PBA Tournament of Champions

It's been a little over a week since Kelly Kulick became the 1st woman to win a PBA tournament and not only win, but defeat one of bowling's great players, in a MAJOR event.

I was on hand that week at the Tournament of Champions held at Red Rock Lanes in Las Vegas, Nev. I was consequently in town to cheer on my best friend Scott Norton, who earned a berth into the prestigious tournament through winning the Regional Players Invitational (RPI) in early December. (The win also grants Scott an exemption on the PBA tour for next year.)

I attended the qualifying rounds of the event, mostly cheering on my friend, but every once in a while going to check on Kelly. She was amazing that week - very confident, throwing the ball very well and had a happy demeanor throughout the competition. The other real treat was that her mother had flown in to watch her bowl and was on hand the entire week.

Now, for those of you that aren't aware, women have NEVER been able to bowl in the PBA Tournament of Champions. This year, the PBA decided to change that rule by awarding a berth into the T of C to the winner of the PBA Women's World Championship, which was held at the World Series of Bowling this past summer in Detroit. Kulick defeated Shannon Pluhowsky for the title. (On a side note... Kelly defeated "yours truly" in the round of 4 to make it to the TV show.)

Now back to the T of C...if you watched even one block of that tournament, it was pretty obvious who had the fans. The bleachers were always full behind her lanes and cheers galore could be heard anywhere in the center if she simply knocked down all 10 pins. The entire atmosphere was one to remember and I'm sure one Kelly will never forget.

Everyone either saw, heard or read about the TV show. Kelly was poised and determined. No one was going to beat her that title match. And as a result, she is now touring the country, going from talk show to talk show, interview to interview, and hopefully changing the public's view on our sport and getting more respect for what we do on a daily basis. Congrats to Kelly for making history and reinvigorating the sport we all love!