Bowling World Aug/Sep 2019

6 www.bowlingworld.com - Aug/Sep 2019 SERVING THE BOWLING INDUSTRY SINCE 1967 Team USA Wins Trios At 2019 World Bowling Women’s Championships by Matt Cannizzaro LAS VEGAS - There's no doubt that years of experience on bowling's biggest stages helped prepare Team USA's L iz Kuhlkin, Jordan Richard and Missy Parkin for the gold-medal rally they mounted Thursday night at 2019 World Bowling Women's Championships. The three struck on 12 of their last 15 opportunities at the South Point Bowling Plaza to outlast a talented Colombian team, 655-632, and successfully defend the trios title the United States won at the 2017 World Championships, also held at South Point. Kuhlkin capped the rally with a 10th-frame strike, and though she's been a part of a pair of collegiate national championships, won a doubles title at the World Youth Championships and taken home a U.S. Women's Open title, she said she's never been as nervous as she was in the final frame Thursday. "That shot, hands down, was the most nervous I've ever been throwing a bowling ball down the lane," said Kuhlkin, a two-time Team USA member. "I'm pretty sure everyone knew that. (Team USA assistant coach Mark Baker) just came over and said, 'give me one shot,' which nicely meant 'calm down.'" Three splits for Team USA early in the title tilt, all on the right lane, nearly cost them a second consecutive gold medal. But, some simple advice from Baker proved to be the push the three needed. "The right lane was just a little tighter down lane," Baker said. "We were kind of lucky that Colombia had to finish on that lane. The ball didn't quite go through the pins the same, so you had to get your roll better - make a better shot." Kuhlkin finished the final with a 233 game and was followed by Richard, who struck on her last six shots for 228 and Parkin (194). Colombia was consistent from top to bottom, marking in all but one frame, a 2-7-8 split from Juliana Franco in the fourth frame. Clara Guerrero led the effort with a 216 game, all-events winner Maria José Rodriguez had 214 and Franco with a 202. The trios win marked the second victory for the United States on Thursday. Team USA started the day with an all-USA singles final featuring Danielle McEwan and Shannon O'Keefe. McEwan won the gold medal, 259-193. Team USA did not make the doubles medal round that followed, while Colombia had two teams on the lanes - both of which fell short in the semifinals, only motivat- ing them more heading into the trios medal round. Though they only had a short time to regroup, being the top seed did earn the Co- lombians a few extra minutes to strategize, since Team USA and Mexico hit the lanes first for their trios semifinal. In Team USA's win over Mexico, Parkin set the pace as the leadoff bowler and started with five consecutive strikes to help open up a 75-pin lead. That was enough of a head start, and the United States rolled to a 669-628 win. Kuhlkin struck on four of her last four shots to finish with 235, and she was fol- lowed by Parkin (234) and Richard (200). PWBA standout Sandra Gongora led the way for Mexico with a 234 effort and was followed by Paola Limon (215) and Adri- ana Perez (179). Colombia then marked in 29 of 30 frames to ease past Korea, 694-620. Korea made all three medal rounds Thursday but only was able to come away with a silver medal in doubles and bronze medals in singles and trios. Guerrero led the semifinal effort for Colombia with a 247 game and was followed by Rodriguez (233) and Franco (214). Baek Seungja had 231 for Korea and was joined by Kim Moonjeong (214) and Jung Dawun (175). Mexico and Korea each earned bronze medals. Thursday's win in trios marked the first gold medals for all three Team USA mem- bers at the adult World Championships. Parkin earned a pair of silver medals at the 2013 event, while Kuhlkin and Richard are competing for the first time. "I can't believe this .. I literally cannot believe this," Richard said. "I was a little quick at the start, and I caught onto that really quick. Then I kept projecting it too far to the right, but in my head, it's going to the right, and that's what I needed it to do. I knew once I shut my angles down, I would be OK. Once I closed it down, I strung strikes at the end when it mattered." Throwing strikes under pressure certainly is what got the job done for the Team USA women in the end, but it was their information gathering on the 39-foot World Bowling Seoul oil pattern and flawless communication throughout the week that put them in position to do what they're so good at. As the veteran of the three with 10 years of Team USA experience, Parkin, the 2011 United States Bowling Congress Queens champion, also had some helpful advice for her teammates as they approached the final frames. "I kind of huddled us all up and just told the girls to stand tall, we have a lot of frames left," Parkin said. "I think it put us in the right frame of mind and we started stringing strikes." In 2017, it was Team USA's McEwan, O'Keefe and USBC Hall of Famer Kelly Ku- lick standing on top of the medal stand at South Point. Second-seeded Mexico will take on Sweden in the first best-of-three Baker semi- final, and Team USA will meet Colombia in the other. The two winners will bowl for the gold medal, and the semifinal losers each will receive bronze medals. The tournament will conclude Friday afternoon with the Masters medal round, fea- turing Singapore's Cherie Tan against McEwan and then Colombia's Rodriguez against Sanna Pasanen of Finland. International Bowling Museum Launches New Online Archive ARLINGTON, TX – The International Bowling Mu- seum and Hall of Fame (IBMHOF) is providing fans of bowling – and history – a way to experience the sport from anywhere in the world through an online collection of the many great items in the museum’s vast inven- tory. BowlingHeritage.com i s the gateway to the Bowling Virtual Vault, which features many of the historic items on display at the museum in Arlington, plus additional collections the museum is not able to display year- round because of space constraints. “The Bowling Virtual Vault provides access to great memorabilia, and visitors also will learn about the greatest players, teams, moments and so much more about bowling’s history,” said Mike Aulby, president/ chairman of the IBMHOF Board of Trustees. “It’s a fan- tastic way for those who might not be able to visit the museum to see our outstanding collections. It is a fun and engaging look at bowling for even the most casual fans of the sport.” Some of the collections include bowling fashion, fea- turing an assortment of vintage bowling balls, bags, shoes and shirts, plus bowling toys and games, bowling stars in the 20th century, and bowling collectables. The Celebrities Go Bowling section showcases not only movie and television stars, but also presidents, and a collection of bowling-themed beer steins are part of the Bowling Virtual Vault’s vast mix of collections. Sharing collections through online databases has be- come more popular among museums seeking to ex- pand their reach and the IBMHOF sees the Bowling Virtual Vault as another way to bring the sport’s history to a global audience. The IBMHOF is a Blue Star Museum, a collaboration of the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Families, the Department of Defense and museums throughout the United States. Visit BowlingMuseum.com t o learn more about the IBMHOF and how you can become a member. Visit BowlingHeritage.com f or the Bowling Virtual Vault.