FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (August 12, 2004)

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Bob Randolph

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MINNESOTA BOWLER TOPS ABC

TOURNAMENT LIFETIME AVERAGE LIST

GREENDALE, Wis. –Sam Lantto of Eden Prarie, Minn., can claim that he’s on top of the bowling world in more ways than one.

Lantto, 40, has moved to the top spot on the prestigious American Bowling Congress Championships Tournament lifetime average list with a 214.49 average over21 years, topping his Tournament teammate, Todd Savoy of Superior, Wis., by a quarter of a pin.

The lifetime average list consistsof active bowlers who have competed in the ABC Tournament for 20 or more years.

At the 2004 ABC in Reno, Lantto rolled 1,960 inall-events which included a 300 game in doubles. That performance added to his growing list of bowling accomplishments in recent years. He was a member of the 2002 Team All-Events champion and was selected for his third Team USAberth in 2003. Most recently he was elected vice president for the newly formed United States Bowling Congress.

“Bowling has been good to me in more ways than one,” Lantto said. “Being on top of the list is a testament to longevity and capability. Even though this is an individual honor I don’t think it would have been possible without great players around me over the years.”

Lantto has bowled 1,800or better in all-events at the Tournament every year with the exception of 1987 in Niagara Falls, N.Y.

“I don’t want to talk about that year,”Lantto said. “After I was done bowling, my teammates joked that they saw me walking toward Niagara Falls with bowling balls over my shoulders.”

The 20-year list is topped by Savoy with a 214.27 average followed by Dale Traber of Cedarburg, Wis.,with 213.57. The 20-year list is comprised of a bowler’s past 20 consecutive ABC Tournaments.

Leading the 10-year list (for the past 10 consecutive years) is Lennie Boresch Jr. of Kenosha, Wis., with a 222.03 average. Fellow Wisconsinite John Socha of New Berlinholds second place with a 220.66 average.

Derek Sapp of Keokuk, Iowa, the 2003 Regular Doubles champion, holds down first place on the five, four and three-year lists with averages of 231.73, 233.19 and 231.48, respectively.

The two-year list is topped by the 2004 Regular Singles and Regular All-Events champion, John Janawicz of Winter Haven, Fla. Janawicz’s average of 237.89 was boosted by a Tournament record 858 singles series in 2004.

For more information on the ABC Tournament, visit

ABC Tournament Average Lists

(*indicates average based in part or totally on ABC Masters scores)

LIFETIME (20 or more years)
1, Sam Lantto, Eden Prairie, Minn., 214.49. 2, Todd Savoy, Superior, Wis., 214.24. 3, Lennie Boresch Jr., Kenosha, Wis., 213.23. 4, Dennis Rakauskas, Apopka, Fla., 211.42. 5, Jim Pencak, Parma, Ohio, 211.32.* 6, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Ocala, Fla., 210.84*. 7, Harold Sullins, Chesterfield, Mich., 210.62.* 8, Kevin Taber, Toledo, Ohio, 210.58. 9, Ted Bertrand, Billings, Mont., 210.54. 10, Jeff Richgels, Oregon, Wis., 210.20.

20-Year
1, Todd Savoy, Superior, Wis., 214.27. 2, Dale Traber, Cedarburg, Wis., 213.57. 3, Steve Fehr, Cincinnati, Ohio, 213.36. 4, Bob Goike, Saline, Mich., 213.33. 5, Brian Brazeau, Ocala, Fla., 211.74. 6, Ted Bertrand, Billings, Mont., 211.23. 7. John Wittkowske, Shorewood, Wis., 210.77. 8, Greg Shields, Springfield, Mo., 210.75. 9, Rick Pollard, Versailles, Ind., 210.36. 10, Dave Welage, Cincinatti, Ohio, 210.23.

10-Year
1, Lennie Boresch Jr., Kenosha, Wis., 222.03. 2, John Socha, New Berlin, Wis., 220.66. 3, Jeff Richgels, Oregon, Wis., 219.89. 4, Chris Barnes, Wichita, Kan., 219.52*. 5, Sam Lantto, Eden Prairie, Minn., 219.01. 6, Carl Fietek, Eden Prairie, Minn., 218.71. 7, Steve Fehr, Cincinnati, Ohio, 217.88. 8, Dale Traber, Cedarburg, Wis., 217.74. 9, Dennis Rakauskas, Apopka, Fla., 217.50. 10, Brian Brazeau, Ocala, Fla., 217.43.

5-Year
1, Derek Sapp, Keokuk, Iowa, 231.73. 2, Lennie Boresch Jr., Kenosha, Wis., 225.42. 3, John Janawicz, Winter Haven, Fla., 223.11. 4, D.J. Archer, Amarillo, Texas, 222.78*. 5, Mike Shady, Fairview, Pa., 222.36. 6, David Haynes, Las Vegas, Nev., 222.31. 7, Brian Brazeau, Ocala, Fla., 221.60. 8, Dennis Rakauskas, Apopka, Fla., 221.31. 9, Ray Szajko, South Bend, Ind., 220.82. 10, Robert Udseth, Elgin, Ill., 220.73.

4-Year
1, Derek Sapp, Keokuk, Iowa, 233.19. 2, John Janawicz, Winter Haven, Fla., 227.00. 3, D.J. Archer, Amarillo, Texas, 225.24*. 4, Rick Miller, Lincoln, Neb., 222.92. 5, Dennis Rakauskas, Apopka, Fla., 222.31. 6, Lennie BoreschJr., Kenosha, Wis., 221.56. 7, Mike Shady, Fairview, Pa., 221.31. 8, Tommy Jones, Greenville, S.C., 221.18*. 9, Brian Brazeau, Ocala, Fla., 221.11. 10, David Haynes, Las Vegas, Nev., 220.86.

3-Year
1, Derek Sapp, Keokuk, Iowa, 231.48. 2, John Janawicz, Winter Haven, Fla., 231.15. 3, Dennis Rakauskas, Apopka, Fla., 228.26. 4, Rick Miller, Lincoln, Neb., 227.56. 5, Jerry Casebolt, Greeley, Colo., 223.96. 6, Tim Beaver, Kingston, N.Y., 223.81. 7, Matt Smith, Altoona, Iowa, 223.33. 8, Steve Kloempken, Pleasant Veiw, Utah, 222.67. 9, Don Yoshihara, Tampa, Fla., 222.15. 10, AndrewCain, Chandler, Ariz., 221.93.

2-Year
1, John Janawicz, Winter Haven, Fla., 237.89. 2, Derek Sapp, Keokuk, Iowa, 232.28. 3, Jerry Casebolt, Greeley, Colo., 229.50. 4, Ed Seliga, Kenosha, Wis., 228.17. 5, Steve Kloempken, Pleasant View, Utah, 228.11. 6, Tommy Jones, Greenville, S.C., 227.30*. 7, Tim Beaver, Kingston, N.Y., 225.11. 8, Sean Rash, Anchorage, Alaska, 224.94. 9, Don Yoshihara, Tampa, Fla., 224.78. 10, DennisRakauskas, Apopka, Fla., 224.78.

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