammates, who reside everywhere from Florida to his former home state.
Bowers, who potentially was the most influential ally of Dieckhoner's tournament career, was responsible for introducing him to the Open Championships in 1970, and Dieckhoner hasn't missed a tournament since.
For most of the next five decades, it was not possible to see one without the other at the premier event for USBC members.
Bowers, who made his own tournament debut at the 1968 event in Cincinnati, competed 49 times through 2017. Ongoing health issues kept him from making his milestone appearance in 2018, but Dieckhoner held out hope they could share the spotlight together this year in Las Vegas.
"He got to 49 and couldn't go anymore, and we talked about him possibly making 50 with me this year, or at least being here, but he physically just couldn't make it," Dieckhoner said. "I bowled with him 40-something years in doubles, and one year in Detroit when we weren't partners (1971), our scores actually would've been enough to win the doubles title. It's just amazing how that worked out. I really wish he could've been here. It would've been extra special, for sure."
Dieckhoner first found his way into the spotlight at the Open Championships during the 1989 event in Wichita, Kansas, where he rolled a perfect game on the way to a career-best 756 singles series.
He ranks that as his top tournament memory, possibly until the magnitude of reaching 50 years of participation sinks in.
Along with his bowling success, the countless side trips he and his family and teammates have made have been as memorable as some of the host cities and tournament venues themselves.
One of his favorite years was 1995 when he first got to compete in the new National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nevada.
Their travels have included excursions to Lake Tahoe, San Francisco, locations up and down the West Coast and many more. His wife has been with him for more than 40 of his tournament appearances, and their travels will continue in 2020, when they potentially will explore the Pacific Northwest in conjunction with their return to Reno.
This year on the tournament lanes at the Bowling Plaza, also one of his favorite venues, Dieckhoner rolled sets of 491 in team, 453 in singles and 448 in doubles for a 1,392 all-events total.
In 50 years at the Open Championships, he has knocked down 83,598 pins for a career average of 185.7.
Visit us on Facebook at the official USBC Open Championships Facebook page.