Submitted photo: Fort Dodge's Charla Wilke is being recognized as the 2024 Helen Baker Award winner by the USBC on Thursday in Las Vegas.

LAS VEGAS — Charla Wilke is rarely surprised and hardly ever at a loss for words.

Learning that she would be the 2024 recipient of the Helen Baker Award left her both.

The long-time Fort Dodge resident and staunch bowling advocate is being honored on Thursday morning at the South Point Hotel Casino during the annual United States Bowling Congress convention. Wilke is the first Baker recipient ever from Iowa.

The Helen Baker Award recognizes one person each year nationally for their outstanding association service on a local and regional level.

“I was just kind of in shock when I found out,” Wilke admitted. “I was notified on a Zoom call in January, and at first, I really couldn’t breathe or talk. It caught me off guard; I had no idea. I’m incredibly proud and thankful…I know (Fort Dodge’s) Chris Birnbaum and two previous state board members, Connie Rommel and Sally Reighard, were involved in the nomination process. I’m so appreciative of that and them.

“I’ve never done any of this for (individual accolades) — it’s always been for the growth and development of the sport. I’m never comfortable being in the spotlight, but this is absolutely the cherry on top of my career.”

Wilke has been a bowler for as long as she can remember. The 1974 Fort Dodge Senior High graduate fondly recalls the early days of being introduced to the game by her mother.

“It started when I was 3 (years old), with plastic pins and balls on the kitchen floor and mom teaching me the proper form,” Wilke said. “When I was 8, I really started taking it seriously and joined the junior leagues in (Fort Dodge). It began a life-long love affair with the sport.”

Wilke has been a member of the Fort Dodge area USBC and the Iowa State USBC for 56 years. She has served as both the director (1974-84) and president (1985-2000) of the Fort Dodge Women’s Bowling Association, and was named director of the Iowa State USBC in 2018.

Wilke has also been the association manager, and is currently the finance chair on the state board.

“I’ve really tried to be about service above everything else, first locally and then at the state level,” said Wilke, a member of both the Fort Dodge area USBC and Iowa State USBC Hall of Fame. “When we made the change from the WIBC (Women’s International Bowling Congress) to the USBC in 2006, I chose to make a really big change in my (professional life) after 26 years in the trucking industry and was hired as association manager.

“I learned a lot and tried my best to continue to promote participation on the local and state levels. Bowling is a lifelong sport. It’s something you can do as a kid until you’re well into your 90s, and there are so many options, from competitive on down to social. I don’t know what my life would be like without bowling, and I don’t want to know. I still love the game so much.”

Wilke was also given a lifetime achievement award last September at the Fort Dodge area USBC banquet.

The USBC awards presentation is scheduled for Thursday at 9 a.m. Over 800 people are expected to attend.

Helen Baker was the fifth president of the Women’s International Bowling Congress. This award, which was established in 2006 when the USBC was chartered, “recognizes an outstanding bowling leader who has made invaluable contributions to local and state associations as an innovator, creator and mentor of adult programs.”