In her shoes: Illinois bowler emerges with first-ever 600-series
04/29/06
With the 2006 United States Bowling Congress Women's Championships, presented by the Eldorado, Silver Legacy and Circus Circus, firmly at the halfway mark, competitors continue to have a story, a strategy, even a superstition or two.
For Theresa Alwood of Belleville, Ill., it happens to be her shoes. Specifically, Alwood credits the new Circle bowling shoes she purchased at the National Bowling Stadium's Lane 81 Pro Shop for keeping her feet firmly planted as she racked up what she considers a landmark personal win in singles competition April 28.
"I ended up with a 611 series, my first-ever 600," Alwood said. "I bought new shoes. They're cool. I feel like Dorothy. I should've bowled this well in Kansas."
Said footwear looks like saddle shoes on steroids, their fluorescent highway-yellow-and-black color combination a distraction for any opponent. Participating in her ninth USBC Women's Championships with her sister, Donna Lagow, 42, of Jackson, Mich., Alwood, 46, swore those shoes gave her that edge in singles, with games of 197, 161 and 253.
"I knew I was going to get new shoes here anyway," Alwood explained. "I was on a mission. I got my bowling shoes and bowled really well."
Alwood earned a purse full of official USBC Women's Championships awards, including individual achievement awards of 75 and 140 pins over average;a 200 game award; a USBC deck of playing cards for her first 600 series; a 225 pin for her 253 score in singles; a 250 commemorative rosin bag; and a 100 pins-over-average USBC wristwatch.
While Alwood, whose average is 151, said she'll always remember the thrill of her first 600 series, she claimed she was unaware that's where the series was headed while she was actually bowling.
"I didn't know it was a 600 until after I got done," said Alwood. "I didn't know I was even close. It wasn't until after and I looked up and went, 'Whoa! It's 611!' Everything was just falling right into place."
Her proud little sister agreed that it was Alwood's time to shine in singles - when the pressure, they note, is off.
"I was thinking, 'that's very typical,' because she always does a lot better in singles,'" Lagow said. "She's my doubles partner."
In doubles play, Alwood rolled 151, 126 and 137 for a series total of 414. Alwood bowls twice a week, both on a three-woman team and with her husband. It's her annual getaway to the USBC Women's Championships, though, that she looks forward to.
"We live in different states, and this is something we do every year, to get together as sisters," said Alwood, who promises to check in after she competes in the 2007 Women's Championships in Charlotte, N.C., where by then, those new shoes will be really broken-in.
Kegel is the official lane maintenance supplier of USBC.
Top five division leaders with hometowns and pinfall:
Team (946 average and over)
1, Strike 3, Sun City, Ariz., 3,021. 2, Miche's Mob, Irvine, Calif., 2,877. 3, Lucky Ducks #5, Mohnton, Pa., 2,869. 4, All Star Lanes, Silverdale, Wash., 2,865. 5 (tie), Magic of the Southwest, Slidell, La. and J.L. Bowling Supply, Toronto, Ontario 2,855.
Doubles (379 average and over)
1, Carrie Meares, Seneca, S.C./Lisa Wagner, Duluth, Ga., 1,331. 2, Dianna Innerst, San Jose, Calif./Cathy Johnston, Folsom, Calif., 1,274. 3, Bonnie Vaughan, Englewood, Ohio/Rae Parks, Vandalia, Ohio, 1,234. 4, Nicole Van Deventer/Laurie Clark, Sioux Falls, S.D., 1,231. 5, Teresa Adkins, Xenia, Ohio/Debbie Benchic, Dayton, Ohio 1,223.
Singles (190 average and over)
1, Shannon Duplantis, New Orleans, 707. 2, Valerie Carrillo, Montebello, Calif., 691. 3, Lisa Wagner, Duluth, Ga., 683. 4, Alisha Caballero, Riverside, Calif., 678. 5, Jamie Koster, Grants Pass, Ore., 674.
All Events (190 average and over)
1, Lisa Wagner, Duluth, Ga., 2,097. 2, Shannon Duplantis, New Orleans, 1,896. 3, (tie) Rachel Einstoss, Chula Vista, Calif., and Jami May-Bruce, 1,890. 5, Dianna Innerst, San Jose, Calif., 1,883.
Team (846-945 average)
1, Village Bar II, Omaha, Neb., 2,842. 2, Cruizin', White City, Ore., 2,759. 3, N-10-City, Sun Valley, Nev., 2,743. 4, Sassy Ladies, Apopka, Fla., 2,691. 5, Creative Minds Pro Shop, Moreno Valley, Calif., 2,686.
Doubles (339-378 average)
1, Pam Schulz, Longview, Wash./Valery Hubbard, Kelso, Wash., 1,264. 2, Janet McLeod, Redding, Calif./Susan Fuller, Cottonwood, Calif., 1,196. 3, Darci Roberts, Canby, Ore./Sandra Currie, Dundee, Ore., 1,181. 4, Terri Stynes, Sunnyvale, Calif./Jackie Wyckoff, Cupertino, Calif., 1,178. 5, Linda Singer, Chicago Ridge, Ill./Leslie Gillie, Chicago, Ill., 1,174.
Singles (170-189 average)
1, Marlene Crosier, Mitchell, Neb., 650. 2, Tracey Hoffman, Twin Falls, Idaho, 633. 3, Sherry DuBois, Londonderry, N.H., 632. 4, Gerry Little Jr., Jacksonville, Fla., 629. 5, Jill Switzer, Reno, Nev., 621.
All Events (170-189 average)
1, Jackie Brantley, Littleton, Colo., 1,800. 2, Gerry Little Jr., Jacksonville, Fla., 1,777. 3, Lazette Harris, Antelope, Calif., 1,734. 4, Bethany Suzuki, Vacaville, Calif., 1,730. 5, Cynthia Martineau, Pickering, Ontario, 1,728.
Team (746-845 average)
1, Centennial Lanes 2, Hays, Kan., 2,658. 2, Team 20022, White Bear Lake, Minn., 2,640. 3, Family and Friends #1, Rohnert Park, Calif., 2,633. 4, Storage World I, New Port Richey, Fla., 2,600. 5, Burger Construction, Athens, Wis., 2,579.
Doubles (299-338 average)
1, Sharon Cassidy, San Mateo, Calif./Elaine Van Otten, Pacifica, Calif., 1,171. 2, Jeanna Brown, Bloomington, Ill./Joan Kaufman, Heyworth, Ill., 1,154. 3, Deborah Nowak-Frick, Walkerton, Ind./Pat Dukarm, South Bend, Ind., 1,141. 4, Edie Anderson, Hesperia, Mich./Dee Rynberg, Fremont, Mich., 1,129. 5, Stacey Fenton, Manor, Texas/Diane Beger, Round Rock, Texas, 1,119.
Singles (150-169 average)
1, Judith Kaufman, Winslow, Ill., 620. 2, Bonnie Magnussen, Wyoming, Ill., 615. 3 (tie), Teresa Alwood, Belleville, Ill. and Sarah Logsdon, Richmond, Mo., 611. 5, Connie Haycock, Boise, Idaho, 607.
All Events (150-169 average)
1, Terri Stynes, Sunnyvale, Calif., 1,682. 2, Morgan Robinson, New Haven, Conn., 1,681. 3, Juli Wall, Petaluma, Calif., 1,680. 4, Connie Haycock, Boise, Idaho, 1,679. 5, Joanne Miller, Coquitlam, British Columbia, 1,670.
Team (651-745 average)
1, Just Marked, Oakland, Calif., 2,458. 2, Cutting Edge, Glencoe, Minn., 2,417. 3, Left Overs, Ponca City, Okla., 2,401. 4, Coldwell Banker, Eureka, Calif., 2,397. 5, Teske Trucking Inc., Cokato, Minn., 2,351.
Doubles (261-298 average)
1, Jamie Huyser, Kearney, Neb./Connie Huyser, Johnson Lake, Neb., 1,062. 2, Joyce Bland, Tampa, Fla./Ruth Burns, Carlinville, Ill., 1,045. 3, Janie Bauer/Sandy Wilson, Elko, Nev., 1,033. 4, Janine Poisson/Marg Cumming, Chatham, Ontario, 1,030. 5, Winsome Wells, Lakeview, Ore./Beverly Scherer, Paisley, Ore., 1,026.
Singles (131-149 average)
1, Nancy Galinat, Harrold, S.D., 638. 2, Robin McGinnis, Petrolia, Pa., 598. 3, Tisha Martin, Seattle, 586. 4, Donna LaJeunesse, Xenia, Ohio, 575. 5, Pat Ballantyne, The Villages, Fla., 564.
All Events (131-149 average)
1, Nancy Galinat, Harrold, S.D., 1,592. 2, Robin McGinnis, Petrolia, Pa., 1,588. 3, Sheila Jeffers, Sandy, Utah, 1,543. 4, Susan Wright, Hudson, Mich., 1,538. 5, Kelli Zygulski, Elgin, Ill., 1,536.
Team (650 average and under)
1, Bear Nasty, Monticello, Minn., 2,187. 2, Lundeen Ford, Annandale, Minn., 2,091. 3, Shelton-Christmas Town, Shelton, Wash., 2,079. 4, Roth Embroidery, Great Bend, Kan., 2,072. 5, Goof Troop, Farmington, N.M., 2,070.
Doubles (260 average and under)
1, Kathy Belmer, Manteca, Calif./Regina Antunes, Stockton, Calif., 973. 2, Sharon Carroll/Dee Carroll, Newport, Wash., 945. 3, Susan Carlson, Milaca, Minn./Karon Bensen, Saint Louis Park, Minn., 920. 4, Donna Hill/Rene Lozoya, Battle Mountain, Nev., 911. 5, Tammy Walker/Janice Moore, Custer, S.D., 903.
Singles (130 average and under)
1, Rose Postle, Rice Lake, Wis., 554. 2, Connie Monk, Yelm, Wash., 549. 3, Shelly Bloch, Ramsey, Minn., 538. 4, Ashley Rivera, Kingsville, Texas, 536. 5, Claudia Garrison, Penn Valley, Calif., 525.
All Events (130 average and under)
1, Connie Monk, Yelm, Wash., 1,481. 2, Karen Clements, Blair, Neb., 1,443. 3, Ashley Rivera, Kingsville, Texas, 1,433. 4, Mage Merritt, New Haven, Conn., 1,414. 5, Lynnsy Hesse, Cedar Falls, Iowa, 1,412.
United States
National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nev. (March 16 - July 2, 2006)
With the 2006 United States Bowling Congress Women's Championships, presented by the Eldorado, Silver Legacy and Circus Circus, firmly at the halfway mark, competitors continue to have a story, a strategy, even a superstition or two. For Theresa Alwood of Belleville, Ill., it happens to be her shoes. Specifically, Alwood credits the new Circle bowling shoes she purchased at the National Bowling Stadium's Lane 81 Pro Shop for keeping her feet firmly planted as she racked up what she considers a landmark personal win in singles competition April 28.
"I ended up with a 611 series, my first-ever 600," Alwood said. "I bought new shoes. They're cool. I feel like Dorothy. I should've bowled this well in Kansas."
Said footwear looks like saddle shoes on steroids, their fluorescent highway-yellow-and-black color combination a distraction for any opponent. Participating in her ninth USBC Women's Championships with her sister, Donna Lagow, 42, of Jackson, Mich., Alwood, 46, swore those shoes gave her that edge in singles, with games of 197, 161 and 253.
"I knew I was going to get new shoes here anyway," Alwood explained. "I was on a mission. I got my bowling shoes and bowled really well."
Alwood earned a purse full of official USBC Women's Championships awards, including individual achievement awards of 75 and 140 pins over average;a 200 game award; a USBC deck of playing cards for her first 600 series; a 225 pin for her 253 score in singles; a 250 commemorative rosin bag; and a 100 pins-over-average USBC wristwatch.
While Alwood, whose average is 151, said she'll always remember the thrill of her first 600 series, she claimed she was unaware that's where the series was headed while she was actually bowling.
"I didn't know it was a 600 until after I got done," said Alwood. "I didn't know I was even close. It wasn't until after and I looked up and went, 'Whoa! It's 611!' Everything was just falling right into place."
Her proud little sister agreed that it was Alwood's time to shine in singles - when the pressure, they note, is off.
"I was thinking, 'that's very typical,' because she always does a lot better in singles,'" Lagow said. "She's my doubles partner."
In doubles play, Alwood rolled 151, 126 and 137 for a series total of 414. Alwood bowls twice a week, both on a three-woman team and with her husband. It's her annual getaway to the USBC Women's Championships, though, that she looks forward to.
"We live in different states, and this is something we do every year, to get together as sisters," said Alwood, who promises to check in after she competes in the 2007 Women's Championships in Charlotte, N.C., where by then, those new shoes will be really broken-in.
Kegel is the official lane maintenance supplier of USBC.
Top five division leaders with hometowns and pinfall:
CLASSIC DIVISION
Team (946 average and over)
1, Strike 3, Sun City, Ariz., 3,021. 2, Miche's Mob, Irvine, Calif., 2,877. 3, Lucky Ducks #5, Mohnton, Pa., 2,869. 4, All Star Lanes, Silverdale, Wash., 2,865. 5 (tie), Magic of the Southwest, Slidell, La. and J.L. Bowling Supply, Toronto, Ontario 2,855.
Doubles (379 average and over)
1, Carrie Meares, Seneca, S.C./Lisa Wagner, Duluth, Ga., 1,331. 2, Dianna Innerst, San Jose, Calif./Cathy Johnston, Folsom, Calif., 1,274. 3, Bonnie Vaughan, Englewood, Ohio/Rae Parks, Vandalia, Ohio, 1,234. 4, Nicole Van Deventer/Laurie Clark, Sioux Falls, S.D., 1,231. 5, Teresa Adkins, Xenia, Ohio/Debbie Benchic, Dayton, Ohio 1,223.
Singles (190 average and over)
1, Shannon Duplantis, New Orleans, 707. 2, Valerie Carrillo, Montebello, Calif., 691. 3, Lisa Wagner, Duluth, Ga., 683. 4, Alisha Caballero, Riverside, Calif., 678. 5, Jamie Koster, Grants Pass, Ore., 674.
All Events (190 average and over)
1, Lisa Wagner, Duluth, Ga., 2,097. 2, Shannon Duplantis, New Orleans, 1,896. 3, (tie) Rachel Einstoss, Chula Vista, Calif., and Jami May-Bruce, 1,890. 5, Dianna Innerst, San Jose, Calif., 1,883.
DIVISION 1
Team (846-945 average)
1, Village Bar II, Omaha, Neb., 2,842. 2, Cruizin', White City, Ore., 2,759. 3, N-10-City, Sun Valley, Nev., 2,743. 4, Sassy Ladies, Apopka, Fla., 2,691. 5, Creative Minds Pro Shop, Moreno Valley, Calif., 2,686.
Doubles (339-378 average)
1, Pam Schulz, Longview, Wash./Valery Hubbard, Kelso, Wash., 1,264. 2, Janet McLeod, Redding, Calif./Susan Fuller, Cottonwood, Calif., 1,196. 3, Darci Roberts, Canby, Ore./Sandra Currie, Dundee, Ore., 1,181. 4, Terri Stynes, Sunnyvale, Calif./Jackie Wyckoff, Cupertino, Calif., 1,178. 5, Linda Singer, Chicago Ridge, Ill./Leslie Gillie, Chicago, Ill., 1,174.
Singles (170-189 average)
1, Marlene Crosier, Mitchell, Neb., 650. 2, Tracey Hoffman, Twin Falls, Idaho, 633. 3, Sherry DuBois, Londonderry, N.H., 632. 4, Gerry Little Jr., Jacksonville, Fla., 629. 5, Jill Switzer, Reno, Nev., 621.
All Events (170-189 average)
1, Jackie Brantley, Littleton, Colo., 1,800. 2, Gerry Little Jr., Jacksonville, Fla., 1,777. 3, Lazette Harris, Antelope, Calif., 1,734. 4, Bethany Suzuki, Vacaville, Calif., 1,730. 5, Cynthia Martineau, Pickering, Ontario, 1,728.
DIVISION 2
Team (746-845 average)
1, Centennial Lanes 2, Hays, Kan., 2,658. 2, Team 20022, White Bear Lake, Minn., 2,640. 3, Family and Friends #1, Rohnert Park, Calif., 2,633. 4, Storage World I, New Port Richey, Fla., 2,600. 5, Burger Construction, Athens, Wis., 2,579.
Doubles (299-338 average)
1, Sharon Cassidy, San Mateo, Calif./Elaine Van Otten, Pacifica, Calif., 1,171. 2, Jeanna Brown, Bloomington, Ill./Joan Kaufman, Heyworth, Ill., 1,154. 3, Deborah Nowak-Frick, Walkerton, Ind./Pat Dukarm, South Bend, Ind., 1,141. 4, Edie Anderson, Hesperia, Mich./Dee Rynberg, Fremont, Mich., 1,129. 5, Stacey Fenton, Manor, Texas/Diane Beger, Round Rock, Texas, 1,119.
Singles (150-169 average)
1, Judith Kaufman, Winslow, Ill., 620. 2, Bonnie Magnussen, Wyoming, Ill., 615. 3 (tie), Teresa Alwood, Belleville, Ill. and Sarah Logsdon, Richmond, Mo., 611. 5, Connie Haycock, Boise, Idaho, 607.
All Events (150-169 average)
1, Terri Stynes, Sunnyvale, Calif., 1,682. 2, Morgan Robinson, New Haven, Conn., 1,681. 3, Juli Wall, Petaluma, Calif., 1,680. 4, Connie Haycock, Boise, Idaho, 1,679. 5, Joanne Miller, Coquitlam, British Columbia, 1,670.
DIVISION 3
Team (651-745 average)
1, Just Marked, Oakland, Calif., 2,458. 2, Cutting Edge, Glencoe, Minn., 2,417. 3, Left Overs, Ponca City, Okla., 2,401. 4, Coldwell Banker, Eureka, Calif., 2,397. 5, Teske Trucking Inc., Cokato, Minn., 2,351.
Doubles (261-298 average)
1, Jamie Huyser, Kearney, Neb./Connie Huyser, Johnson Lake, Neb., 1,062. 2, Joyce Bland, Tampa, Fla./Ruth Burns, Carlinville, Ill., 1,045. 3, Janie Bauer/Sandy Wilson, Elko, Nev., 1,033. 4, Janine Poisson/Marg Cumming, Chatham, Ontario, 1,030. 5, Winsome Wells, Lakeview, Ore./Beverly Scherer, Paisley, Ore., 1,026.
Singles (131-149 average)
1, Nancy Galinat, Harrold, S.D., 638. 2, Robin McGinnis, Petrolia, Pa., 598. 3, Tisha Martin, Seattle, 586. 4, Donna LaJeunesse, Xenia, Ohio, 575. 5, Pat Ballantyne, The Villages, Fla., 564.
All Events (131-149 average)
1, Nancy Galinat, Harrold, S.D., 1,592. 2, Robin McGinnis, Petrolia, Pa., 1,588. 3, Sheila Jeffers, Sandy, Utah, 1,543. 4, Susan Wright, Hudson, Mich., 1,538. 5, Kelli Zygulski, Elgin, Ill., 1,536.
DIVISION 4
Team (650 average and under)
1, Bear Nasty, Monticello, Minn., 2,187. 2, Lundeen Ford, Annandale, Minn., 2,091. 3, Shelton-Christmas Town, Shelton, Wash., 2,079. 4, Roth Embroidery, Great Bend, Kan., 2,072. 5, Goof Troop, Farmington, N.M., 2,070.
Doubles (260 average and under)
1, Kathy Belmer, Manteca, Calif./Regina Antunes, Stockton, Calif., 973. 2, Sharon Carroll/Dee Carroll, Newport, Wash., 945. 3, Susan Carlson, Milaca, Minn./Karon Bensen, Saint Louis Park, Minn., 920. 4, Donna Hill/Rene Lozoya, Battle Mountain, Nev., 911. 5, Tammy Walker/Janice Moore, Custer, S.D., 903.
Singles (130 average and under)
1, Rose Postle, Rice Lake, Wis., 554. 2, Connie Monk, Yelm, Wash., 549. 3, Shelly Bloch, Ramsey, Minn., 538. 4, Ashley Rivera, Kingsville, Texas, 536. 5, Claudia Garrison, Penn Valley, Calif., 525.
All Events (130 average and under)
1, Connie Monk, Yelm, Wash., 1,481. 2, Karen Clements, Blair, Neb., 1,443. 3, Ashley Rivera, Kingsville, Texas, 1,433. 4, Mage Merritt, New Haven, Conn., 1,414. 5, Lynnsy Hesse, Cedar Falls, Iowa, 1,412.