Team All-Events champion returns to USBC Open Championships
May 04, 2023
Pictured above (from left): Ryan VanHecke, John Buffa, Jay Lang, Ronnie Sparks Jr. and John Kelley
RENO, Nev. – After a record-breaking performance at the 2022 United States Bowling Congress Open Championships helped DiLaura Brothers 1 of Clinton Township, Michigan, capture the Team All-Events title, the group was eager to return to the tournament to try and recreate their magical run at the National Bowling Stadium.
Although the final number for the 45-game marathon fell short of the top spot in 2023, the teammates still finds themselves in the top five for Regular Team and holding onto several top spots at the 76th Bowlers Journal Championships.
The members of DiLaura Brothers 1 put the bowling world on notice last year at the South Point Bowling Plaza in Las Vegas as they shattered the Team All-Events record with a 10,585 total.
The performance was led by 2015 Regular Singles champion Ronnie Sparks Jr., who had a 2,201 total. He was joined in the effort by two-time Eagle winner Jay Lang (2,167), John Kelley (2,099), Ryan VanHecke (2,092) and John Buffa (2,026).
The score flew past the 10,444 shot just days earlier by Mento Produce of Baldwinsville, New York. Mento Produce’s score had set the record, surpassing the 26-year mark held by 1996 champion Pollard’s Bowl of Versailles, Indiana (10,425).
The score was challenged by Team NABR of Fairport, New York (10,538), but when the final ball was rolled at the Bowling Plaza, DiLaura Brothers 1 officially added its name to the record book as the 2022 Team All-Events champion.
They also finished the year as the runner-up in Regular Team, while Sparks was seventh in Regular All-Events. Sparks and Lang also finished tied for 10th in Regular Doubles in 2022.
Coming into the 2023 event, the team was ready to take on the task to aim for another run at the lead but were reflective on the hard work and success they shared the year before in Las Vegas.
“Marching out and getting announced as the 2022 Team All-Events champion with our record-breaking score was an awesome feeling, and there was no one I was more excited for than Buffa, Ryan and Kelley,” said Lang, who expressed excitement for the first-time Eagle winners on the team. “They deserve this after all our hard work, and I couldn’t be happier for them, most of all.”
After the presentation of the Earl Anthony Trophy prior to their team event in Reno, the group quickly went to work in hopes of making another run toward a top spot.
DiLaura Brothers 1 fired 1,264 out of the gates – the highest team game of the 2023 USBC Open Championships. They followed with 1,047 and 1,063 to get to third place in Regular Team with 3,374. The team now sits in fourth.
Las Vegas’ Chili Garlic Edamame leads Regular Team at the 2023 event with 3,422.
Sparks led the way in the team event, shooting 751 with a 290 to start and was followed by VanHecke (730), Kelley (651), Buffa (624) and Lang (618).
The strong effort gave the team momentum going into doubles and singles the next day as they looked to chase down this year’s number – 9,984 by Chili Garlic Edamame.
The team felt prepped after bowling a few squads at the Bowlers Journal Championships, also held inside of the National Bowling Stadium, and the event’s leaderboard suggested the same thing, too.
Four of the top 10 spots in Open Doubles currently are held by members of DiLaura Brothers 1, including the top two spots. Lang is leading Open Doubles with Perry Crowell IV of St. Clair Shores, Michigan, with 1,416, and Kelley and Crowell are in second with 1,407.
Kelley also is in sixth place in Open Singles and fifth in Dual Entry with 719.
“We bowled a few squads of the BJ and communicated what we were going to do after watching a few friends out on the lanes during competition,” said Lang, who also is a 1997 Regular Team and 1999 Team All-Events champion. “We got to a point where we felt comfortable and ready for the pattern.”
Unfortunately, the team got off to a slow start for minors and could not seem to get any momentum going for their second day at the Open Championships.
“What we saw on the BJ pairs compared to the actual pairs we were on was just night and day different,” Lang said. “The pair we were on was just hooking a ton more than what we thought, and we were never able to catch up to the moves needed to be successful out there.”
The defending champions ended the 2023 tournament at 9,004, which currently has them just outside the top 50.
Lang, who made his 29th Open Championships appearance, could not help but be a little disappointed in the outcome this year, but he knows the team will be ready to go for their next opportunity at the event.
“You know when you have a game plan coming in and it doesn’t play out how you planned, of course you’re going to be disappointed,” Lang said. “I am happy for my teammates and proud of what we have done out there, though, and we’re not going to let this year’s performance get us down. We will be back and ready for Vegas next year.”
The 2023 Open Championships kicked off March 4 and will conclude July 24. The 143-day tournament will feature more than 9,700 five-player teams and nearly 50,000 bowlers making their way to compete in The Biggest Little City in the World.
Visit us on Facebook at the official USBC Open Championships page.
RENO, Nev. – After a record-breaking performance at the 2022 United States Bowling Congress Open Championships helped DiLaura Brothers 1 of Clinton Township, Michigan, capture the Team All-Events title, the group was eager to return to the tournament to try and recreate their magical run at the National Bowling Stadium.
Although the final number for the 45-game marathon fell short of the top spot in 2023, the teammates still finds themselves in the top five for Regular Team and holding onto several top spots at the 76th Bowlers Journal Championships.
The members of DiLaura Brothers 1 put the bowling world on notice last year at the South Point Bowling Plaza in Las Vegas as they shattered the Team All-Events record with a 10,585 total.
The performance was led by 2015 Regular Singles champion Ronnie Sparks Jr., who had a 2,201 total. He was joined in the effort by two-time Eagle winner Jay Lang (2,167), John Kelley (2,099), Ryan VanHecke (2,092) and John Buffa (2,026).
The score flew past the 10,444 shot just days earlier by Mento Produce of Baldwinsville, New York. Mento Produce’s score had set the record, surpassing the 26-year mark held by 1996 champion Pollard’s Bowl of Versailles, Indiana (10,425).
The score was challenged by Team NABR of Fairport, New York (10,538), but when the final ball was rolled at the Bowling Plaza, DiLaura Brothers 1 officially added its name to the record book as the 2022 Team All-Events champion.
They also finished the year as the runner-up in Regular Team, while Sparks was seventh in Regular All-Events. Sparks and Lang also finished tied for 10th in Regular Doubles in 2022.
Coming into the 2023 event, the team was ready to take on the task to aim for another run at the lead but were reflective on the hard work and success they shared the year before in Las Vegas.
“Marching out and getting announced as the 2022 Team All-Events champion with our record-breaking score was an awesome feeling, and there was no one I was more excited for than Buffa, Ryan and Kelley,” said Lang, who expressed excitement for the first-time Eagle winners on the team. “They deserve this after all our hard work, and I couldn’t be happier for them, most of all.”
After the presentation of the Earl Anthony Trophy prior to their team event in Reno, the group quickly went to work in hopes of making another run toward a top spot.
DiLaura Brothers 1 fired 1,264 out of the gates – the highest team game of the 2023 USBC Open Championships. They followed with 1,047 and 1,063 to get to third place in Regular Team with 3,374. The team now sits in fourth.
Las Vegas’ Chili Garlic Edamame leads Regular Team at the 2023 event with 3,422.
Sparks led the way in the team event, shooting 751 with a 290 to start and was followed by VanHecke (730), Kelley (651), Buffa (624) and Lang (618).
The strong effort gave the team momentum going into doubles and singles the next day as they looked to chase down this year’s number – 9,984 by Chili Garlic Edamame.
The team felt prepped after bowling a few squads at the Bowlers Journal Championships, also held inside of the National Bowling Stadium, and the event’s leaderboard suggested the same thing, too.
Four of the top 10 spots in Open Doubles currently are held by members of DiLaura Brothers 1, including the top two spots. Lang is leading Open Doubles with Perry Crowell IV of St. Clair Shores, Michigan, with 1,416, and Kelley and Crowell are in second with 1,407.
Kelley also is in sixth place in Open Singles and fifth in Dual Entry with 719.
“We bowled a few squads of the BJ and communicated what we were going to do after watching a few friends out on the lanes during competition,” said Lang, who also is a 1997 Regular Team and 1999 Team All-Events champion. “We got to a point where we felt comfortable and ready for the pattern.”
Unfortunately, the team got off to a slow start for minors and could not seem to get any momentum going for their second day at the Open Championships.
“What we saw on the BJ pairs compared to the actual pairs we were on was just night and day different,” Lang said. “The pair we were on was just hooking a ton more than what we thought, and we were never able to catch up to the moves needed to be successful out there.”
The defending champions ended the 2023 tournament at 9,004, which currently has them just outside the top 50.
Lang, who made his 29th Open Championships appearance, could not help but be a little disappointed in the outcome this year, but he knows the team will be ready to go for their next opportunity at the event.
“You know when you have a game plan coming in and it doesn’t play out how you planned, of course you’re going to be disappointed,” Lang said. “I am happy for my teammates and proud of what we have done out there, though, and we’re not going to let this year’s performance get us down. We will be back and ready for Vegas next year.”
The 2023 Open Championships kicked off March 4 and will conclude July 24. The 143-day tournament will feature more than 9,700 five-player teams and nearly 50,000 bowlers making their way to compete in The Biggest Little City in the World.
Visit us on Facebook at the official USBC Open Championships page.