Las Vegas Ready to Host World Bowling Senior Championships

The Team USA coaching staff has selected the eight players who will represent the United States at the 2019 World Bowling Senior Championships.

Five of the competitors were part of the group that found success at the event in 2017, while the three new additions have represented Team USA on the lanes in the past.

The 2019 edition of the World Senior Championships will be held at the South Point Bowling Plaza in Las Vegas from Sept. 3-9, and nearly 260 bowlers from 41 countries will compete for medals in singles, doubles, team, all-events and Masters competition.

To be eligible, bowlers must be 50 years of age or older during the year of the event.

Representing Team USA on the women's side will be a trio of United States Bowling Congress Hall of Famers - Leanne Hulsenberg of Pleasant View, Utah; Tish Johnson of Colorado Springs, Colorado; and Lucy Sandelin of Tampa, Florida; along with World Championships first-timer Sharon Powers of Lakewood, Colorado.

Hulsenberg and Johnson return from the 2017 squad, while Johnson has been part of the team each time since the inaugural edition of the tournament in 2013. The event is held every two years.

"It's always an honor to represent your country, and I think we have a very strong team once again," Johnson said. "I'm looking forward to this opportunity and adding to the success we've had at the past events. We communicate and work together well, and I don't see how we don't bring home the gold medals."

On the men's side, the United States will return three players - USBC and Professional Bowlers Association Hall of Famer Parker Bohn III of Jackson, New Jersey; USBC Hall of Famer Lennie Boresch Jr. of Kenosha, Wisconsin; and PBA Hall of Famer Ron Mohr of Las Vegas. USBC and PBA Hall of Famer Walter Ray Williams Jr. of Oxford, Florida, will join the team in 2019.

Mohr also has bowled in each World Senior Championships, while Bohn, who made his international debut with Team USA at the 2017 tournament, is excited to return to the event and atmosphere that was unlike anything he'd experienced during his career as a professional bowler.

"I don't think I really knew what to expect last time, and I went in as a competitor going to another bowling event, but to be there with so many proud representatives from so many countries was absolutely awesome," said Bohn, who owns 35 PBA Tour titles and four PBA50 Tour victories. "The first time I got to stand up on the podium knowing the national anthem was going to be played because of us was indescribable. I still get chills and choked up talking about it."

Bohn also is appreciative of the difference between bowling for a living and bowling for your country and is looking forward to catching up with the many international friends he made in 2017. He was a member of adult Team USA in 2008, but he did not get a chance to travel and compete.

"You can just tell you're surrounded by bowlers with a true passion and appreciation for the sport, especially since many have full-time jobs and don't do it for a living, but they take such incredible pride in bowling for their countries," Bohn said. "I am extremely grateful and honored to be one of the ones selected to represent the red, white and blue, and there's nothing like the feeling of having to throw a shot, or a strike, for your country and teammates."

At the 2017 World Senior Championships in Munich, the United States won 18 medals - nine gold, four silver and five bronze. The only event the team didn't win was women's doubles, settling for silver and bronze medals.

The United States also swept the men's and women's team gold medals at the 2015 event in Las Vegas.

For more information on the World Bowling Senior Championships, visit WorldBowling.org.

United States Bowling Congress
The United States Bowling Congress serves as the national governing body of bowling as recognized by the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC). USBC conducts championship events nationwide including the largest participation sporting events in the world - the USBC Open and Women's Championships - and professional events such as the USBC Masters and USBC Queens.

Founded in 1895, today USBC and its 1,638 state and local associations proudly serve more than a million members. USBC is headquartered in Arlington, Texas, working toward a future for the sport. The online home for USBC is BOWL.com.