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Judy Winegar (left) and Vonna Mentzer are pictured in front of the Wessington Springs Honor sign at the entrance to town. Earlier this year, a plaque commemorating the 1986 Wessington Springs Ladies Bowling team and their Women’s International Bowling Congress Championship title was hung as the newest addition to the honor sign. The two hold the “punch bowl” trophy they won in 1986. Photos of the entire team in 1986 can be found online at www.truedakotan.com. KRISTI HINE / TRUE DAKOTAN -
The photo above was featured on the front page of the July 15, 1986 True Dakotan.
Never in their wildest dreams did five bowlers from Wessington Springs imagine they’d beat out 3,800 other teams to bring home the Women’s International Bowling Congress Division II championship title in 1986.
The team made up of Ada Caffee, Mary Lu Gran, Vonna Mentzer, Kathy Manning and Judy Winegar combined for 2,554 pins, beating out the runner up by 60 pins. The tournament, held in Los Angeles, ran for three months with the Wessington Springs team, sponsored by Caffee Trucking, rolling for their championship win in April.
“A lady would call Ada every week and say, ‘you are still in number one.’ We thought we were never going to stay at number one,” recalled Winegar. “Well look, we won!”
In addition to the championship title, the team made up of big personalities also won the top prize for “best looking outfits” and “most fun at the tournament.”
“We didn’t go out to win, we were just bowling and having fun — we always had fun. While we were bowling, all these other people started gathering behind us, screaming and hollering. We didn’t know we were taking over first place,” explained Mentzer “We are the only team from South Dakota who has ever won it — to this day. It was just a ball.”
In addition to winning a large “punch bowl” trophy and cash, the championship title also earned them an interview with an LA Times reporter.
“When we got done bowling, an LA Times reporter asked us how big our bowling house was. They had so many lanes they called them bowling houses, we called them bowling alleys here in South Dakota — we only had six lanes,” Winegar laughed, also pointing out that the Wessington Springs bowling alley was called Play-Mor Lanes, named by her mother during a naming contest when the bowling alley reopened.
Mentzer was quick to jump in, adding, “Sometimes we only had five lanes when it rained because the gutter filled with water.”
Upon their return, Lawrence Caffee threw the team a huge party at the Prairie Lounge to celebrate the win. While reminiscing about the town-wide celebration for the bowling champs, the ladies broke into song, laughing and singing in unison, “Oh Lord it’s hard to be humble, when you’re number one in the world!”
LA wasn’t the first or the last national contest in which Mentzer and Winegar competed. In total, they bowled in 21 contests around the country.
One trip to nationals found the ladies in Missouri. When they went to check in to their hotel room, the manager said it wasn’t ready and sent them into the bar to have a drink on the house.
“We took a sip and… yuck! We are from South Dakota, drinks are stronger from there. Pretty soon here comes a tray of hors d’oeuvres,” Winegar remembered. “A different bartender came in and the barkeep told him, ‘make them doubles, these girls are from South Dakota.’” Winegar and Mentzer’s trip down memory lane evoked near-constant laughter with a touch of bittersweet nostalgia.
“I bowled with a lot of ladies that have passed away,” Winegar said while thumbing the colorful patches on her bowling jacket. “I intend to have this jacket in my coffin when I die.
As her fingers brushed over a bright Quad Cities Tournament patch, Winegar asked Mentzer, “Is this where we gambled on the ship? Gosh Las Vegas was always fun too.”
The appearance of a plaque on the Wessington Springs Honors commemorating the title was welcomed earlier this year with a flood of fond memories and deep gratitude.
“We had wonderful experiences and bowled a lot of years,” both Mentzer and Winegar said, nearly in unison. “We’ve had a fun time and feel so blessed.”