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Before you start rattling off names, let’s set a couple of rules: They must be past or present members of the La Crosse Area USBC Bowling Association, and they must be at least 55 years old or older.
How about the late Red Andrews? Or Gary Manninger, Gary Knutson, Marv Riddle, or Gordon Tiegen? Any of these names ring a bell?
These bowlers must be in the area Hall of Fame, right?
Nope.
They are not because a La Crosse Area USBC Bowling Association Hall of Fame doesn’t exist. I know it seems hard to believe, but there is no such local/area organization honoring some of the sport’s best.
Soon — albeit long overdue — that will change. Thanks to people like Association President Rick Hall, Pla-Mor Lanes owner Dick Zierke and Association manager Ed Seielstad, the Hall of Fame will introduce its inaugural members in May.
“A number of us got involved and ran with it (the idea),” Zierke said. “A lot of other places have it, and we don’t. La Crosse never really got involved with the state Hall of Fame, and maybe this will change that.”
The La Crosse Area USBC Bowling Association is basically starting from scratch, and its board of directors has its work cut out for it. The Board — which consists of a representative from each of the association’s 11 houses, plus one house proprietor — already has established a set of criteria, and has received a number of nominations. In fact, the original deadline for nominations was Monday, but that deadline might be adjusted as several other candidates are pending while more research is done, Zierke said.
“We are considering a couple of options,” Zierke said. “The biggest thing is that we want this (award) to be elite. You’ve got to be a contributor to the sport of bowling over time. That is a true Hall of Famer.”
Gene Arentz, one of the area’s top bowlers for the past decade or more, isn’t eligible for the Hall of Fame, but he certainly likes the idea of having one.
“I thought there had been one, and found out there never was. Madison and the other bigger bowling cities have one, and we should, too,” Arentz said. “It is a really good thing to recognize people for time spent on the lanes and off them for their contributions.
“The people who work hard and promote the game, respect it, teachers of the game, that is the type of person would definitely deserve it.”
Zierke said the La Crosse Area USBC Bowling Association mainly represents male bowlers, but there are female members of the Association. Realistically, members of the Hall of Fame could be men or women. Women bowlers in La Crosse have their own association — La Crosse USBC Women’s Bowling Association.
Once the Hall of Fame has members, those members will play a key role in selecting new members.
“Eventually Hall of Fame members will vote on the the new Hall of Fame. That is the ultimate goal,” Zierke said.
The inaugural members will be honored during the Association’s annual banquet in May. The time and date of that banquet has not yet been finalized.
RED-HOT JUNIORS: There are new faces atop the area leaderboard of the Top Five for Junior Girls and Junior Boys series.
Robert Mitchell, 18, tossed games of 236, 247 and 277 for a sizzling 760 series while bowling in the Traveling League at Pla-Mor Lanes on Sunday.
Not to be outdone, Chelsie Kraus, a junior at Onalaska High School, recorded a 715 series. Kraus put her name atop the leaderboard with games of 213, 269 and 233.
Mitchell and Kraus were among the 50 juniors competing in the Traveling League.
