By DONOVAN GRUBAUGH
USBC Communications
ADDISON, Ill. — Bowl for the Cure Week at the United States Bowling Congress Women’s Championships returned for the second consecutive year at one of the world’s largest participatory sporting events for women, helping raise awareness and donations toward the fight against breast cancer.
The celebration took place from June 20-26 at Stardust Bowl, giving participants the chance to recognize survivors, hear their stories and learn more about Bowl for the Cure and Susan G. Komen.
Bowl for the Cure is sponsored by USBC, in partnership with Susan G. Komen, and serves as a year-round fundraising and breast cancer awareness initiative that helps support research, education, treatment assistance and other community programs.
Andrea Ridenour from Susan G. Komen was in attendance, informing competitors about the importance of yearly mammograms, with screenings in decline since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bowlers also had the chance to win daily prizes, participate in a raffle, sign the Survivor Wall and pick up merchandise, with proceeds going to Bowl for the Cure.
From the donations, raffles and merchandise sales during the week in Addison, more than $2,000 was raised for Bowl for the Cure.
Deborah Clavel of Henderson, Colo., and Sue Aronstein of Plainfield, Ill., competed during Bowl for the Cure Week, and both are survivors of breast cancer.
Aronstein was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2012. She received treatments until it went into remission, before reemerging again in 2019.
“I made the decision that I was going to help others and myself, and not just lay down against this,” Aronstein said.
She made sure to keep this week free, so she could bowl during Bowl for the Cure Week. She put her name on the tournament’s sub board and received a call not long after.
“I wanted to bowl this week to represent myself, and it doesn’t matter how I bowl, honestly,” Aronstein said. “I just want to show that I’m living proof that you could beat it, twice. I declined a few offers to bowl the tournament earlier, because I wanted to bowl during this week. It’s special to me.”
Clavel has had a long journey herself, having her first bout with cancer in October 2016.
“I had just returned home from going out, and I felt something and thought it didn’t feel right,” Clavel said. “I had imagery and a biopsy done that confirmed it, with surgery in December.”
It came back in 2018, then a third time in 2020. She now is battling it for a fourth time as she made her sixth USBC Women’s Championships appearance during the week.
Clavel doesn’t let cancer stop her from bowling.
“During radiation the second time, I got tired a little faster and threw the ball a little slower,” Clavel said. “These girls I bowl with keep me going, however, even when my energy is on the low side.”
Both Clavel and Aronstein love what Bowl for the Cure Week means to them, from having the support from other bowlers to increasing the awareness of breast cancer and showing that they are living proof to others fighting that it is something they can beat.
“It’s really special what USBC has done,” Aronstein said. “I feel honored that they have this week for us to show that we aren’t alone in the fight, with the sashes and going onto the lanes. It also honors those that couldn’t be here, and the survivors really appreciate that.”
Bowl for the Cure Week will continue at the 2023 Women’s Championships in Las Vegas. The dates at the South Point Bowling Plaza are June 19-25.
NEW DIVISION LEADERS
With less than a week left at Stardust Bowl, there have been some late pushes at the top of the leaderboards.
Kelsey O’Brien of Frankfort, Illi., made a great first appearance at the event, and it’s something she will not forget soon as she rolled games of 265, 253 and 256 for a 774 series to take the lead in Diamond Singles.
Portia Henderson of Westland, Mich., had held the lead since the opening week at the 2022 event with 761.
O’Brien was invited by a friend to bowl, and they made the short drive from Frankfort to Addison.
“I really didn’t have any expectations, and I just wanted to have some fun and bowl well, so bowling this well is kind of a shock to me,” O’Brien said. “I’m bowling in (Las) Vegas this upcoming week for the (USBC) Open Championships, so this gave me a really good boost of confidence.
“I never look at scores when I bowl,” she added, noting she focused on making quality shots and knocking down her spares.
After her squad finished up, she was notified that she had taken the lead, and with the 2022 event wrapping up July 3, O’Brien remains confident that she will stay at the top of the leaderboard.
“Fingers crossed that I’ll walk away with a win,” said O’Brien, who added sets of 669 in team and 618 in doubles for a 2,061 all-events total. “I still can’t believe it.”
The Diamond Division features bowlers with entering averages of 175 and above.
In the Topaz Division, Jayne Hoover of Parkville, Mo, jumped into the lead for all-events, bowling sets of 492 in doubles, 486 in singles and 476 in team for a 1,454 total.
Andrea Middleton of Blue Island, Ill., previously held the lead in Topaz All-Events with 1,369. Middleton leads Topaz Singles with 514, and Hoover moved into sixth place with her 486 set.
This was her first USBC Women’s Championships in 25 years, with her last appearance taking place in 1997. She had to take an extended break due to her career.
“I was doing a lot of travel for work, so bowling went to the side until recently,” Hoover said. “I was asked to sub with some of my best friends from Nebraska, and I was just getting back into the sport after such a long break. I haven’t really been bowling my best lately, so being able to take the lead is such a surprise to me.”
Hoover, born and raised in Nebraska, currently resides just outside of Kansas City, Mo., and has had some trouble being able to find centers to practice and bowl league.
“Some of the alleys have been closing down around me, making it tough to get into a groove,” she said.
Even though she took a big lead, she believes that anything can happen with only a couple days left in the tournament, but she’s already looking ahead to next year’s Women’s Championships in Las Vegas.
“I told my teammates that if they need a sub again, I’ll make the trip out to (Las) Vegas,” Hoover said.
The Topaz Division features bowlers with entering averages of 124 and below.
NEW TEAM LEADERS
In Emerald Team, a new leader has emerged after no significant movement for nearly a month in the division standings.
D Echo Balliett-Legge Team 1 of Seattle took the lead in Emerald Team with only a few team squads left at the 2022 event, and they were surprised when they learned of the news.
The team rolled games of 718, 635 and 642 for a total of 1,995, overtaking the previous leader, Lucky Ladies 1 of Westmont, Ill., by 20 pins (1,975).
“It’s honestly quite shocking,” said Corrine Wise, who made her second USBC Women’s Championships appearance. “We come out here to just have some fun and to make a girls trip out of it, so to take a lead is exciting.”
That relaxed mindset paid off for them, as Wise led the team with a 532 series and was joined by her mother Wendi Wise (493), Chandra Hoover (460) and Sabrina McKinney (510) on the team.
“My mother is the reason we all get together,” Corrine said. “I spent a lot of time in the bowling alley with her growing up, so bowling means a lot to us. I think Sabrina carried us a little bit during that first game, since she bowled a 223, which was way over her average, and it spilled over to the rest of us.”
The 2022 Women’s Championships comes to a close July 3, and the team remains hopeful that they can come away with the win.
“Anything can happen in a short time, but we’ll be crossing our fingers,” Corrine said.
Emerald Team features four-person teams with a combined entering average of 545-599.
ANOTHER 50-YEAR HONOREE
Linda Coonan of Abingdon, Md., became the eighth and final bowler to make her 50th appearance this year, and she could only describe what it meant to reach 50 years with one word — unbelievable.
Coonan never would have dreamed of making it to 50 years at the tournament when she first began bowling in 1966, and she bowled her first USBC Women’s Championships in Atlanta in 1971.
“I started getting into the game when an alley was built near where I lived,” said Coonan, who received a plaque, chevron and necklace to commemorate her achievement. “I haven’t looked back.”
Her dedication to the sport goes beyond the lanes, as she served on her local board of directors for 50 years, president of the Baltimore Women’s Bowling Association for six years, won her local President’s Award in 1978, 2003, 2011 and 2013 and was inducted into the Greater Baltimore USBC Hall of Fame in 1990. She also was a delegate for the Women’s International Bowling Congress for 37 years.
During her Women’s Championships career, she now has been to 32 cities in 25 states, making many memories with various friends and family and sightseeing in every city.
In 1978, she was part of the group that bid for her local town of Baltimore to host the Women’s Championships in 1981, and the city was granted the opportunity to host. She noted, “It was a fantastic time.
“These past 50 years seem to have flown by so fast, but I am so thankful for my friends, teammates and many more that I’ve met throughout the years. I bowled with some of these ladies for over 25 years, and we’ve had so many great times here.”
When Coonan was asked if she has plans to make her 51st appearance in 2023 in Las Vegas at the South Point Bowling Plaza, she gave a yes without hesitation.
“Lord willing, you will absolutely see me next year in (Las) Vegas,” Coonan said.
In her 50th appearance, Coonan rolled sets of 467 in doubles, 462 in team and 458 in singles for a 1,387 all-events total.
The bowlers joining the 50-Year Club at the 2022 Women’s Championships included Doris Beath of Boerne, Texas; Phyllis Bourque of La Plata, Md.; Pam Buckner of Reno, Nev.; Lillian Sitze of North Port, Fla.; Joyce VanBuskirk of Lincoln, Ill.; Sue Werkheiser of Stroudsburg, Pa.; and Verna Zimmerman of Normal, Ill.
Onalee Kraus of Coldwater, Mich., became the fifth bowler in tournament history to reach 60 appearances.