Chris Caporale, sports@wolfrivermedia.com
The Shawano-Clintonville Bowling Association inducted Nan Mueller, Jeanne Rohloff, Jim Bleick and Robert Schmoll into its Hall of Fame on Sunday night.
All four inductees, who were chosen from a blind ballot, have been influential members in the local bowling community for many years.
“We’re trying to get a lot of the older bowlers in who haven’t gotten in that well deserve it,” said Rosie Thiel, board member and 15-year association manager. “There are a lot coming up that are going to be deserving it, too.”
The inductees must be at least 50 years old and members of the bowling association for 20 years prior to being nominated.
The merger of two communities into the Shawano-Clintonville Bowling Association makes hall selections more difficult because knowledge of bowlers varies greatly among committee members.
“Clintonville is kind of new with us, the past 10 years,” Thiel said. “We don’t really know the Clintonville people. The Shawano bowlers don’t really know the Clintonville bowlers as much.”
As the years go on, changes to the sport also make the induction process more difficult for the roughly 25 previous Hall of Fame members and bowlers who are in charge of selecting each year’s four best candidates.
“It has gotten a lot easier (to bowl). The averages are really inflated. You get the older bowlers that had a 160 average, I bow down to you because that was real average,” Thiel said. “It takes a lot of throwing a ball to begin with.”
The selection criteria may have changed over time, but it’s still an honor for those who are privileged enough to be nominated for the Hall of Fame.
“A lot of it is longevity now,” Thiel said. “You’re going to see a lot of really high-performance bowlers coming up soon. There are a lot of 50-year bowlers coming up soon. It takes somebody special to get in.”
During the banquet, Thiel received the Lifetime Appreciation Award for her service to the association. Also, the association announced the bowlers of the year, which were Jessica Huff and Jeremy Pederson.