DAVENPORT, Iowa — It's been a century (and a quarter) of strikes, spares and splits for the Cal Whitmore Tri City Classic League. Now, the 125th season takes off at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 22.
The league has been throwing down in Davenport since the year 1900. According to the United States Bowling Congress — the official, national governing body of bowling — no other sanctioned league has been around for longer.
A league in Baltimore used to hold the top spot until they folded a few years before the COVID-19 pandemic began.
"The league, since its very beginning, has always attracted the very best bowlers from the Quad Cities and Muscatine and other surrounding communities," CWTCC historian Eric Littig said.
Ten years ago, CWTCC went to a draft format, meaning the top average bowlers that return each season are named the new captains. Each captain then drafts other members onto their team. This year, the league is comprised of 16 four-person teams, including 61 men and three women.
"So it's the elite of the elite bowlers in the area that bowl in the Tri City Classic League," Littig said.
Over the years, the league's members and historians have kept careful records of games, scores and members. In the last few decades, all that information was carefully compiled by longtime secretary and treasurer, Cal Whitmore. He has served as the league's namesake for the past 12 seasons.
"We've just had a very good run over the last 124 years, of people, team captains, league officers, and people that are interested in preserving the history and traditions of the league," Littig said. "And here we are at 125. It seems like we were just at 100 not that long ago!"
Throughout the first half of the 1900s, most bowling centers weren't large enough to host all of the teams within CWTCC's league, so the bowlers were spread out through different cities for weekly matches. It wasn't until 1951 that all teams could compete in the same location.
Out of 125 years, 48 of those have seen the bowlers convening at Leisure Lanes in Davenport — longer than any other establishment.
"The top junior bowlers in the area, they aspire to be members of the league," Littig noted. "People around the country know about our league, and it's something very special to be a part of."
The first 300 game in league history came at the hands of John Fredeen, on April 28, 1921. This took place at Island City Alleys in Rock Island. Since then, the league has bowled 798 perfect games.
Another huge milestone was reached on February 29, 2024, when league veteran, Gary Garnaas knocked down his 1-millionth career pin. Garnaas has been part of CWTCC since 1974.
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