UNIONTOWN — Mark Suchan has walked through the “Golden Gates” of one of bowling’s most prestigious events for 32 years now —including three different sites during the tourney’s 113-year overall history.
But never during his 14 years as a squad leader and sponsor has his group done anything like this.
Suchan’s 32-player squad — consisting of predominantly Northeast Ohio players and dominated by many from the Akron-Canton area — finished first among squads during the recently-completed 113th annual Petersen Classic at Bowlero Wauwatosa in Wauwatosa, Wis., a suburb of Milwaukee.
What makes this event special? Consider:
- Bowlers use only two balls, which are checked in prior to the start of a squad and carted out to the lanes for their eight-game blocks;
- Bowlers receive no practice prior to the start, move pairs and each lane carries an entirely different oil pattern;
- There are no arrows on the lanes to serve as targets; and
- There is a backdrop that hangs around where the arrows would be that partially blocks your view so you have to bend down to see the result of your shots in the 16-lane center with four bowlers to a pair. Suchan’s squad also had to use the breakdown pair which “had an even tougher shot.”
Suchan, who began his Petersen legacy with a squad led by former professional women’s player Vicki Montgomery “because I wasn’t good enough,” eventually was invited to join his father, Tom, on his squad of the top Akron area players.
“Dad sponsored a team for more than 25 years and then he handed it off to me and I’ve had it the last 14,” Suchan said. “I’ve bowled in this for 32 years and Dad bowled in it for over 50. That was back when it was still in Chicago at the old place (Archer-35th Recreation).”
Since then, the event had moved to Hoffman Estates, Ill., and now to its current Wisconsin location.
Suchan’s 32-player squad finished with 45,641 total pinfall, an average of 178.29 per player. To top the field. He was unsure how many total squads were involved, but the Classic estimated more than 1,800 bowlers participated in the event which ended in August.
“Our squads use to be just the top bowlers from the Akron area. But then as everyone got older, I started picking up and recruiting a lot of the younger strong area players,” said Suchan, a 53-year-old Uniontown right-hander. “We’ve had a lot of turnover over the years from the older generation to the now newer generation and I’m kind of in the middle.”
The youngest member of his squad was Akron 19-year-old Carter Rich, who was a third generation bowler on the squad (grandfather Doug and father Chris). The oldest was 70-year-old Joe Donofrio of Akron.
“We had quite a variety and it worked out great,” Suchan said. “Joe topped the 70-and-over division, which was a first for him, and Carter cashed in his first time here.”
Massillon’s J.D. Jones topped the squad, finishing ninth overall with 1,607 in major singles, while Suchan and Tallmadge’s John Randolph finished tied for 15th (1,579). In all, 15 members of Suchan’s squad finished among the top 78 in major singles.
A full squad consists of 32 players, although some squads have less. The area group’s top nemesis over the years, Pittsburgh squads originally formed by the late Buddy DeLucca, had 64 players on two squads this year.
“We just always seemed to get beat by those guys. We always seemed to be in the 42,000 to 43,000 range each year,” said Suchan, whose squads had a few top three finishes but never a win. “But this year, we finally beat them by over 500 pins.”
But Suchan’s squad had one more obstacle he was unaware of in August when a group of former Petersen champions, including pros Kevin McCune and Liz Johnson, bowled on past champion Dave Armstrong’s squad.
“I just thought, ‘we’re dead,’” Suchan said. “But the closest they were able to come to us was 340 pins. It was one of our best years ever as a squad, even with a couple of newcomers shooting around 1,000. But with the strength of the rest of the guys, it didn’t matter.”
The key aspect of winning the squad title is free entry into the following year’s event. Since the entry fee has increased to $100, this means a lot to squad members — and to the organizer.
“This has always been a goal of mine over the years. It used to be the top couple of squads would get free entries,” Suchan said. “But when it started moving around and bowling declined, they limited it to the top squad. Dad always had a team that was at or near the top and they won free entries plenty of times.”
Suchan’s squad has maintained its traditional Memorial Day weekend trip to “The Pete” — a guys-only journey that traditionally became “more of a casino trip.”
But he admits getting 32 players to commit to the 6 1/2-hour trip to Wisconsin gets tougher annually.
“To get 32 people to commit a few months in advance, and collect the money plus the travel distance has been getting tougher and tougher,” Suchan said. “But we have a great squad … everyone helps out.
“If I’m unable to fill a spot or if we have people drop out and I can’t find anyone, the younger generation have all stepped up to help fill it up. Every year, I’ve had a full squad and it’s been with the help of everyone.”
And for Suchan, who began going the Petersen Classic in the early 1990s, a bucket list goal has been reached.
Here is a list of some of the top individual performances from Mark Suchan’s Petersen Classic squad in 2023 (as provided by Suchan):
- Mark Suchan: fifth added actual (878), fourth all-events (2,116), first high game all sponsors (244), first sponsors group I (1,579), tie second official hotel (1,579), first hotel sponsors.
- J.D. Jones: ninth overall (1,607), seventh trios (w. Bryan Trowbridge, Brett McCourry).
- John Randolph: tie for 15th overall (1,579), ninth added actual (868), 7th all events (2,109), ninth in trios (w. Rod Lawrence, John Pierson), tie second official hotel (1,579).
- Chris Rich-Sean Rich: second doubles.
- Gary Liber Jr.: High game lanes 1-2 (255).
- Joe Donofrio: first ages 70-and-older (1,502).
- Doug Rich: third in ages 70-and-older (1,441).
- Chris Rich: seventh in added actual (869), fifth in all events (2,114), seventh in doubles (w. Tony Wagner) 1,257.
- John Kertis: third in seniors singles (1,530).
- Tony Varn: third in the trio. 22nd doubles, 34th in singles.
For more details and final standings from the Petersen Classic, go to its Facebook page and click on learn at:
https://www.facebook.com/petersenclassic
For a complete list of the Suchan squad’s individual performances, see below:
