Missy Featured on TLCMe

I was recently contacted by TLCMe to be a part of their new social media series called "Female Firsts." Being the first woman to join the PBA and helping to break barriers for other women bowlers, TLCMe put together a short video clip, highlighting my bowling career. Check out the video here.

Missy Wins PWBA/PBA Regional Challenge

On Sunday, I competed in the PWBA/PBA Regional Challenge in Reno, Nev. as part of the World Series of Bowling. There were three separate divisions bowling at the same time - the women, PBA 50 and the PBA regular division. I earned a spot into the finals through earning the top female points in the PBA West Region. There were 8 regions total in each division that qualified for the finals. Unfortunately, the bowlers from the Japan region did not participate, thus leaving 7 total competitors per division.

We bowled 8 games of round robin match play, with a position round the final game. The winner of each match earned 30 bonus pins and the top 2 bowlers would qualify for the stepladder finals. I bowled steady the entire time, but had a bit of trouble winning matches. I started out using the New Columbia 300 Tyrant shooting 213, but losing to Ashly Galante's 242.

My next match was very close, but in the end I also lost shooting 222 to Clara Guerrero's 225. Even though I lost that match, I did manage to convert the 7-10 split in the 4th frame. That little bit of luck seemed to get things going in the right direction.

I then won my next two matches shooting 243 and 227, switching to the Columbia 300 Impulse. This jumped me into 2nd place. I then lost shooting 213, but brought it back the next two games shooting 191 and 201 winning both matches and staying in 2nd place going into the final position round game.

I was facing tournament leader Ashly Galante, who was leading by a significant margin. I was ahead of Diana Zavjalova in 3rd place by 64 pins. The final game would be crucial, seeing as if Diana won her match and I lost my match, she would need to beat my score by 34 pins to advance to the stepladder finals.

Things were close the entire game. I made a gutsy ball change and zone change in the 5th frame to my Hammer Scandal Pearl and managed to string three in-a-row. I needed to strike out in the 10th frame to lock out Diana and threw a good shot, but didn't carry. Diana needed to get the first strike in the 10th frame to pass me. Although things were close till the end, I ended up hanging on to the No. 2 seed for the Xtra Frame stepladder finals.

Top 2 finalists in each Division - Ron Mohr, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Ashly Galante, myself, Dick Allen, Matt O'Grady

The lanes were then re-oiled and No. 1 seed Ashly Galante and I bowled the first match of the stepladder finals. I decided to change strategies a bit during our 5 minutes of warm up, overhearing where the men had been playing the lanes all day. I moved further right than I had been all day and used my New Columbia 300 Tyrant.

I spared the first frame and then threw the next 8 strikes in a row to defeat Ashly 267-188, thus capturing the PWBA/PBA Regional Challenge title.

This win meant a lot to me because of my current circumstances. I had laparoscopic surgery only 5 1/2 weeks prior to competing. Six days before the event, I had only been able to bowl 2 games in-a-row and wasn't even fully sure I'd be able to compete. So to come away with a win was absolutely incredible. Unfortunately, I was unable to take advantage of my free entry into the World Series of Bowling due to my doctor's restrictions.

Big congratulations to Walter Ray Williams Jr. and Matt O'Grady for winning the PBA 50 and PBA divisions. Good luck to everyone competing at the World Series of Bowling!

Until next time!


For the official press release, click here. 

Missy Defends Title, Winning PWBA Parkin's Bowling Supply Open

This weekend, I competed in the PWBA Parkin's Bowling Supply Open at Bowlium Lanes in Montclair, CA. The tournament featured a PWBA women's division, along with a PBA regular division and PBA50 division.

Being the defending champion, along with having the season PBA West Women's Points on the line, I knew I needed to have a  good week.

Immediately following the practice session, we held an EBI Demo for all of the latest Columbia 300, Hammer, Track and Ebonite bowling balls. Thank you to Jake Peters, Buddy Lucas and everyone that assisted in making the demo a success for Parkin's Bowling Supply.

The next morning, the women started our 8 games of qualifying. This weekend, we competed on the 43' PBA Regional Chameleon pattern. I started off using my pin down Track Heat Xtreme playing straight and outside and shot 235. I then moved a zone inside and switched to my Columbia 300 Delirium Shock and shot games of 202, 213, 234 and 212. With the heads breaking down pretty quick, I need to then switch to my Hammer Rebel and shot 237, 202 and 236 for +171 overall. This put me 120 pins in the lead over 2nd place.

The field was then cut to the top 6 ladies. The next day, we bowled 6 games of round robin match play, with the winner of each match earning 30 bonus pins.

I started out strong shooting 225 and winning game 1. However, I then struggled my next two games losing shooting 178 and 179. The scores were then getting a little closer as Laura Lee Daniel starting shooting big games and winning all of her matches. I then switched to my Hammer Rebel and won my next two matches, shooting 238 and 247.

Going into the final position round game, I was 83 pins ahead of Laura Lee. So with bonus pins, she would need to win the match and beat me by 54 pins to win the title. I shot a clean 218, losing the game to her 233, but hanging on to the title by 38 pins.

Congratulations to Michael Haugen Jr. for winning the PBA Regional Event and to Derek Gregory for winning his 1st PBA title, capturing the PBA50 event.

I'd like to thank Scott and Teresa Poddig for hosting the PBA/PWBA Regional at Bowlium Lanes for the past few years. Sunday marked their last day of ownership of Bowlium Lanes. From myself, Drew and the entire staff of Parkin's Bowling Supply, we'd like to wish Scott and Teresa much success in their future endeavors!

Until next time...

2016 PABCON Adult Championships Recap

Last week, I had the honor and privilege of competing alongside my Team USA teammates at the 2016 PABCON Adult Championships in Cali, Colombia. It was nice to head back to Bolera Departamental in Cali, Colombia, where I found much success with Team USA in 2014.

This week we competed on the 36' Beijing oil pattern using Fire oil.

Luckily this year started out equally as well as 2014, as I won the Gold medal in Singles shooting games of 234, 245, 242, 244, 226 and 246 to edge out defending Singles Gold medalist and Colombia native Clara Guerrero. I used my Track Heat Xtreme during game 1 and then used my Track Paradox for the rest of the 6-game block. Team USA teammate Bryanna Cote won the Bronze medal.

Then in Doubles, Bryanna and I were paired together. Bryanna held me up shooting + 124, while I remained consistent, but couldn't shoot any big games, bowling scores of 197, 219, 222, 200, 215 and 215. Overall we were +192 and finished in 4th place, missing the Bronze Medal by 70 pins. Colombia's Clara Guerrero and Rocio Restrepo won the Gold Medal in Doubles. For the full story, click here. 

The next day in Trios, I was paired with Bryanna Cote and Danielle McEwan. We got off to a rough start, but really brought things back the final 3 games. I switched to my Hammer Arson High Flare Solid, a ball I hadn't used all week, to get back on track the final 3 games. My teammates definitely held me up as we shot +252 overall. I struggled shooting only +9, while Danielle shot +164 and Bryanna shot +79. We managed to hold on to the Bronze Medal. Our Team USA teammates of Shannon Pluhowsky, Shannon O'Keefe and Josie Earnest bowled amazing to break the Trios record and capture the Gold Medal shooting +444. Colombia's Clara Guerrero, Rocio Restrepo and Maria Jose Rodriguez captured the Silver Medal. For the full story, click here. 

Team event was next. It was the event we had been preparing for all week. In the 6-person roster, only 5 people can bowl towards the team score. So one person has to bowl on a pacer team, with their scores still counting towards individual all-events and the masters cut, but not towards the overall team's score.

Since I struggled the day before in Trios, I was that 6th person. So my scores did not count for Team event during the first 3 games. I shot games of 234, 238 and 242 for 714 and was then subbed in for the final 3 games of Team event.

Going into the final 3 games of team event, we were roughly 120 pins behind Colombia. The lanes were very difficult the final 3 games and the bowling center was extremely hot and humid in the afternoon block. We struggled shooting 997 (-3) the first game. Then brought it back with 1047 (+47) in game 2. We were down 135 pins going into the final game. With Colombia struggling the final game, it came down to the 10th frame to see which team would win the Gold Medal. Team USA caught a couple of bad breaks (I left a pocket 7-10 in the 10th frame and Josie left a solid 9 pin her first shot in the 10th frame.) It all came down to Clara Guerrero who anchored her Colombian national team. She needed X9/ in the final 10th frame and threw two amazing shots for a clutch double to clench the Gold medal for Colombia, beating us by 11 pins. Mexico won the Bronze Medal. For the full story, click here.

The balls I used all week - Hammer Arson High Flare Solid, Track Heat Xtreme and Track Paradox 

The top 16 in individual all-events qualified for the Masters event. The Masters event format puts the top 16 players into a 16-person bracket with a single-elimination format. Each match is best of 3, meaning the first person to win 2 games advances to the next round.

I qualified in 7th place overall and faced Mexico's Tannya Lopez. She killed me the first game shooting 246 to my 215. I used a different ball on each lane (my Heat Xtreme on the left lane and my Arson High Flare Solid on the right lane) to bring it back and win game two 246-193. The final game was close and came down to the 10th frame. I struck out to defeat Tannya 248-237.

In my next match, I faced Colombia's Rocio Restrepo. That pair was very difficult and played very different from lane to lane. I again used two different balls, using my Eruption Pro Orange on the left lane and playing the lanes 5-2 further left and then used my Arson High Flare Solid on the right lane.  I won the first game 191 to 183. I then started striking game 2 and shot 255 to Rocio's 199, to advance to the semifinal round.

The next match, I faced my Team USA teammate Shannon Pluhowsky. I struggled at the end of game one and lost shooting 181 to 210. Shannon again beat me game two, shooting 219 to my 215. Winning the first two matches earned me the Bronze Medal in the Masters event along with my Team USA Teammate Shannon O'Keefe. Shannon Pluhowsky went on to win the Gold Medal and Mexico's Sandra Gongora won the Silver. For the full story, click here. 

After competition was over, we did manage to do a little sightseeing and visited El Cristo Rey, a huge statue of Jesus atop one of the mountains that overlooked the City of Cali. The views were absolutely incredible!

Overall, I had a great time competing at the 2016 PABCON Adult Championships. There truly is nothing like wearing the red, white and blue and competing internationally for your Country. When you get to stand on a podium and hear your own national anthem in another country, there's no greater feeling.

Until next time...

Missy Wins GOLD in Singles at the 2016 PABCON Adult Championships

Missy Parkin averaged nearly 240, doubling in the 10th frame of the final game, to capture the Gold medal in Singles at the PABCON Adult Championships in Cali, Colombia. Clara Guerrero from Colombia earned the Silver Medal and Team USA teammate Bryanna Cote won the Bronze.

For the full story, click here. 

Missy Selected to Represent Team USA at PABCON Adult Championships

Missy Parkin was recently selected to represent Team USA at the Adult PABCON Championships in Cali, Colombia this September. The event features both the Men and Women's teams. Missy is one of six women who will represent the United States in this upcoming event.

For the full article, click here.

Team USA 2016

Missy previously attended the 2014 PABCON Women's Championships which were also held in Cali, Colombia. At that event, Missy won 4 Gold Medals in Doubles, Trios, Team and Individual All Events and 1 Silver Medal in Masters. She also broke the record in Doubles with Kelly Kulick, in Team event as well as in individual All Events.

US Women's Open

Last week, we flew from the Striking Against Breast Cancer Mixed Doubles event in Houston, straight to the US Women's Open in Chicago. It was arguably the toughest US Open pattern I've ever competed on, counting both the men's and women's US Opens. With one burn squad during qualifying and then having to compete on two other burns squads during matchplay, it meant for challenging conditions overall, which put a premium on shot making, spare shooting and consistency.

We bowled three 8-game blocks of qualifying. The field was then cut to the top 1/3 for 8 more games of the casher's round. The field was then again cut to the top 24 players for 24 games of round robin match play, with 30 bonus pins awarded to the winner of each match and 15 pins awarded for a tie.

I was on B squad and therefore bowled on the burn, meaning that they did not re-oil the lanes after the first squad. I started out using my New Hammer Rebel and shot games of 211, 177, 210 and 181. I then switched to my New Ebonite Warrior Supreme and shot 195, 196, 211 and 226 to finish off the block at +7 overall. This put me in tied for 34th place. Only 39 bowlers out of 142 were plus after the 1st block of qualifying.

The next morning, we competed on fresh oil. I started out with my New Ebonite Game Breaker 2 Phenom and shot games of 189, 210 and 202. Then had a little trouble during the transition shooting 179 and 189. I then switched to my Hammer Rebel and shot 190, 193 and 213 for -28 overall, which put me in 39th place.

I decided to drill another Game Breaker 2 Phenom for the next day's fresh squad. My original one was pin down, so I decided to drill another one pin up in the middle of my grip to give me another option when the lanes transitioned and before my Hammer Rebel would come into play.

I started out strong during Block 3 of qualifying shooting 231 with my pin down Game Breaker 2 Phenom. I then shot 185, 195 and 256. Then struggled again shooting 180 and 165, trying a few different balls, but rebounded and switched back to the pin down Game Breaker 2 Phenom to shoot 211 and 197 to end the block at -8 overall. This jumped me up into 23rd place with only 20 bowlers plus after 24 games of qualifying. The cut to the top 1/3 was -135.

The next morning, I knew I needed another solid block to make it into the top 24 match play finals. I again started out strong shooting 244 with my pin down Game Breaker 2 Phenom. I followed it with a 214, but then struggled shooting 171. I switched to my pin up Game Breaker 2 Phenom and shot 208, 187 and 210. The lanes were brutal towards the end of the block and everyone had already migrated far to the left, similar to how we finished on the burn squad. I shot 167 and brought it back with a 189 for -18 overall. This was enough to make the cut to the top 24 and put me in 21st place with again only 20 bowlers averaging 200 or more in the field.  

With no re-oil for the 1st round of match play and everyone already migrating far to the left, I drilled two new balls to make sure I had enough options. I drilled a pin up Track Heat to play inside and a pin up Hammer Arson High Flare Solid in case I needed to try playing out (which was virtually unplayable the entire tournament.)

With the inside option looking bleak, I opted to play out around 7-8 board, even though I had never played right of 14 the entire tournament. It was my best option and I struck with it for the entire round. I ended up going 3-5 the first round, ending the block at +1 which kept me in 21st place.

Playing outside using my Arson High Flare Solid during Round 1 of Match Play

I knew I needed a huge day to both try and make the TV stepladder finals as well as to try and qualify for the top 16 PWBA Tour Championship.

I gave it my all in those 16 games. I lost my first 4 matches in the morning with decent scores and then turned it around and won my last 4 matches, going 4-4 and shooting +73 scratch for the 8 games.

The final round of match play, we again bowled on the burn, as they did not re-oil the lanes. This time I opted to stay inside and played farther left than I've had to play in a very long time, including when bowling with the men. I went 3-5 that round and ended the tournament at +232 finishing in 16th place overall. Although I bowled well and made a big move, it wasn't enough to move me into the PWBA Tour Championship and thus ended my 2016 PWBA Tour Season.

Playing inside using my Warrior Supreme during game 4 when I shot 258. 

So over a span of 5 days, 142 bowlers from around the world competed on the grueling US Open pattern. I bowled a total of 56 games, throwing over 1000+ shots (not including practice), averaged 198.79, missed one single pin spare (of all things a 6 pin, which I consider to be my easiest single pin), picked up several splits/tough spares/washouts, had a low game of 154 and a high game of 258.  

Am I happy? Yes. Am I proud of how I bowled at the US Open? Absolutely, Yes. Am I disappointed? Also, Yes.

Although, I had a much better second half of the PWBA Tour Season, despite going through a very difficult time in my personal life, I am saddened and disappointed that my 2016 PWBA Tour Season is over. However, I'm using this as motivation for me to work even harder on my game, fix the areas that need fixing and make the areas that are great, even better! Thank you all for following along on my journey! I appreciate your support more than you will ever know.

Until next time!

PBA/PWBA Striking Against Breast Cancer Luci Mixed Doubles

This past week, I competed alongside my best friend Scott Norton in the Striking Against Breast Cancer Luci Bonneau Mixed Doubles event at Palace Lanes in Houston, Texas.

This tournament is by far one of my favorite events of the year, not only because I get to bowl with my best friend, but also because it supports a cause that is very near and dear to my heart. The conditions are always demanding, the field is always top notch and the tournament is so prestigious that entries need to be in ASAP or you will not get a spot into the tournament.

This year, the tournament expanded to 4 squads to accommodate the high demand. The field was comprised of 152 mixed doubles teams over 2 separate days of qualifying. 

Since Scott and I didn't bowl on Friday, Clara Guerrero and I took the opportunity to hold a clinic that day at 300 Bowl in Conroe, Texas. Thank you to Donnie Daniels for setting this event up! We had a great turnout and everyone said they learned a lot and had a great time. 

Scott and I bowled on C squad. Each squad bowled 8 games of qualifying and the top 38 teams would then advance to the cashers round on Sunday.

I started out rough, catching a few bad breaks for pocket splits and then wasn’t able to double and shot 159. Scott held me up shooting 203. After game 3, we were collectively -73 (I was -79) and in dire straights of needing a few solid games.

So we dug our heels in and grinded. I switched to my New Hammer Rebel and Track Paradox Pearl and shot 209, 214, 197 and 226. Scott shot games of 208, 214, 173 and 199 using his New Track Heat Xtreme, Cyborg and Black Legion.

Going into the last game, we were -33 and in need of a big finish to make the cut.  We put our game faces on and bowled really well! I had a strike in the 9^th and got the first strike in the 10^th frame to shoot 231. Scott threw all three strikes in the 10^th frame to shoot 216 for a team game of 447, which put us at +14 overall. I managed to climb my way back to -2 and Scott shot steady all day for +16.  We squeezed our way into the top 38 cut, which ended up taking -6. 

The next day, we only had four games to try and make our way to the top 8 teams. With roughly 135 pins to catch up, we knew we had our work cut out for us, but we were determined to try our best.

We started out strong shooting 214 and 235 for 449. We bowled really well the next 2 games, but couldn’t seem to find the carry fairy and shot 393 both games. Sitting at +49 going into the final game, we knew we needed a massive last game to have a chance at the top 8. We again put our game faces on, but unfortunately didn’t carry enough and shot 236 and 204 for 440 and +89 overall, which was not enough to advance.

We ended up finishing in 16^th place overall.

Congratulations to Hammer staffer Bill O’Neill and Team USA Teammate Shannon O’Keefe on winning back-to-back titles.

HUGE thank you to Donna Conners, Jim Welch, Dino Castillo and the entire staff of Palace Lanes for running another excellent event. The best part is that through this tournament over $90,000 was raised for breast cancer awareness!

Can’t wait until next year!

Now it’s on to the US Open in Addison, IL. Be sure to follow along all week to www.xtraframe.tv

Until then!

PWBA St. Petersburg-Clearwater Open

A week ago, I competed in the PWBA St. Petersburg/Clearwater Open. Taking advantage of the nice Florida location, I decided to fly straight from the previous stop in Rochester, NY and meet my husband Drew for a mini vacation prior to the start of the tournament.

Prior to Drew’s arrival, I met up with my good friend John Janawicz for dinner. He took me to this unbelievable steak house that I HIGHLY recommend – Bern’s Steak House in Tampa. The atmosphere was incredible and the steak was to die for! That’s not even the best part. After diner, we got a tour of the kitchen and then headed to the dessert room.  If you are ever in Tampa, at the very least, take a trip to the dessert room! All I can say is WOW!

The Dessert Room

Bern's Steak House

Drew and I were very fortunate to be able to stay at Drew’s uncle’s house for our entire duration. It is such a quaint and comfortable home and conveniently located too! Our first day of vacation, we drove from St. Pete beach, where we had lunch overlooking the water, and then headed along the coast to Dunedin, making our way to Honeymoon Island.  

While we were driving on the island, we came across a turtle in the middle of the road.  Drew went out to help it get across quicker, so it wouldn’t get hit by any cars. To our surprise, it scurried rather quickly across the road and into the brush, when Drew approached it. I guess turtles get a bad rap.

Honeymoon Island

Honeymoon Island

The next day, we drove to Clearwater Beach. We had lunch nearby and walked out along the pier. While on the pier, a tourist speed boat happened to pass by and we were able to witness a few dolphins playing in it’s wake. I absolutely love dolphins, and the dolphins in Florida seem to be smaller in size, but definitely just as playful as our native California dolphins.

The following day I had to get back into competition mode. We had our practice session, after which, I caught this gorgeous rainbow behind the PBA truck. Hopefully it would be a sign of good luck for the week! After the practice session, we had a very nice VIP event at the host center – Seminole Lanes. The manager and proprietor did an amazing job all week with this event! 

This week, we bowled on a 40’ pattern.  I started out strong during the first block of qualifying using my Track Heat X-treme to shot 257 game 1. With the lanes quickly breaking down, I had to switch to my Paradox Pearl and move an entire zone inside shooting games of 195 and 237. I then switched to my New Hammer Rebel and shot games of 224, 225 and 234 for +172 overall, which put me in 3^rd place.

The next block, later that afternoon, proved to be pretty difficult. I grinded most of the block shooting only +6 for +178 overall, which dropped me down to 11^th place going into the casher’s round.

Needing a good block to advance to the top 12 match play finals, I again grinded and couldn’t seem to adjust correctly. I ended up coming in 18^th place overall in the tournament.

After the tournament, Drew and I had another day of vacation and we decided to go to Adventure Island, Tampa’s water park. Drew and I both hadn’t been to a water park since we were about 14. It was a great idea for some fun in the sun and to try and beat the crazy, hot and humid Florida weather.

After the PWBA Florida stop, we had a much needed week-long break from the tour. I was finally able to go home after being on the road for a month. I took the opportunity to see my friends and family, get in some practice, give some lessons and take in some much needed fun and relaxation.

I am now en route to Houston for one of my favorite tournaments of the year - the PBA/PWBA Striking Against Breast Cancer Luci Mixed Doubles.  Be sure to follow all of the action LIVE on XtraFrame.tv to watch myself and partner Scott Norton.  #letsbowl

Until then!