Restrepo Grabs First PWBA Title At Greater Detroit Open

8/11/2016

Canton, Mich. - Rocio Restrepo admits her emotions can sometimes get the better of her when she's on the lanes, but she allowed those strong emotions to drive her to the title of the Professional Women's Bowling Association Greater Detroit Open.

Restrepo jumped to an early lead against Malaysia's Li Jane Sin, striking in foud of her first six frames, on her way to a 217-185 victory at the Ashwaubenon Bowling Alley. Restrepo, who edged Sin by 28 pins during match play to gain the No. 1 seed for the finals that were televised on CBS Sports Network, claimed her first PWBA title with the victory.

“I'm an emotional person and sometimes that can be bad,” said Restrepo, a Colombia native. “But I felt like I was controlling myself and it actually kept me in the moment. I only have 12 shots to win a title and I have to make it count.” I'm excited because I also want to bowl the PWBA Tour Champsionship.”

With the victory, Restrepo did punch her ticket to the season ending 16-player field of the Smithfield PWBA Players Championship, which will take place Sept. 1-4 in Midlothian, Virginia.
"I've been working really hard and I felt like it was time," Restrepo said. "I've been looking forward to this year. I just missed at the (Go Bow lin g P WBA ) P layers Championship, missed a few spares and it cost me at the end
- I really wanted to make that show. These opportunities don't happen every day, so take them now or you might never see them again." The Greater Detroit Open marked Restrepo's fourth PWBA championship-round appearance and her second as the top seed. She lost to Latvia's Diana Zavjalova in the title match of the 2015 PWBA Minnesota Open.

"I remembered losing last year in Minnesota; I made good shots but they didn't fall," Restrepo said. "My coaches have been telling me 'You got this, we believe in you but it's hard to tell yourself that when you are failing and making the little mistakes that cost you. Today, I made two bad shots and I thought it might cost me at some point. But I kept making my spares and kept telling myself to stay in it. I'm excited it finally happened."

Stefanie Johnson of Grand Prairie, Texas, the 2015 PWBA Rookie of the Year, made her second TV appearance of 2016 in the stepladder's opening match. She started with strikes in five of her first six frames en route to a 222-181 victory over former Wichita State standout Tannya Roumimper of Indonesia.
In the semifinal match, Johnson had an open frame in the sixth and that proved to be just enough of an opening for Sin, a 2016 USBC Queens finalist, to grab a 225-194 victory to set up the title match against Restrepo.
The qualifying , match p lay and group stepladder rounds of the PWBA Greater Detroit Open took place June 17-18 at Super Bowl in Canton, Mich. The TV stepladder finals were taped for broadcast on June 26 at The Ashwaubenon Bowling Alley in Green Bay, Wisconsin, after the G o Bow ling PWBA Players Championship.

Article was posted with permission from Stars & Strikes, America's Bowling Newsmagazine. www.starsandstrikesbowling.com