Waupaca’s Melissa Lang inducted into Bowling Hall of Fame

Waupaca’s own Melissa Lang was inducted into the Wisconsin United States Bowling Congress Hall of Fame for superior performance on June 7. After an illustrious career that includes five Wisconsin State Women’s Championships, 20 Wisconsin Local Association Championships and 22 additional bowling titles to go along with various accolades that have spanned throughout her 45 years as a YABA/WIBC/USBC certified bowler.

Beginning her passion for bowling at the age of seven on Saturday mornings at Don’s Waupaca Bowl, Melissa pushed through the growing pains with some help from a quality support system, “My grandfather worked at Mercury Marine in Fond du Lac and could purchase Brunswick bowling equipment from the employee store. So, just about everyone in my family bowled at one point or another. And once I shot a 100 game, I could get my own Brunswick bowling ball from Grandpa and Grandma Minks. I was a typical girl junior bowler who had a limited attention span and threw temper tantrums or cried if I missed a spare. I was also the pouty girl who stomped her feet and always said, “I can’t do it” If Don were alive today, I’m sure he would say I was a coach’s nightmare. So, thank you to Don and Clara Schueller (the former owners of the lanes) and their son, John, for keeping me engaged in junior bowling league. Eventually, I got better and learned about competition.”

Bowling gave Melissa a chance to prove herself in her adolescence, as she started budding rivalries with local bowlers who eventually became teammates and friends, “I wanted to beat the boys and a cross-town girl rival, Rachel (Enerson) Nelson, from Waupaca’s other bowling alley, called Central Lanes (now Nelson’s Strike Zone). This was also the first time I bowled against Traci (Maxim) Brown in a YABA Coca-Cola tournament.”

Melissa began making a name for herself collegiately, first at Morehead State, before attending Wichita State, “It was during my time bowling with MSU, that I shot my first 300 game and 700 series in St Louis, MO, and was told I was the first female bowler in MSU’s program history to shoot a 300 game in a collegiate tournament. After two years, I decided to transfer to Wichita State University in Kansas. That was the best decision I’ve made regarding advancing my bowling game under the coaching of Gordon Vadakin and his staff. During which, I lugged around a huge bowling three-ring binder filled with WSU information about lane conditions, bowling equipment, spare shooting, and teamwork.”

“Bowling for WSU provided a wealth of knowledge and experience I can never repay, and I was blessed to bowl in two intercollegiate championship step ladders and acquire several all-tournament team awards and All-American Honors. I shot my second 300 game at Sam’s Town in Las Vegas and became the second female bowler in WSU’s program history to shoot a 300 game in a collegiate tournament.”

After college, Melissa began bowling recreationally, “After graduating college in the mid 90’s and returning to central Wisconsin, I stepped away from competitive bowling, like many women, to start a career and get married. I was down to only bowling league once a week at Waupaca Bowl. City, state and the occasional women’s nationals tournaments were looked at as a chance to spend a weekend away with the girls.”

Melissa and her fierce competitor from her youth had a sit-down that reinvigorated her passion for competitive play, “Well all of that changed one night in mid-2000 when I started bowling league at Nelson’s Strike Zone in Waupaca and my former cross-town rival, Rachel Nelson, and I sat down for a heart to heart. And once Rachel and I started bowling tournaments together, the focus changed from just social outings to let’s kick some ass, re-igniting my passion for competition.”

There are many friends, family, teammates and coaches in Melissa’s life that she thanks from her time as a youth competitor, collegiate bowler and during her hall-of-fame career. An appreciation for her one-time rival, teammate and close friend is a constant in her career, “there are many stories that I could share about Rachel and me. We’ve bowled in a lot of tournaments together over the last 25 years and won three Wisconsin State USBC doubles titles and two Wisconsin Women’s State 600 titles. She frequently used her switch thumb in my bowling balls and then beat me. Rachel was not afraid to put me in time-outs if I was bowling bad. I passed out photos of Rachel at the women’s state tournament the year after she won a scratch title and then asked random ladies to go up to her and ask for her autograph. Rachel was my first youth competition and now a trusted friend and teammate.”