Read Missy's own story of their bowling experiences and tourist adventures abroad.

Dick Evans' EDITOR NOTE:

Even before I met Missy Bellinder and Scott Norton I was aware of their superb junior bowling prowess through the written and spoken word of Joe Lyou.

The two 24-year-old bowlers have lived up to Lyou's billing on and off the lanes since they were 13-year-old bowling phenoms in South California and later in adult tournaments.

They are very different physically: Scott is tall and bowls left handed. Missy is very petite and bowls right handed.

But Missy and Scott have three big things in common mentally - they both love bowling, they are good pals and they both have one famous bowling parent who serves as their coach. Virginia Norton is a WIBC and PWBA Hall of Famer and Frank Bellinder finished fifth in 1996 ABC Seniors Masters tournament.

Missy's and Scott's platonic friendship became obvious when I watched them encourage each other during the Steve Sanders' Brunswick Mini-Eliminator Tournament at the Orleans in Las Vegas last February. They were each other's cheerleaders and seemed to have a great deal of empathy when one would roll a bad shot.

When they told me they were going to go to Europe together to bowl in two tournaments I recalled that Melissa 'Missy' Bellinder was a good writer who once had been awarded the BWAA's Chuck Pezzano college writing scholarship.

So I asked her to keep notes and to write the story below. She did a great job and I think you will marvel at their experiences on and off the lanes in Europe.

I know I was. And if you want to know more about their friendship and bowling careers, read Missy's resume at the end of the story.

'Bowling Overseas'. I've always heard the term, but never had the opportunity to fully experience it for myself until recently when I ventured to Barcelona, Spain with my good friend Scott Norton, to compete in the IV Catalonia Open-Trofeu Galasa European Bowling Tour event.

With the crowd roaring, I shot 300 in my first six-game squad of qualifying, with a ball I decided to take with me at the last minute. The president of the Spanish bowling federation (center) informed me that no woman had ever shot 300 in any Spanish tournament before. Being so unique, they didn't even have an award for it.

Scott and I bowled well enough early in the week, so we were able to take a few days off and go sightseeing in the beautiful City of Barcelona. The rich architecture and culture are incomparable to anywhere else in the world. I played tour guide and interpreter on our trip because I lived and studied Spanish in Barcelona during the summer of 2003.

I haven't practiced my Spanish since graduating from college in 2004. I guess it's like riding a bike, because I saved the entire field of finalists from standing in the rain 30 minutes before we were to start the finals of the tournament. (I convinced the bowling alley porter that his boss wouldn't be mad at him for letting us "bowlers" into the bowling center before it was to open.)

Being the only Americans in the Spanish tournament was unique. Everyone treated us with the utmost respect, and throughout our entire trip, everyone was incredibly friendly and really excited that we came from the U.S. to bowl in both tournaments.

Our second tournament, the Brunswick Euro Challenge in Thessaloniki, Greece, was the second biggest event of the year on the European Bowling Tour. There were 370 bowlers from all over the world - the Middle East, Asia, Australia, North America, the Caribbean and Europe - all competing in an ultramodern 24-lane Greek bowling center.

Brunswick, being the title sponsor of the tournament, also savored the opportunity to have an enormous internal meeting the same week in Thessaloniki. I was able to meet many Brunswick dignitaries from all over the world, which was coincidentally very beneficial, since I signed a regional professional staff contract with Brunswick one week before I left for Europe.

Not only were there many different countries represented in The Brunswick Euro Challenge, but many different bowling styles, too. Two female bowlers and one male bowler from Team Singapore threw helicopter spinners, using 10-12 pound reactive balls and the art of deflection to knock down the pins.

Jason Belmonte from Australia (who won the tournament) and Osku Palermaa from Finland (who finished second) are both two-handed bowlers, a style that seems to be becoming more and more popular. I was particularly impressed with the bowlers from the Qatar team. Every bowler had amazing form, great balance, a fluid swing and a nice release.

Scott and I didn't fair as well with the qualifying squads in this tournament, having to reenter numerous times. I bowled three squads before qualifying and Scott bowled four squads and then the 'Desperado Squad'. What is the Desperado Squad? It's a one-game squad that starts late at night, after all of the regular qualifying squads have finished (mind you the finals are the next morning or should I say later that same morning).

The excitement began with 80 bowlers competing for six spots into the finals. Before the start of practice, the song "Desperado" rang out over the loud speaker, setting the tone. Anxiously, I watched Scott as he started stringing strikes shooting 234. Was 234 going to make it? The final number to make the finals was our good friend Zara Glover who shot 233.

Other adventures awaited us as we spent a week in England in between the two European Bowling Tour tournaments. We were able to go sightseeing all around Northern England, seeing the historic, medieval City of "old" York, very different from our New York. We also went to London for a couple of days, visiting good ole Ben and the royal family. We saw a few castles too; which is my personal infatuation.

However, I never did get used to those roundabouts and watching us drive on the other side of the road.

Scott and I did have one peculiar story about being "American." The City of Thessaloniki is nowhere near Athens, and therefore not many people speak or understand English. All of the writing is in Greek. So we came to fully understand the phrase "It's Greek to me." Charades was often used to communicate about where we wanted to go, what food we wanted to order, etc.

While in Greece we took taxis from our hotel to the bowling center and back everyday. (Riding in a taxi was an adventure in itself. Lanes are merely an option in Greece. It wasn't unusual for four cars to be spread across two lanes of traffic.)

One of the last days of our trip, we were riding in a taxi, with our eyes half open, from the City of Thessaonliki to the bowling center. Our taxi driver was the first one we had that actually spoke and understood English really well. He asked us if we were Americans, and then asked our opinions about the war in Iraq. It was a little awkward, but the discussion was merely curiosity, with a minor lecture attached.

Bowling overseas was one of the best experiences of my life! We had a lot fun, made lasting memories and lifelong friendships with people from all over the world.

I loved the bowling and traveling so much that I'm already planning a trip to go and bowl more tournaments in Europe in September/October of this year. Unfortunately my travel buddy can't accompany me on my next trip because he'll be keeping his nose in a book studying in law school this fall.

I strongly recommend bowling a European Bowling Tour tournament. The tournaments are very organized, competitive, and offer comparable prize funds too. Where else can you pursue your passion, travel around the world and earn enough to pay for your trip?

Women bowlers especially should venture to Europe and compete. There isn't an avenue for competitive women bowling in the United States, except competing against the men in PBA regional tournaments or PBA national events. Why not travel around the world while bowling competitively, (and I almost forgot to mention) receiving eight pins per game and extra women's prizes for doing so? Makes logical sense to me!

Scott Norton - 24, Cyprus, CA (born in Downey, CA), started bowling at age four. His parents are Rick Norton and Virginia Norton; Father used to bowl. His mother (Virginia, a WIBC Hall of Fame bowler) is Scott's coach.

Melissa "Missy" Bellinder, 24, Fullerton, CA, started bowling at two-and-a-half years old. Her parents are Pat and Frank Bellinder. Mother used to be a competitive bowler and father has owned and operated a bowling pro shop and been a PBA member since 1969. Father, Frank Bellinder, is Missy's coach.


Scott and I met in junior bowling. There is a very prestigious junior league in Southern California named the Southern California Junior All-Stars league. In order to be a part of this league, bowlers had to maintain a minimum average of 175, submit a resume and be drafted by a team captain. I had been drafted into this prestigious league in 1995 at the age of 13 and the league members had to change the rule so I would be allowed to bowl. (Previously the rules stated that you had to be 14 to bowl in the league.)

That same year my team won the league and I averaged 200 and was high enough to be a team captain. The next year (1996), I drafted Scott onto my All-Star team and that's really how we met and became friends.

Throughout junior bowling we bowled with and against each other in the Southern California Junior All Stars league, in the Junior Amateur Tour, and other local and national tournaments. In later years we were also team members on Junior Team USA and Team USA. Our freshmen year of college we both also bowled for California State University, Fullerton. I graduated from CSU, Fullerton and Scott transferred and graduated from the University of Utah.

Email address of Missy Bellinder: lilmisbwlr@aol.com