Our Excellent Las Vegas Adventure
By Jim Goodwin - Stars & Strikes NewsmagazineLas Vegas was our home away from home for many years, and our recent trip to Glitter Gulch reminded us why we have enjoyed visiting the dynamic city so much for more than three decades.
CJ and I first ventured to Vegas in the late 70's after a bowling trip to Reno for the 1977 ABC Championships. We fell in love with the city and it's never ending entertainment, but mostly we have treasured and cherished the many friendships we have started and continued there.
Sam's Town was our Vegas home base for many years. We attended virtually every bowling event held there from 1980 through the end of the women's tour in 2003; not to mention the first Senior U.S Open, the International Eliminators, the Mini Eliminators at Sam's Town and the Orleans, and numerous PBA and High Rollers held up the street at the famous Showboat.
It was there we always visited our friends Jeanette Robinson, Jack Cook, Fran Deken (Wolf at the time - she met her husband Dave at the Boat), Betty Morris and many others. In the early days, we went with our great friend Pete Moore, and he introduced us to Showboat CEO Joe Kelly. In those days, ordinary folks like us could just waltz into the office of the hotel and casino boss without much protocol. We met Jeanette Robinson before we started our Las Vegas trips during one of her many trips to Texas as a touring pro and president of the original PWBA. As a teenager, I first saw her in the 1964 BPAA All Star Tournament held at the Fair Park Coliseum in Dallas. That was the one where Dick Weber and Sylvia Wene Martin bowled a match aboard an American Airlines 707 in route from New York to Dallas.
It was also the event where Don Carter sat with his golfing buddy Mickey Mantle to watch his wife LaVerne win her first major title. She was tabbed The Blonde Bombshell" in those days and Robinson, a Michigan mom with four children, was "the other blonde bombshell." It was my first real look at women's professional bowling. In later years, LaVerne lived in Vegas and became great friends with Jeanette.
Ten Years later, the women's tour returned to Dallas when super promoter Jeanie Hulsey hosted the '74 Women's U.S. Open at her Golden Triangle Bowl. Again, Robinson was there, front and center in the event won by Pat Costello. Wyatt Slaughter was Hulsey's bowling center manager and was mostly responsible for getting her involved with the tour. She gave not only her time, but a lot of her money to keep it going in leaner times.
Over the years, the women's tour has been the most enjoyable aspect of bowling for us. We traveled to see many events, had the privilege of working with John Sommer and his staff for many years, and always did whatever we could to help with events in Dallas at places like Expressway lanes, where Aleta Sill once won a Mustang convertible, to Bowl Dallas, the former Hart Bowl, where Connie Cotton and Dick Leatherwood put on a great event.
In 1988 and '89, we worked with Sherrie Slaughter and Desoto, Texas Deputy Mayor Ken Urban to host the LPBT Tour, and my job as manager was made easy by them and many others.
Fast forward to 2015 . . . (sigh of relief?) This was our first trip to Vegas in four years. Our week started with a nice breakfast on Tuesday at the Orleans coffee shop with Jeanette and her incredible husband Dick. They are both octogenarians, but that does not hold them back; at least not during Golden Ladies Classic week. We love them and consider them family.
After the final round of qualifying, Mike Kaufman and his staff put on a very nice party for players and guests in the evening. Barbara Christman and Jimmy Callahan were there from Storm. Kaufman was sporting a fancy sling after undergoing shoulder surgery, but he made it through the week with a smile. "I can finally brush my teeth by myself" he joked. Robinson was appropriately praised for her work and dedication in making the GLC one of bowling's premier events. Imagine starting an event at age 61; and having the joy of seeing it still thriving 25 years down the road. Storm presented her with beautiful flowers, and she probably got hugs from all 124 player and their guests. It was a very special evening. During the matchplay rounds, we took a couple of breaks to visit our good friend Mike Monyak. The former manager of the Orleans is now Director of Bowling at Michael Gaughan's South Point. We got the insiders tour of South Point's new 60-lane Bowling Arena. It is not quite the size of Reno's National Bowling Stadium, but more intimate and plenty big enough to host any of the major events that will start this year and continue for many years; the PBA World Series being only one.
And the technology is state-of-the-art. We told Mike we can hardly wait to hear the National Anthem at the opening ceremony of next year's USBC Women's Championships and hear the music and see the amazing graphics unfold across the house.
Monyak, 56, has been in Las Vegas since 1982, and he has seen a lot of bowling as a top player, a promoter, and now has the honor of working with South Point owner Michael Gaughan and a terrific staff to manage one of the world's best bowling properties. His experience as a bowler and center manager were instrumental in making sure that the new Arena was done right.
Our interview with Mike will appear in next month's issue.
Finally, after the GLC was over (see results in this issue) we had the honor of spending some quality time with our friends David Garber and Joan Romeo. Joan was proud to watch both of her daughters, Robin and Tori bowl in the finals of the GLC, and David was in town to attend the Amusement Expo Convention at the LV Convention Center representing International Bowling Industry Magazine. After the exciting conclusion of the GLC, David and I met at the Amusement Expo. I will be writing a short story for IBI about the event and several more. Garber is another friend we have known since he was a top youth bowler in Dallas, and it is nice to see him in his new role as Associate Publisher of IBI. After leaving the convention, Joan Romeo and I visited the office of one of bowling's newest and most innovative companies - Rolltech; and we had a nice chat with Rolltech CEO Rich Belsky at his office near downtown Vegas. For both of us, it was comforting to see young people into bowling both as a sport and a business. I predict we will be hearing a lot more from the Rolltech folks in the near and far future.
Friday, we finally had some down time; a very nice breakfast at the South Point Coffee Shop; time to leave a little money in a couple of casinos... we did not win, but it was fun trying. The flight home was uneventful. Thank God for that.
Article was posted with permission from Stars & Strikes, America's Bowling Newsmagazine. www.starsandstrikesbowling.com
