Jim Ephlin makes 50th year appearance at USBC Open Championships
August 9, 2023 at 12:10 a.m.
In July, Jim Ephlin of Rushville made his 50th consecutive appearance at the 2023 U.S. Bowling Congress (USBC) Open Championships in Reno. There have been over 119 years of competition and millions of bowlers competing, but Jim is one of only 332 bowlers that have celebrated their 50th-year appearance. The accomplishment was recognized at the National Bowling Stadium during the open championships when Ephlin was escorted by his son and teammate J.T. to the stage and awarded a chevron, plaque, and diamond lapel pin to commemorate his 50th consecutive appearance.
Ephlin first appeared at the USBC Open Championships in 1973 in Syracuse, New York. However, Ephlin began bowling many years prior. Locally he is known as "Mr. Bowling" and has owned Rushville Bowl since 1984, which his father previously owned since 1960. So, for Ephlin, bowling has been a part of his life since childhood.
"All summer long, I was just in here," Ephlin began. "We were fifth graders doing chores in the back for 50 cents an hour, and we liked it. I think it was expected of us, but we liked it. And playing the game was always a plus. When we weren't working, we got to bowl. And I'll tell you, the days we had snow days and there was no school, me and Kent Howard and Tom Howard would burn it up in here. We bowled a lot of games," Jim said with a smile.
Jim's junior year of high school, he decided to quit sports and focus on bowling full time.
"My very first year, my junior year, I caught a game where I bowled a 299," Ephlin said. "That was in 1973. I don't know if that makes it harder, but the scores weren't as high back then, so it was kind of like, wow. So then I thought I was Pete Weber. I'm ready to go on the pro tour. I'm pumped; I think I am great and want to bowl a lot, and I did that next year."
Jim went on to bowl in college at Ball State and has never stopped. The tradition continued when Jim's kids, J.T. and Annie, grew up around bowling like he did. Jim shared the lane countless evenings with his son, just like his father shared countless evenings on the lanes with him. Now, most nights, Rushville Bowl is where you will find Ephlin and his wife Karen working the center and making memories with customers as they have for 39 years. Along the way, there have been countless special memories made.
"We had a great moment about 10 years ago," Ephlin said. "One of our oldest bowlers, a gentleman by the name of Tom Pector, was retired and didn't have much to do other than bowl. He was almost 90, and his bowling ball was in really bad shape. It was cracked and chipped out, and we knew he was thinking I'm too old; I'm not buying one. So people got together, did a little pitch-in, and got a ball drilled for him. One night we decided this was the night we were going to present, and we did. Of course, he was very happy. Now, he is 90 and probably a 148 or 150 bowler, which is not bad for that age, but he hit 600 that night."
Ephlin doesn't plan on changing anything anytime soon and plans to bowl as many years in the Open Championships as his health allows.
He closed out his 50th event with a 474 series in team, 430 in singles and 417 in doubles for an all-events total of 1,321, getting him to a career pinfall total of 80,038 and career average of 180.2. 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.
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In July, Jim Ephlin of Rushville made his 50th consecutive appearance at the 2023 U.S. Bowling Congress (USBC) Open Championships in Reno. There have been over 119 years of competition and millions of bowlers competing, but Jim is one of only 332 bowlers that have celebrated their 50th-year appearance. The accomplishment was recognized at the National Bowling Stadium during the open championships when Ephlin was escorted by his son and teammate J.T. to the stage and awarded a chevron, plaque, and diamond lapel pin to commemorate his 50th consecutive appearance.
Ephlin first appeared at the USBC Open Championships in 1973 in Syracuse, New York. However, Ephlin began bowling many years prior. Locally he is known as "Mr. Bowling" and has owned Rushville Bowl since 1984, which his father previously owned since 1960. So, for Ephlin, bowling has been a part of his life since childhood.
"All summer long, I was just in here," Ephlin began. "We were fifth graders doing chores in the back for 50 cents an hour, and we liked it. I think it was expected of us, but we liked it. And playing the game was always a plus. When we weren't working, we got to bowl. And I'll tell you, the days we had snow days and there was no school, me and Kent Howard and Tom Howard would burn it up in here. We bowled a lot of games," Jim said with a smile.
Jim's junior year of high school, he decided to quit sports and focus on bowling full time.
"My very first year, my junior year, I caught a game where I bowled a 299," Ephlin said. "That was in 1973. I don't know if that makes it harder, but the scores weren't as high back then, so it was kind of like, wow. So then I thought I was Pete Weber. I'm ready to go on the pro tour. I'm pumped; I think I am great and want to bowl a lot, and I did that next year."
Jim went on to bowl in college at Ball State and has never stopped. The tradition continued when Jim's kids, J.T. and Annie, grew up around bowling like he did. Jim shared the lane countless evenings with his son, just like his father shared countless evenings on the lanes with him. Now, most nights, Rushville Bowl is where you will find Ephlin and his wife Karen working the center and making memories with customers as they have for 39 years. Along the way, there have been countless special memories made.
"We had a great moment about 10 years ago," Ephlin said. "One of our oldest bowlers, a gentleman by the name of Tom Pector, was retired and didn't have much to do other than bowl. He was almost 90, and his bowling ball was in really bad shape. It was cracked and chipped out, and we knew he was thinking I'm too old; I'm not buying one. So people got together, did a little pitch-in, and got a ball drilled for him. One night we decided this was the night we were going to present, and we did. Of course, he was very happy. Now, he is 90 and probably a 148 or 150 bowler, which is not bad for that age, but he hit 600 that night."
Ephlin doesn't plan on changing anything anytime soon and plans to bowl as many years in the Open Championships as his health allows.
He closed out his 50th event with a 474 series in team, 430 in singles and 417 in doubles for an all-events total of 1,321, getting him to a career pinfall total of 80,038 and career average of 180.2. 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.