USBC Communications
RENO, Nev. – Sarah Klassen of Wichita, Kan., rolled her first 800 series to claim the lead in Diamond Singles at the 2024 United States Bowling Congress Women’s Championships on Sunday, posting 803 at the National Bowling Stadium.
Klassen’s 803 was the second 800 at the 2024 event and 15th all-time at the USBC Women’s Championships. Brittany Hillman of Tracy, Calif., connected for the first 800 in 2024, also finishing with 803 to help Cal-Neva Girls take the lead the Diamond Team with 2,846.
Klassen was consistent all the way through singles, and in Game 1, she rolled a score of 245. She fired 268 in Game 2 and finished strong in Game 3 – she had a spare in the first frame and struck on her final 11 deliveries – with a total score of 290.
Karen Reid of Tracy, Calif., and Katie Clayton-Robinson of Tampa, Fla., had shared the lead in Diamond Singles with 784.
Klassen was very excited when she saw she had bowled an 803 series.
“This 800 means a lot to me,” Klassen said. “I was shaking in my boots when I found out I had done it, because I have never bowled an 800 series before.”
Even though she said she was nervous, it wasn’t showing throughout her singles set.
“I was quite nervous, but everything just felt like it went overall really well,” said Klassen, who added a 698 series in team and 642 in doubles to finish with an all-events score of 2,143. “I am just so happy with how things unfolded.”
Klassen, who claimed a bronze medal in singles for Team Canada at the 2021 International Bowling Federation World Championships and helped Wichita State win the 2021 Intercollegiate Team Championships, did a good job of staying focused and being confident throughout her singles event. A ball change was key for her on the way to 803.
“I went through every ball in my bag and ended up switching to a Rubicon,” Klassen said. “With the Rubicon being a bit weaker ball, I found light mixers carry here. I was smashing the pocket a lot and getting nine. So, I kind of changed my game plan to make the ball hit light and carry.”
Klassen has bowling in her blood, and she has had a bowling ball in her hand since she was a young child.
“I think I bowled my first league when I was 3 years old,” Klassen said. “But, I’m sure I was on the ground pushing balls down the lane. My family has been bowling for years as well.”
Even though she’s now a little farther away from her family in Canada, bowling has always brought Klassen’s family together.
“I mean, being 2,000 kilometers from my family, they’re the ones that got me into bowling and it’s something we all did together,” Klassen said. “My siblings were both great bowlers. My brother Jordan is really the reason why I wanted to get better at bowling, because he was better than me. I didn’t like that.”
With Klassen having family in Canada, it helps to have a bowling family in the states to support her as well.
“The family dynamic is huge,” Klassen said. “It was really cool because I was bowling today with my best friend Sierra (Ciesiolka) and her family. The Ciesiolka family is my second family.”
Klassen is very thankful for the support she has received in her young career.
“I am ultimately thankful to be part of Family Ties Bowling Sports Management, who provide me the opportunity to come out here and compete,” Klassen said. “I also need to give thanks to Storm, VISE, Coolwick and BowlerX for providing me with the best products to perform my best.”
In her free time, Klassen also has a YouTube channel, and Ciesiolka is one of her main characters on the channel.
“As great friends, we do everything together, so it’s cool to bowl with someone who’s your best friend,” Klassen said.
It was a great moment to watch Klassen put together an incredible performance, and now she’ll see if she can hang on for the win.
“So, I think the coolest part of today is I really grounded myself,” Klassen said. “I was just being very present and staying in the moment, and I couldn’t picture anything better.”
FLORIDA PAIR TOPS RUBY
Great things come in twos, and a great pair of teammates were the perfect duo to take the lead in Ruby Doubles.
Melinda Walters of Sunrise, Fla., and Mary DeStasio of Coconut Creek, Fla., complimented each other well on the lanes at the National Bowling Stadium, posting nearly identical totals, to take the lead with a 1,328 score.
Jaynee Peel and Erin VanEvera-Welch of Midland, Texas, previously held the lead in Ruby Doubles with 1,298.
Walters looked very cool headed and consistent throughout her series, and she fired off a solid score of 244 in Game 1. She followed that up with a score of 204 in Game 2, and she finished off Game 3 by rolling a score of 214 for a fantastic series of 662.
DeStasio led the way with a great series of 666, which featured games of 225, 225 and 216.
“We were just focusing on bowling the best we could this weekend throughout this tournament,” DeStasio said.
The pair looked very consistent as they made their way to the lead in Game 3, and they were in sync throughout their set.
“We came in with that mentality of just doing our best and focusing specifically on ourselves,” DeStasio said. “It was just all about helping each other and making sure we’re there to support each other throughout our doubles games.”
Taking the lead in Ruby Doubles meant a lot to both Walters and DeStasio.
“It means a lot,” DeStasio said. “I have been bowling for a while now, and we’ve come to a lot of these great events. This is only my second time participating in the Women’s Championships, and I have really enjoyed myself.”
Ruby Doubles features pairs with combined entering averages of 311-350.
TAKING SAPPHIRE TEAM LEAD
The members of Team Purpureus of Campbell, Calif., showed purpose by donning a dark shade of purple while competing Saturday, but now they’re seeing blue after tying for the lead in the Sapphire Division at the 2024 event.
Team Purpureus started off Game 1 at the National Bowling Stadium with a total score of 582. They followed it up in Game 2 with 660. In Game 3, they rallied together to get to a score of 649 to tie Prairie Pals II of Bennett, Colorado, with a total of 1,891.
The group needed a final strike in the last frame and got their wish, when anchor bowler Cheryl Rule ruled it as such.
Rule helped her team the most with a high score of 530. She rolled 159 in Game 1 and followed that up with a fantastic score of 202 in Game 2. In Game 3, she bowled a total score of 169.
This was the first time Team Purpureus – featuring Paulette Petro, Jennifer Young, Kathy Nguyen and Rule – bowled together as a team. They truly found their purpose in the end.
“It means the world and is very unexpected,” Nguyen said. “We as a team are just really thrilled and speechless at the same time.”
Petro had an overall score of 430 for her team event. She rolled 136 in Game 1 and followed up in Game 2 with a score of 138. She saved her best game for last with a score of 156 to compliment her team.
Young helped her team’s cause with a series of 411. She had 122 in Game 1, 141 in Game 2 and finished strong with her best game, a total score of 148.
Nguyen did very well in her first tournament appearance with a series of 520. She bowled 165 in Game 1 and fired a score of 179 in Game 2. In Game 3, she bowled a solid score of 176.
“I did not expect for us to take the overall team lead – this is my first Women’s Championships appearance,” Nguyen said. “It’s amazing and very surprising at the same time.”
The journey to the lead was a great experience for the members of Team Purpureus.
“I am just really grateful and appreciate the chance to bowl with such amazing women, especially since this is my first time meeting them,” Nguyen said.
Sapphire Team features four-player groups with combined entering averages of 540 and below.