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...