Contributed by Ron Tucker
View Bill Halstead's Score Sheet from 1966
I recently brought you the highlights of Bill Helsel, Sr. 
winning marathons, surely a feat of endurance but the real focus was on finishing with the highest pinfall. Here's a glimpse at "another Bill," BILL HALSTEAD, who through shear determination and physical fitness broke the Guinness Book of Records for consecutive games bowled back in 1966.
The object for Bill was NOT to bowl necessarily high scores but to complete frames and games to break the existing record at the time (1073 games). Two years and 8 months earlier, Tampa bowler Gus Garrido broke the record by bowling 1050 games (164 hours of bowling). This was done at Florida Lanes and two months later, a California bowler broke his record by bowling 1051 games. Bill Halstead also chose to bowl at Florida Lanes and at 79 years old remembers the event like it was yesterday. Both Garrido and Halstead were periodically examined by Tampa physician Frank Moorehead during their attempts to break the records.
To prepare for the attempt Bill worked out at Harry Smith's Health Studio with weights and he ran at least a mile each day. Bill was in great physical shape at the time and carrying 190 plus averages in all of his leagues. Though promised time off from his job to try this feat his boss changed his mind and terminated him when he refused to stop the attempt and come into work.
Daily new articles documented the fact that Bill started his quest at 10:01 a.m. on 11-27-66 finishing on 12-4-66 at 5:25 p.m. In the end he bowled 1201 games while knocking down 22455 pins (138 average). This feat took 151 hours and 15 minutes. Starting with a 12 pound ball, Bill later switched to a 10 pound ball. He deliberately tried to open each 10th frame so that he didn't have to bowl a another ball. He ate, lived, showered and periodically rested in a vibrator recliner at Florida Lanes. Bowling on lanes 31 and 32 his needs were tended to by Jimmy Gibson the manager at Florida Lanes. He slept very little throughout his endeavor and to top things off, after the record was broken he attempted to bowl in his league and a bowler on the other team protested by alleging that he had "too much practice" and therefore should not be allowed to bowl.
In attempting to check the Guinness Book of Records for the current record nothing could be found on their website however an article was found showing that Larry Parker broke the existing record of 48 consecutive hours of bowling by 45 minutes. This was done on May 9-11, 1999 at Buffaloe Lanes North in Raleigh N.C.. Maybe someone at Guinness "lost" the records previously set by Garrido, Halstead and others. Parker's bowling raised $50,000 for the Special Olympics North Carolina and raised awareness of the Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics.
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