COLUMBUS
Some got married at the lanes in Seymour
Others spent over 50 years competing for glory.
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]Click here to purchase photos from this gallery
Many went out a couple nights a week to just play for fun in the leagues.
Seymour’s United States Bowling Congress Association Charter was about much more than the sport.
“No matter what your skill level is, bowling brings people together,” Seymour USBC president Shawn Franklin. “From the youngest child to the oldest adult, you can come out and have a good time. You can roll the ball down the lane and have the chance at having a strike. I saw a little kid (on Saturday) who was able to throw a strike and celebrate. I can turn around and see someone in their 70s, and they throw a strike and celebrate just the same. From generation to generation, bowling brings people together.”
On Saturday, the USBC met for one last time at Columbus Bowling Center to recognize the official dissolution of the Seymour charter.
Past and present sanctioned league bowlers and their families went to Columbus’ lanes for food, drinks, prizes and free bowling.
“We put this event together because Seymour no longer has a bowling center,” Franklin said. “According to the laws of the United States Bowling Congress, we have to dissolve our funds. What we thought we would do is give back to the people who put in the money over the years. We had approximately $9,000 left over in different accounts.
Kingpins Bowl, which had more than 430 current and/or active members, closed in 2016.
The men’s Seymour Bowling Association chartered in 1961, with Maurice Hudson serving as president.
Harold Hackman, of Seymour, said he started bowling in 1963.
“I just started bowling one day, and I enjoyed,” Hackman said. “In the winter time, I bowl one day at Scottsburg and one day in Columbus in senior leagues. I will always remember my 300 game after I retired. I was 67-years-old when I bowled my first 300. I love the competition. It’s a lot of fun.”
In the 1966-67 season, there were 749 sanctioned men bowlers in Seymour, the highest number for a single season. There are 52 members in the men’s hall of fame.
While John Stockamp, of Seymour, wishes he still had home lanes, he was glad to meet up friends over the weekend.
He said he has also been bowling every year except for when he served in the Vietnam War.
“I just like to complete,” Stockamp said. “If you’re short, slow and uncoordinated: Bowling is where you can compete. If you’re not terribly athletic, this is something you could compete in. It’s a good game.”
The Seymour Women’s Bowling Association chartered in 1958 with president Patty Russell. There are 40 women bowlers from Seymour in the hall of fame.
The men’s and women’s associations merged in 2006, forming the Seymour United States Bowling Congress, with Bob Klosterman serving as the first president and Sherrye Ruddick serving as manager.
There have been six bowling facilities in Seymour, according to Klosterman, which started in the basement of the Lutheran Club House in 1914. It was followed by the Seymour Bowling Alley in 1938 and Lucky Strike Lanes in 1939.
During World War II there was a bowling alley in a hangar for soldiers who were training at the army airbase at Freeman Field. In 1957, BJ Lucky Lanes opened and Freeman Lanes opened in 1961, which later became Starlite Bowl. It was purchased by Brunswick and then later sold again and renamed Kingpins Bowl in 2013.
“The Seymour charter was special because of the people who originally organized it,” Franklin said. “They created such a strong base of bowlers that intertwined throughout the state. They taught us how to do things.”
Franklin said that while 200 had sent R.S.V.P., participation far exceeded that number with walk-ins.
Seymour USBC had 10 board members.
“I’ve seen people today that haven’t bowled in many, many years,” Franklin said. “People who were physically unable to bowl, but come back for this event. Even if they’re not able to bowl, they’ve caught up with old friends.”
The free event went five hours, which started at 1 p.m.
“It was good recreation and fellowship with other bowlers,” Seymour’s Randi Pearson said. “Being here brought back some memories. I don’t know how long I’ve been a member.”
Franklin said he hopes that the organization re-charter in the future.
“If a center is ever re-opened in Seymour, we would reapply to the U.S. Bowling Congress to re-charter,” he said. “ It would be a challenge, but I think based on today’s events we see that it can be done. It was great to see people from all over.”