Bowl Opinion - August 2015 - Let's Hope That A Fast Start Means The PWBA Is Here To Stay

Written By: bowlingball.com | Written On: Tuesday, August 4, 2015 | Updated On: Tuesday, September 1, 2015

bowlingball.com 8/4/2015
by Jim Goodwin - Stars & Strikes Newsmagazine
The new Professional Women's Bowling Association could not have imagined a better beginning.
July 9-11, the PWBA rolled its first official event since July 2003... that is a dozen long years w ithout a national women's tour; and although it took far too long, we are grateful that it is back in our game and industry.
And what a start it was. The Storm PWBA Sacramento Open sold out its 64 player spots almost a month in advance; and when the field was increased to 80, it was still not enough to meet the demand. It went off with 30 players on a waiting list.
From all reports, Steve Cook's Fireside Lanes and the PWBA staff did an excellent job; and as we predicted in this column, new names and faces are emerging as the new stars of women's bowling. We said in January that "It won't be your mama's tour." So far, it certainly is not.
As this is being written, we now have three new champions - Current, Tan, and Johnson. Is it Liz Johnson? Is it Tish Johnson? NO - while both Liz and Tish are on the tour, the new champion is Stefanie Johnson, or some may remember her as Stefanie Nation when she was a Team USA star. She dominated the third stop in Wichita to win her first pro title. She said after winning " This is my generation's tour," and she is right. 105 players competed in the event held at Cathy DeSocio's Northrock Lanes.
The opening event in Sacramento was won by Elysia Current, the 30-year-old head bowling coach at Delaware State University, who graduated from high school the year the former tour ceased operation.
PWBA event number two in Lubbock had a very international flair, with the entire Singapore National Team traveling to Texas and Kansas for the second and third events. Former Wichita State University star Jazreel Tan was the winner, and all four of her Singapore team mates finished in the top 17. The event drew 74 entries. If the first three events are any indication, and we know they are, the PWBA is off to a spectacular start and headed for an incredible first season. Good luck the rest of the way, and kudos to BPAA, USBC, and everyone involved who made this possible.
After attending Bowl Expo at the spectacular Paris Resort in Las Vegas, CJ and I took a few extra days to visit our friend Gary Beck at the new South Point Bowling Plaza Arena. Beck's Teen Masters Tournament was held there. He told us it is the 19th annual TM. It sure does not seem like that long ago that we saw the first one. This event has evolved over the years to become one of the most important youth tournaments in bowling, and it has the enthusiastic backing of the PBA, Kegel, and many more sponsors, and a loyal group of parents who see it as a place where their student bowlers can not only learn bowling skills, but life lessons as well. The Teen Masters slogan is "Mastering Sport, Mastering Life." It seems that Beck has successfully created a culture surrounding this event which is unique in the sport.
Speaking of life lessons, sometimes we learn them later in life than we should.
Last summer, our family had a wake up call, or at least that is the way we saw it. We got a call one day that CJ's mom, Cina Clark, was in the hospital near her home in Nacogdoches, Texas. It turned out she had pneumonia, and she ended up spending several days in a rehabilitation facility before they got her stabilized to return home. In truth, we came very close to losing her.
CJ has a sister and four brothers. As the elder of the six siblings, she felt an obligation to stress to her siblings in the strongest way that mom was unquestionably the highest priority for our family, and we vowed that her care was more important than anything else; so we made a promise to ourselves and each other that she would be loved and cared for at her home, no matter what.
For many years, this very close family has been together on holidays and annual reunions, but we knew that that was just not enough under these circumstances, so we made a promise and adjusted our schedule to spend one week every month with mom for as long as she needed us. When we were not there, she was cared for by the family members that lived closer. When we were there we cleaned her house, shopped for groceries, worked in her garden, helped with medication and exercise, made home improvements; whatever was needed and whatever we could do taking care of everyday things she could no longer do and should not have to do for herself.
But the best part was that we got to spend quality time with a mother that spent her whole life caring for her family; and it was not easy for her, especially after the passing of CJ's dad 12 years ago. We played cards and games, we laughed, we took walks, we sat on the porch and talked; and CJ and mom often went into the wee hours talking about whatever mothers and daughters talk about.
On July 22, 2015, Cina Irene Clark passed peacefully in her sleep. It was very tough for CJ and me and everyone else in our big family which seems to have more cousins than we can count. But our pain was eased a little because of the promise we made and kept a year ago. Mom always put family first, and we will always remember that when it counted, we learned that lesson by putting her first.
If you have an elderly relative or someone who could use your care, love, and support, we can tell you that spending time with them will be one of the most rewarding experiences of your life. Whatever it takes . . . just do it.
Article was posted with permission from Stars & Strikes, America's Bowling Newsmagazine. www.starsandstrikesbowling.com