California's Ditch rolls into first-round lead at USBC Senior Queens
04/27/08
Janine Ditch almost pulled out of the 2008 United States Bowling Congress Senior Queens before it started, but despite feeling miserable, she coughed and sniffled her way into the tournament lead.
The 56-year-old from Chino Hills, Calif., was the only player among the 139 women ages 50 and older to complete the first five games without a single game under 200. She posted games of 203, 232, 252, 203, 223 for a 1,113 total and a 22-pin lead over Patti Schultz of Braidwood, Ill.
"I got up this morning dead sick," Ditch said. "I didn't feel like bowling. I almost pulled out. I think it's allergies, but I don't know. But I guess all the drugs kept me slow and that's what worked."
Ditch made the first cut in her only previous Senior Queens appearance in 2006, so she wasn't sure what to expect this time.
"I just wanted to throw the ball well," she said. "When I do that, things will take care of themselves."
Schultz, who turned 50 on the last day in March, came into her first Senior Queens hoping to be among the top 10 qualifiers. Behind games of 256, 159, 214, 229 and 233, she was in good shape to realize that goal heading into Sunday's second round. And she's almost certain to be among the top 50 who will advance to Monday's final five-game qualifying round.
"The second game killed me," Schultz said. "That pair was dry. I changed balls, but I couldn't carry."
Schultz is an admitted late-bloomer when it comes to bowling, but she also has an impressive athletic background.
"I didn't start bowling until 1990," she said. "I was too busy playing basketball. That was my thing. I played in high school, college (Olivette Nazarene) and semi pro. I could pretty much pick up anything athletically. So when I quit basketball, I met a guy who told me to try golf. After golf, we went to a movie and he said let's go bowling. I joined a league that fall and really took a liking to it.
"I met a guy who taught me the ropes - where to play, that sort of thing. He drilled me a ball. That was my husband Keith, who died two years ago on my birthday."
After Sunday's second round, the top 50 senior women will advance to a third five-game qualifying round Monday morning. The top 31 will then join defending champion Lucy Sandelin of Tampa, Fla., in the three-game, double-elimination match play finals. The tournament concludes Wednesday morning.
Sandelin eager to defend her USBC Senior Queens title
Players with position, hometown and 5-game total
1, Janine Ditch, Chino Hills, Calif., 1,113
2, Patti Schultz, Braidwood, Ill., 1,091
3, June Shimoda, Fresno, Calif., 1,067
4, Linda Carter, Rockford, Ill., 1,049
5, Diane Stokes, Jackson Heights, N.Y., 1,033
6, (tie) Linda Elmore, Washington, DC, 1,018
Joan Reilly, Wilmington, N.C., 1,018
8, Virginia Norton, Cypress, Calif., 1,013
9, (tie) Marliss Tapp, Portage, Mich., 1,011
Melody Felton, Colfax, Iowa, 1011
11, Sharon Powers, Lakewood, Colo., 1,000
12, Sandra Postma, Lansing, Ill., 999
13, Marci Williams, Wichita, Kan., 990
14, Virginia Austin, Detroit, 989
15, Heidi Pagenkopf, Lynnwood, Wash., 980
16, Jeanette Porter, Omaha, Neb., 977
17, (tie) Pam Lawrence, Pflugerville, Texas, 970
Christine Drew, Santa Clarita, Calif., 970
19, Mary LeGer, Warsaw, Mo., 966
20, (tie) Jody Starlin, Hayward, Calif., 965
Joyce Marshall, New York, 965
22, Debbie Wade, West Jordan, Utah, 963
23, Rose Smith, Las Vegas, 962
24, Joyce Lampugnani, Philadelphia, 961
25, (tie) Chris Morrow-Holcomb, Glenpool, Okla., 960
Connie Richardson, Topeka, Kan., 960
27, Anita Pope, Silsbee, Texas, 959
28, (tie) Shirley Noltemeyer, Shepherdsville, Ky., 956
Jinnie Henry, Hixson, Tenn., 956
30, Jackie Reed, Clearfield, Utah, 954
31, Gail McBride, Round Rock, Texas, 952
32, (tie) Cindy Kesterson, Council Bluffs, Iowa, 949
Janeen Morgan, Randallstown, Md., 949
34, Debra Sinek, Odenton, Md., 946
35, Wendy Brown, LaMesa, Calif., 945
36, (tie) Michele Atria, Louisville, Ky., 943
Sue Mivelaz, Tujunga, Calif., 943
38, (tie) Andi Whitlock, Middletown, Del., 941
Jan Thomas, Urbandale, Iowa, 941
40, Denise Myers, Pensacola, Fla., 940
41, Shelly West, Omaha, Neb., 939
42, Helen Wiegmann, Ottawa, Ill., 938
43, (tie) Connie Jeanne Hall, Kansas City, Kan., 936
Leslie Blandford, Jacksonville, Fla., 936
45, Linda Anderson, Palmer, Alaska, 935
46, Karen Pullman, Lake City, Utah, 934
47, (tie) Cheryl Hammitt, Union City, Calif., 930
Lynn Minning, Austin, Texas, 930
49, Fran Minton, Iowa Park, Texas, 929
50, (tie) Vicky Varvel, Mansfield, Ohio, 928
Connie Palmer, El Cajon, Calif., 928
52, (tie) Jan Schnell-Topolski, Anchorage, Alaska, 927
Linda Rose, N. Arlington, Texas, 927
54, Lil Johnson, Lawton, Okla., 926
55, Linda Goodling, Willow Street, Pa., 923
56, (tie) Cathy Smith, Richmond, Va., 922
Lois Steindl, Howell, N.J., 922
58, (tie) Sandy Brunner, Corydon, Ind., 919
Dee Pickerign, Leavenworth, Kan., 919
60, Karen Wilson, Shawnee, Kan., 915
61, Sue Sansone, Tucson, Ariz., 914
62, Marcia Russo, Syracuse, N.Y., 913
63, Gail Kelly, Philadelphia, Pa., 909
64, Kuniko Naganawa, Japan, 908
65, (tie) Sharon Bush, Bloomingdale, N.J., 905
Mary Warfield, Oklahoma City, 905
67, (tie) Loretta Ciantar, Monroe, Mich., 904
Karen Drysdale, Bixby, Okla., 904
69, Arlene Wetherill, Marysville, Ohio, 894
70, Terri Cooley, Danville, Ky., 893
71, (tie) Laura Simmons, Euclid, Ohio, 890
Annese Dunleavy, Las Vegas, 890
Gwen Terry, Tacoma, Wash., 890
74, Becky Clark, Des Moines, Iowa, 889
75, (tie) Karen Donohue, Farmington Hills, Mich., 887
Jane Hassell, Springfield, Va., 887
77, Marianne Morton, Palm Coast, Fla., 885
78, Marilyn Kreg, Delton, Mich., 882
79, (tie) Judy Gurney, Omaha, Neb., 879
Joyce Owens, Greenback, Tenn., 879
81, Marti Elliott, Haskell, N.J., 873
82, Gayle Spurling, Edinburgh, Ind., 872
83, Alice Hale, Austin, Texas, 869
84, Norlynn Stahnke, Laporte, Ind., 868
85, Fran Deken, Coweta, Okla., 866
86, Elizabeth Dawson, Sunnyvale, Calif., 865
87, Joan Boyce, Olathe, Kan., 864
88, Dora Nettleman, Eaton Rapids, Mich., 861
89, Barbara Gnegy, Lakeland, Fla., 858
90, Karen Scott, Norfolk, Va., 857
91, Jean Schrilla, Addison, Ill., 855
92, Kathleen Kurtz, Bismarck, N.D., 854
93, Sam Greaves, Waterford, Mich., 853
94, Barbara Shelton, Hempstead, N.Y., 851
95, Polly Torvik, Grass Valley, Calif., 849
96, (tie) Pam Campbell, Fairfield, Ohio, 847
Sharon Taylor, Frederick, Md., 847
98, Norma Winfield, Chester, Va., 845
99, Sandra Beaven, LaGrange, Ky., 843
100, (tie) Luann Hunt, Watertown, N.Y., 842
Vicki Woods, Bel Air, Md., 842
United States
Skore Lanes in Taylor, Mich. (April 26-30, 2008)
Janine Ditch almost pulled out of the 2008 United States Bowling Congress Senior Queens before it started, but despite feeling miserable, she coughed and sniffled her way into the tournament lead. The 56-year-old from Chino Hills, Calif., was the only player among the 139 women ages 50 and older to complete the first five games without a single game under 200. She posted games of 203, 232, 252, 203, 223 for a 1,113 total and a 22-pin lead over Patti Schultz of Braidwood, Ill.
"I got up this morning dead sick," Ditch said. "I didn't feel like bowling. I almost pulled out. I think it's allergies, but I don't know. But I guess all the drugs kept me slow and that's what worked."
Ditch made the first cut in her only previous Senior Queens appearance in 2006, so she wasn't sure what to expect this time.
"I just wanted to throw the ball well," she said. "When I do that, things will take care of themselves."
Schultz, who turned 50 on the last day in March, came into her first Senior Queens hoping to be among the top 10 qualifiers. Behind games of 256, 159, 214, 229 and 233, she was in good shape to realize that goal heading into Sunday's second round. And she's almost certain to be among the top 50 who will advance to Monday's final five-game qualifying round. "The second game killed me," Schultz said. "That pair was dry. I changed balls, but I couldn't carry."
Schultz is an admitted late-bloomer when it comes to bowling, but she also has an impressive athletic background.
"I didn't start bowling until 1990," she said. "I was too busy playing basketball. That was my thing. I played in high school, college (Olivette Nazarene) and semi pro. I could pretty much pick up anything athletically. So when I quit basketball, I met a guy who told me to try golf. After golf, we went to a movie and he said let's go bowling. I joined a league that fall and really took a liking to it.
"I met a guy who taught me the ropes - where to play, that sort of thing. He drilled me a ball. That was my husband Keith, who died two years ago on my birthday."
After Sunday's second round, the top 50 senior women will advance to a third five-game qualifying round Monday morning. The top 31 will then join defending champion Lucy Sandelin of Tampa, Fla., in the three-game, double-elimination match play finals. The tournament concludes Wednesday morning.
Related Articles
Sandelin eager to defend her USBC Senior Queens title
Qualifying - Standings after Round 1
Players with position, hometown and 5-game total
1, Janine Ditch, Chino Hills, Calif., 1,113
2, Patti Schultz, Braidwood, Ill., 1,091
3, June Shimoda, Fresno, Calif., 1,067
4, Linda Carter, Rockford, Ill., 1,049
5, Diane Stokes, Jackson Heights, N.Y., 1,033
6, (tie) Linda Elmore, Washington, DC, 1,018
Joan Reilly, Wilmington, N.C., 1,018
8, Virginia Norton, Cypress, Calif., 1,013
9, (tie) Marliss Tapp, Portage, Mich., 1,011
Melody Felton, Colfax, Iowa, 1011
11, Sharon Powers, Lakewood, Colo., 1,000
12, Sandra Postma, Lansing, Ill., 999
13, Marci Williams, Wichita, Kan., 990
14, Virginia Austin, Detroit, 989
15, Heidi Pagenkopf, Lynnwood, Wash., 980
16, Jeanette Porter, Omaha, Neb., 977
17, (tie) Pam Lawrence, Pflugerville, Texas, 970
Christine Drew, Santa Clarita, Calif., 970
19, Mary LeGer, Warsaw, Mo., 966
20, (tie) Jody Starlin, Hayward, Calif., 965
Joyce Marshall, New York, 965
22, Debbie Wade, West Jordan, Utah, 963
23, Rose Smith, Las Vegas, 962
24, Joyce Lampugnani, Philadelphia, 961
25, (tie) Chris Morrow-Holcomb, Glenpool, Okla., 960
Connie Richardson, Topeka, Kan., 960
27, Anita Pope, Silsbee, Texas, 959
28, (tie) Shirley Noltemeyer, Shepherdsville, Ky., 956
Jinnie Henry, Hixson, Tenn., 956
30, Jackie Reed, Clearfield, Utah, 954
31, Gail McBride, Round Rock, Texas, 952
32, (tie) Cindy Kesterson, Council Bluffs, Iowa, 949
Janeen Morgan, Randallstown, Md., 949
34, Debra Sinek, Odenton, Md., 946
35, Wendy Brown, LaMesa, Calif., 945
36, (tie) Michele Atria, Louisville, Ky., 943
Sue Mivelaz, Tujunga, Calif., 943
38, (tie) Andi Whitlock, Middletown, Del., 941
Jan Thomas, Urbandale, Iowa, 941
40, Denise Myers, Pensacola, Fla., 940
41, Shelly West, Omaha, Neb., 939
42, Helen Wiegmann, Ottawa, Ill., 938
43, (tie) Connie Jeanne Hall, Kansas City, Kan., 936
Leslie Blandford, Jacksonville, Fla., 936
45, Linda Anderson, Palmer, Alaska, 935
46, Karen Pullman, Lake City, Utah, 934
47, (tie) Cheryl Hammitt, Union City, Calif., 930
Lynn Minning, Austin, Texas, 930
49, Fran Minton, Iowa Park, Texas, 929
50, (tie) Vicky Varvel, Mansfield, Ohio, 928
Connie Palmer, El Cajon, Calif., 928
52, (tie) Jan Schnell-Topolski, Anchorage, Alaska, 927
Linda Rose, N. Arlington, Texas, 927
54, Lil Johnson, Lawton, Okla., 926
55, Linda Goodling, Willow Street, Pa., 923
56, (tie) Cathy Smith, Richmond, Va., 922
Lois Steindl, Howell, N.J., 922
58, (tie) Sandy Brunner, Corydon, Ind., 919
Dee Pickerign, Leavenworth, Kan., 919
60, Karen Wilson, Shawnee, Kan., 915
61, Sue Sansone, Tucson, Ariz., 914
62, Marcia Russo, Syracuse, N.Y., 913
63, Gail Kelly, Philadelphia, Pa., 909
64, Kuniko Naganawa, Japan, 908
65, (tie) Sharon Bush, Bloomingdale, N.J., 905
Mary Warfield, Oklahoma City, 905
67, (tie) Loretta Ciantar, Monroe, Mich., 904
Karen Drysdale, Bixby, Okla., 904
69, Arlene Wetherill, Marysville, Ohio, 894
70, Terri Cooley, Danville, Ky., 893
71, (tie) Laura Simmons, Euclid, Ohio, 890
Annese Dunleavy, Las Vegas, 890
Gwen Terry, Tacoma, Wash., 890
74, Becky Clark, Des Moines, Iowa, 889
75, (tie) Karen Donohue, Farmington Hills, Mich., 887
Jane Hassell, Springfield, Va., 887
77, Marianne Morton, Palm Coast, Fla., 885
78, Marilyn Kreg, Delton, Mich., 882
79, (tie) Judy Gurney, Omaha, Neb., 879
Joyce Owens, Greenback, Tenn., 879
81, Marti Elliott, Haskell, N.J., 873
82, Gayle Spurling, Edinburgh, Ind., 872
83, Alice Hale, Austin, Texas, 869
84, Norlynn Stahnke, Laporte, Ind., 868
85, Fran Deken, Coweta, Okla., 866
86, Elizabeth Dawson, Sunnyvale, Calif., 865
87, Joan Boyce, Olathe, Kan., 864
88, Dora Nettleman, Eaton Rapids, Mich., 861
89, Barbara Gnegy, Lakeland, Fla., 858
90, Karen Scott, Norfolk, Va., 857
91, Jean Schrilla, Addison, Ill., 855
92, Kathleen Kurtz, Bismarck, N.D., 854
93, Sam Greaves, Waterford, Mich., 853
94, Barbara Shelton, Hempstead, N.Y., 851
95, Polly Torvik, Grass Valley, Calif., 849
96, (tie) Pam Campbell, Fairfield, Ohio, 847
Sharon Taylor, Frederick, Md., 847
98, Norma Winfield, Chester, Va., 845
99, Sandra Beaven, LaGrange, Ky., 843
100, (tie) Luann Hunt, Watertown, N.Y., 842
Vicki Woods, Bel Air, Md., 842