I just wanted to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Friday, December 14, 2007
Missy featured on the FRONT page of the Orange County Register, Dec. 14th!
Click on the link to read the article that was featured on the FRONT page of the Orange County Register.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Missy Featured in the Orange County Register
Missy will be featured on the FRONT page of the Orange County Register this Friday, December 14th!
The Orange County Register is the second largest newspaper in Southern California and rivals one of the nation's leading newspapers - The Los Angeles Times.
Stay tuned for the article!
The Orange County Register is the second largest newspaper in Southern California and rivals one of the nation's leading newspapers - The Los Angeles Times.
Stay tuned for the article!
Part 4 - On the Road: Women's Series
For the fourth and final stop of the PBA Women’s Series, we travelled to Wyoming, MI for the PBA Women’s Series Great Lakes Classic at Spectrum Lanes.
Last week, the PBA Women’s Series took the week off for Thanksgiving. Even though the PBA tour still held a tournament, almost all of the women went home to spend the holidays with friends and family. I went home to California.
The week off was relaxing, even though I managed to figure out I had a sinus infection and spent most of the week sleeping. However I did spend Thanksgiving with my family, enjoying a 30 lb turkey dinner with all of the fixings.
While I was home, I also got a little Christmas shopping done on Black Friday, bowled a win-a-spot tournament, practiced and went to Disneyland.
When we returned this week for our final stop of the PBA Women’s Series, several of the men said that they had missed us last week. They mentioned that last week, the whole mood of the field had changed and everyone seemed to be more edgy and stagnant, as opposed to the weeks before.
Over the four weeks of the PBA Women’s Series, bowling alongside the men and at the same venue each week was a great experience. We practiced and qualified together, shared the paddock, ball spinners and equipment workout tables together. As you may notice, we were around each other a lot and often hung out together after competition.
Through talking and bowling with some of the exempt bowlers, the women could really learn a lot of valuable information, especially from the bowlers who have been on tour for a few years, like Walter Ray, Parker Bohn and Tom Baker. I know I personally learned a few things from watching, bowling and talking with the men and better yet, I made some new friends.
Over the four weeks of the PBA Women’s Series we were welcomed not only by the PBA, the exempt bowlers, and bowling centers but also welcomed tremendously by the fans. By having both the PBA and PBA Women’s Series tournaments at the same venue, it gave the fans, bowling centers and cities tremendous exposure and a unique experience.
Fans were able to watch the best of the best in both men and women’s bowling and also bowl with both the men and women professionals in the PBA pro-ams. This exposure of such an elite group of men and women bowlers gave fans the ultimate experience both in the bowling centers and on ESPN and created a lot of positive feedback.
Having never had the opportunity to bowl on the now defunct PWBA tour, these four weeks of the PBA Women’s Series were a dream come true for me. It was an unbelievably amazing experience that I wish would have never come to an end.
At the conclusion of our last stop, saying goodbye to all of the bowlers, staff and fans was really hard. Hopefully next year, we will have a bigger and even better tour with more stops and more sponsors.
Bowling needs women’s professional bowling to come back. This is not a biased opinion but reality when it comes to the well-being of our sport. Without women’s professional bowling, who can little girls look up to and aspire to be? The PBA Women’s Series was a definite step in the right direction!
Monday, November 26, 2007
Part 3 - On the Road: Women's Series
Each week as a PBA Women’s Series competitor, we get the same perks and discipline as any of the PBA exempt bowlers. We have roll-call before our qualifying and match-play blocks and can be fined for being late.
We also have to make sure our scorecards are added correctly and that we verify our opponent’s score card.
If either scorecard is wrong, both the person and the verifier will be fined. We have to dress appropriately (no T-shirts or tennis shoes) when we are inside the bowling center and not competing.
We also have access to the PBA truck in which we can get bowling balls drilled and have our bowling balls transported from stop-to-stop each week.
Being on Brunswick's staff, I also have access to amazing ball rep Rick Benoit, who has been a tremendous help to myself and to all of the Brunswick women staffers.
We also have the benefit of receiving complimentary lunch and dinner after blocks of qualifying and match play, which is often generously provided by the host bowling center.
Over the course of the past three weeks, the fan support that the PBA Women’s Series is getting is tremendous. We have been to three major bowling towns and the fans have been great!
The thing I hear most from spectators is: “Were glad to see the women bowling again! There needs to be more tournaments for you ladies to bowl in! I learn so much from watching the women bowl on TV!”
I think I can speak on behalf of all of the women and say that we are all hearing these positive comments!
Last week the PBA and PBA Women’s Series traveled to Stardust Bowl II in Merrillville, Ind., for the Lake County Indiana Classic.
We competed on the 39 foot Chameleon PBA lane pattern, and after 14 games of qualifying, Carolyn Dorin-Ballard led the women, averaging 223.93. To qualify for the Top 8 cut to match play it took +170 or a 212.14 average.
I squeaked into the top 8 cut after a roller coaster second block of qualifying.
Have you ever felt like you're in a really bad dream and can’t wake up? I was living this bad dream for a little while, shooting 490 for three straight games in the block. However, I finally remembered how to bowl again and shot 690 for my last three games of the set to finish in 6th place after qualifying.
In match play, I faced Kelly Kulick in the round of 8. After being ahead 3-1 in the match, Kelly fired back winning the next 4 games and advanced to the round of 4.
Overall, it was Joy Esterson who took home the championship in an exciting finish against Liz Johnson on live TV. After both ladies struck out in the 10th frame to tie with 226s, they then went into a sudden death one-ball roll-off. Joy bowled first and packed a strike, while Liz then knocked down only seven pins, leaving the 2-4-10 split.
The PBA Women’s Series has this week off for the Thanksgiving holiday. However, stay tuned for Part 4 of On the Road: Women’s Series, where we will return to action in our final stop Nov. 28-Dec. 2 for the PBA Women’s Series Great Lakes Classic held in Wyoming, Mich.
We also have to make sure our scorecards are added correctly and that we verify our opponent’s score card.
If either scorecard is wrong, both the person and the verifier will be fined. We have to dress appropriately (no T-shirts or tennis shoes) when we are inside the bowling center and not competing.
We also have access to the PBA truck in which we can get bowling balls drilled and have our bowling balls transported from stop-to-stop each week.
Being on Brunswick's staff, I also have access to amazing ball rep Rick Benoit, who has been a tremendous help to myself and to all of the Brunswick women staffers.
We also have the benefit of receiving complimentary lunch and dinner after blocks of qualifying and match play, which is often generously provided by the host bowling center.
Over the course of the past three weeks, the fan support that the PBA Women’s Series is getting is tremendous. We have been to three major bowling towns and the fans have been great!
The thing I hear most from spectators is: “Were glad to see the women bowling again! There needs to be more tournaments for you ladies to bowl in! I learn so much from watching the women bowl on TV!”
I think I can speak on behalf of all of the women and say that we are all hearing these positive comments!
Last week the PBA and PBA Women’s Series traveled to Stardust Bowl II in Merrillville, Ind., for the Lake County Indiana Classic.
We competed on the 39 foot Chameleon PBA lane pattern, and after 14 games of qualifying, Carolyn Dorin-Ballard led the women, averaging 223.93. To qualify for the Top 8 cut to match play it took +170 or a 212.14 average.
I squeaked into the top 8 cut after a roller coaster second block of qualifying.
Have you ever felt like you're in a really bad dream and can’t wake up? I was living this bad dream for a little while, shooting 490 for three straight games in the block. However, I finally remembered how to bowl again and shot 690 for my last three games of the set to finish in 6th place after qualifying.
In match play, I faced Kelly Kulick in the round of 8. After being ahead 3-1 in the match, Kelly fired back winning the next 4 games and advanced to the round of 4.
Overall, it was Joy Esterson who took home the championship in an exciting finish against Liz Johnson on live TV. After both ladies struck out in the 10th frame to tie with 226s, they then went into a sudden death one-ball roll-off. Joy bowled first and packed a strike, while Liz then knocked down only seven pins, leaving the 2-4-10 split.
The PBA Women’s Series has this week off for the Thanksgiving holiday. However, stay tuned for Part 4 of On the Road: Women’s Series, where we will return to action in our final stop Nov. 28-Dec. 2 for the PBA Women’s Series Great Lakes Classic held in Wyoming, Mich.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Part 2 - On the Road: Women's Series
By: Missy Bellinder
This week the PBA and PBA Women’s Series travelled to Thruway Lanes in Cheektowaga, NY for the Etonic Championship.
Every week of the PBA Women’s Series, we (the women) are bowling at the same venue as the PBA tour. We are also bowling the qualifying portion of the tournament at the same time as the men, crossing with them but competing in our own separate tournament.
This week the scores were high! Getting to the pocket was not too difficult, but getting all 10 pins to fall was another story for some. If you could figure out how to carry, you were going to shoot big numbers! Joy Esterson out-scored everyone with +661 for 14 games, averaging 247, while Todd Book led the men with +625, averaging 244.
I personally couldn’t quite figure out the carry, missing the top 8 cut to matchplay by 26 pins.
Matchplay had many high scores and in the end Shannon Pluhowsky and Tish Johnson advanced to the live ESPN TV show, with Pluhowsky finishing on top.
This week, my father Frank flew out to watch the PBA Women’s Series. While my dad was in town, we decided to take in some sights. So we drove into Canada and visited Niagara Falls.
Being from California, the whole week in Buffalo was pretty cold, with the highs in the low 40s. My roommate Tennelle and I even went and bought snow boots to combat the snow and slush that had stuck on the ground the day we had arrived.
Niagara Falls was even colder than nearby Buffalo! Getting too close to the mist was like walking into a rain storm. However the breathtaking power of the falls was well worth all of the Goosebumps!
After taking several postcard-like pictures of Niagara Falls, my dad and I decided to see the falls from a different viewpoint. We ate at Skylar Tower in the revolving restaurant that sits high above Niagara Falls. Dinner with a bird’s eye view of one of the Seven Wonders of the World was absolutely breathtaking.
After dinner, we saw the festival of lights, a spectacle of Christmas lights arranged in intricate designs, spread throughout the falls area. A whole section of the designs were Disney-themed, complete with Sleeping Beauty’s Castle from Disneyland. We ended the chilly night with an amazing firework show over the American Falls.
Rounding out the week with two trips to the movies and two visits to the local mall (both of which seem to be popular past times for many of the bowlers), we headed to the next stop. With 515 miles behind us, one outlet mall stop and three halls of fame later, we arrived at our next destination. Did you know that from Buffalo to Merrillville you pass three Halls of Fame – The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, The College Football Hall of Fame and my personal favorite The RV/Motor Home Hall of Fame?
Stay tuned for Part 3 of “On the Road: Women’s Series,” where next week we will be bowling at Stardust Bowl II in Merrillville, IN for the PBA Women’s Series Lake County Indiana Classic.
Part 1 - On the Road: Women's Series
By Missy Bellinder
ON THE ROAD WITH PBA TOUR: Last week, was the start of the inaugural PBA Women’s Series. For our first stop, we traveled to Taylor Lanes in Taylor, Mich.
Each week starts with an official practice session on Wednesday and then an all-day bowling affair of qualifying on Thursday. After two 7-game blocks of qualifying, I was leading the women with +407, averaging 229.
However, match play was a different story. In a single elimination best-of-seven format, the lanes had plenty of time to constantly transition. Matches were close and many were low scoring. In a tight first match I defeated Olivia Sandham 4 games to two. We even tied after one of the games. In a sudden death one-ball roll-off I got 6! Yes 6! Needless to say, I didn't win that game.
Then in the next match, I rallied to defeat Joy Esterson, 4-2, after losing the first two games, thus earning a spot on the live TV show.
Making the TV show the first week of the PBA Women’s Series was amazing! And what did I do on Saturday to prepare myself for the big TV Show the next day? I had a nice relaxing spa day at Daybreak Spa.
I got pampered with an amazing hour-and-a-half spa pedicure, which included an upscale leather massage chair, aroma-therapy neck pillow, relaxing music and a glass of wine while my feet were being massaged and my toes painted. Following the spa pedicure I had a 30 minute massage, which was so good I almost fell asleep.
The live ESPN TV show was a lot of fun! It was my first LIVE TV show. Like any bowler competing on TV, I was nervous, but it was a good nervous, an excited nervous. And if any bowler tells you that they are not nervous when they are bowling on TV, then they are lying, or they are Walter Ray Williams Jr.
The 25 second shot clock was a little nerve racking as well. You think 25 seconds is a lot of time, but that nice little clock counting down in your peripheral vision goes by really fast!
Although I lost to Carolyn Dorin-Ballard in the championship round 233-192, I still had fun and gained more experience bowling on TV!
Overall the Motor City Classic held at Taylor Lanes was a great event. Proprietor Erin Dobbins did a spectacular job hosting the tournament. The staff was great all week! And from all of the bowlers, a big thank you to the paddock volunteer, Bill for all of his help all week!
After week one, my roommate Tennelle Milligan and I drove our rental car to Buffalo, NY. We had flown into Chicago the week before to bowl the Masters and attend Bowlfest in Milwaukee, Wis. Expecting a very uneventful trip to Buffalo, we were soon pleasantly surprised.
Imagine two Southern Californians driving in lake effect snow. Seeing road signs stating “Lake Effect Snow Watch!” and not knowing what lake effect snow is, we soon found out. It meant LOTS of snow, not the little flurries we had heard we might encounter. So we slowed down and enjoyed the white winter wonderland.
Being a little spoiled last week by staying with friends and getting home cooked food, this week we are back to a hotel and restaurant food.
Stay tuned for Part 2 of On the Road: Women’s Series. This week the women will be competing at Thruway Lanes in Cheektowaga, NY for the PBA Women’s Series Etonic Championship.
The PBA telecast is scheduled Sunday on ESPN starting at 1 p.m. EST.
ON THE ROAD WITH PBA TOUR: Last week, was the start of the inaugural PBA Women’s Series. For our first stop, we traveled to Taylor Lanes in Taylor, Mich.
Each week starts with an official practice session on Wednesday and then an all-day bowling affair of qualifying on Thursday. After two 7-game blocks of qualifying, I was leading the women with +407, averaging 229.
However, match play was a different story. In a single elimination best-of-seven format, the lanes had plenty of time to constantly transition. Matches were close and many were low scoring. In a tight first match I defeated Olivia Sandham 4 games to two. We even tied after one of the games. In a sudden death one-ball roll-off I got 6! Yes 6! Needless to say, I didn't win that game.
Then in the next match, I rallied to defeat Joy Esterson, 4-2, after losing the first two games, thus earning a spot on the live TV show.
Making the TV show the first week of the PBA Women’s Series was amazing! And what did I do on Saturday to prepare myself for the big TV Show the next day? I had a nice relaxing spa day at Daybreak Spa.
I got pampered with an amazing hour-and-a-half spa pedicure, which included an upscale leather massage chair, aroma-therapy neck pillow, relaxing music and a glass of wine while my feet were being massaged and my toes painted. Following the spa pedicure I had a 30 minute massage, which was so good I almost fell asleep.
The live ESPN TV show was a lot of fun! It was my first LIVE TV show. Like any bowler competing on TV, I was nervous, but it was a good nervous, an excited nervous. And if any bowler tells you that they are not nervous when they are bowling on TV, then they are lying, or they are Walter Ray Williams Jr.
The 25 second shot clock was a little nerve racking as well. You think 25 seconds is a lot of time, but that nice little clock counting down in your peripheral vision goes by really fast!
Although I lost to Carolyn Dorin-Ballard in the championship round 233-192, I still had fun and gained more experience bowling on TV!
Overall the Motor City Classic held at Taylor Lanes was a great event. Proprietor Erin Dobbins did a spectacular job hosting the tournament. The staff was great all week! And from all of the bowlers, a big thank you to the paddock volunteer, Bill for all of his help all week!
After week one, my roommate Tennelle Milligan and I drove our rental car to Buffalo, NY. We had flown into Chicago the week before to bowl the Masters and attend Bowlfest in Milwaukee, Wis. Expecting a very uneventful trip to Buffalo, we were soon pleasantly surprised.
Imagine two Southern Californians driving in lake effect snow. Seeing road signs stating “Lake Effect Snow Watch!” and not knowing what lake effect snow is, we soon found out. It meant LOTS of snow, not the little flurries we had heard we might encounter. So we slowed down and enjoyed the white winter wonderland.
Being a little spoiled last week by staying with friends and getting home cooked food, this week we are back to a hotel and restaurant food.
Stay tuned for Part 2 of On the Road: Women’s Series. This week the women will be competing at Thruway Lanes in Cheektowaga, NY for the PBA Women’s Series Etonic Championship.
The PBA telecast is scheduled Sunday on ESPN starting at 1 p.m. EST.
Monday, November 5, 2007
Missy Finishes 2nd in First EVER PBA Women's Series Event
Yesterday I finished 2nd in the inaugural PBA Women's Series tournament in Taylor, MI. I lost to Carolyn Dorin-Ballard 192-233 in the LIVE championship round on ESPN.
Even though I didn't win, I still had fun on TV and am happy with my start for the PBA Women's Series. I look forward to next week, where we will be travelling to Cheektowaga, NY for the Etonic Championship, the 2nd stop in the PBA Women's Series.
Missy at BowlFest 2007
Last week, I attended BowlFest at Miller Park in Milwaukee, WI. There was a great crowd of people with lots of great matches. Bowling companies had booths set up and LOTS of autographs were given at the autograph tables.
Some of the highlighted matches included Team USA 2007, high school bowling, the 2007 Teen Masters champions and Marshall Holman bowling against Mark Roth.
Also at BowlFest, USBC announced Team USA 2008, in which I was one of the woman selected for next year's "Dream Team."
It was great to see so many people enthusiastic about the sport we all love!
Friday, November 2, 2007
Missy Bellinder on ESPN Live this Sunday, Nov. 4th at 1pm EST
Missy Bellinder defeated Olivia Sandham in the round of 16 and then went on to defeat Joy Esterson in the round of 4 to make the live ESPN finals. Missy will bowl the live PBA Women's Series championship round against Carolyn Dorin-Ballard on Sunday, Nov. 4th at 1pm EST.
Missy used her NEW Brunswick Twisted Fury, Brunswick Blast Zone, and Brunswick Sidewinder in the matches today.
For more information, please visit http://www.pba.com/
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Missy Bellinder Leads Qualifying for First PBA Women's Series Tournament
Today, the PBA Women's Series kicked off its inagural event with the Motor City Classic in Taylor, MI.
We (the 16 PBA Women's Series competitors) are crossing with the men PBA members in qualifying, but competing in our own seperate tournament.
Today we bowled two 7-game blocks of qualifying. For the 14-game total, I shot 3207 (+407), averaging 229 and lead the qualifying portion of the PBA Women's Series tournament. I used my Brunswick Blast Zone, Brunswick Sidewinder, Brunswick Fury Pearl, and of course my pretty pink spare ball.
Tomorrow starts matchplay in a best of 7, single elimination format.
For more information visit: http://www.pba.com/news/feature.asp?ID=554
http://www.pba.com/news/feature.asp?ID=556
We (the 16 PBA Women's Series competitors) are crossing with the men PBA members in qualifying, but competing in our own seperate tournament.
Today we bowled two 7-game blocks of qualifying. For the 14-game total, I shot 3207 (+407), averaging 229 and lead the qualifying portion of the PBA Women's Series tournament. I used my Brunswick Blast Zone, Brunswick Sidewinder, Brunswick Fury Pearl, and of course my pretty pink spare ball.
Tomorrow starts matchplay in a best of 7, single elimination format.
For more information visit: http://www.pba.com/news/feature.asp?ID=554
http://www.pba.com/news/feature.asp?ID=556
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Monday, October 1, 2007
Missy Bellinder Wins WWPB Event in Visalia
This weekend, I won the 1st Annual Visalia Cars for Less Western Women Premier Bowlers Open. The entire tournament I used the NEW Brunswick Fury Pearl and the NEW Brunswick Sidewinder.
In the 10-game qualifying portion of the tournament, I averaged 240 and lead the field by over 140 pins.
For complete tournament results visit http://wwpb.com/
In the 10-game qualifying portion of the tournament, I averaged 240 and lead the field by over 140 pins.
For complete tournament results visit http://wwpb.com/
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Missy Bellinder on ESPN!!!
Watch Missy on ESPN this Sunday, Sept. 23rd at 1pm EST, competing in the Women's U.S. Open!!!
Monday, September 17, 2007
Welcome to Missy Bellinder's Blog
Hello and welcome to my blog!
On my blog page, you will be able to view first-hand information on bowling tournaments that I am competing in with: results, news, pictures and videos.
Stay tuned for the latest news!!! =)
On my blog page, you will be able to view first-hand information on bowling tournaments that I am competing in with: results, news, pictures and videos.
Stay tuned for the latest news!!! =)
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