2010 - a Year in Review

Hello everyone!

I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season. As 2010 comes to a close, I thought I'd reflect on the past year - the good, the bad and the ugly.

Let's start with the positives..Definitely topping the list would be getting married to my wonderful husband Drew Parkin on September 18, 2010. Although the wedding planning process was a bit stressful at times and was definitely more difficult that I had expected, the day turned out to be absolutely perfect, as we got married on a yacht in Newport Beach Harbor at sunset.

Next would have to be our unforgettable honeymoon throughout the Eastern Mediterranean, where we visited Italy, Greece, Turkey and Egypt. This past year also marked a few milestones, as I was able to visit a few places that were on my "Top 10 List" of places I had never been to, but wanted to see - Rome, the pyramids in Egypt and the Big island of Hawaii, as well as my favorite place in the world - Venice, Italy!

We also ended out the year adding two additions to our family - a black kitty named Gizmo and a Basset Hound/Golden Retriever mix puppy named Shelby. Both of which are keeping us busy!

Positives in the bowling world definitely peaked with the USBC Queens tournament that was held in April of 2010 in El Paso, Texas. The USBC Queens tournament is one of the hardest TV shows to qualify for primarily due to the difficult format. After qualifying, it all comes down to winning the three-game total pins matches in the double-elimination style bracket, and you definitely want to stay in the winners bracket to improve your chances of making the show. I had some very grueling and close matches throughout the event, but definitely my toughest match had to be against Carolyn Dorin-Ballard. It was the deciding match to see who would make the TV show and with both of us being pretty lined up, our scores were high and striking was at a premium! The entire three-game match came down to the 9th and 10th frame to see who would move on. Carolyn threw a nasty split in the 9th and I filled frames in the 9th and 10th to advance to the TV show finals. We'll discuss the actual TV show later...

The next "good" aspect of 2010 was being invited to compete in the LBO Stop #5 Open in Tokyo, Japan in October of 2010. With a rocky start in the tournament, I came on the final day, bowling very well in the semifinals winning 7 out of 8 matches in the round robin match play format, advancing to 2nd place for the TV show finals. On the TV show, I first bowled Japanese star Hiroko Shimizu and won 236 to 220. Then in the championship match I lost to Shannon Pluhowsky, who threw the front 8 strikes to win the title. So I ended up in 2nd place overall in the tournament, earning a nice paycheck in the process.

The bad...that would probably have to do with my struggle at the beginning part of the year with my pulled groin muscle injury which I incurred during the 2009 Women's U.S. Open. Unfortunately that injury takes a long time to heal and the fact that I was forced to then bowl on it for a month straight during the 2009 World Series of Bowling, right after I had injured it, I'm sure didn't help matters. The nagging injury proved to be a little disheartening and gave me a little setback for the start of 2010.

And the ugly...that's an easy one...who could forget the USBC Queens TV show. Needing only a mark to move on to the semifinal match, I went up and threw what I thought to be a perfect shot off my hand, only to be faced with the dreaded pocket 7-10 split to loose to Kelly Kulick. I will say, that if I was given the opportunity to do it all over again, I wouldn't do change a thing. It was just a very unlucky break at a very inopportune time.

So what does 2011 have in store for me?...We'll have to wait and see...

PCB Mission Hills Mixed Doubles Event

Hello!

I hope everyone enjoyed a VERY happy Thanksgiving! The weekend before the festive holiday and shopping madness, Scott Norton and I competed in the local PCB Mission Hills Mixed Doubles tournament at Mission Hills Bowl from November 20-21.

The mixed doubles tournaments are always fun and usually draw some pretty big names and great competition. On Saturday, we bowled on A squad for our 9 games of qualifying. I was pretty steady all day and mostly used the new AMF Shred It, shooting games of: 229, 276, 215, 215, 222, 215, 244, 222 and 223 for +261. Scott shot games of 188, 248, 225, 279, 257, 189, 279, 248 and 245 for +358. So combined we were +619 and in first place after both squads of qualifying. The field was then cut to the top 12 teams for Sunday's competition.

On Sunday, we bowled 12 games of round robin matchplay. Each individual game win was worth 10 bonus pins and the team game win was worth 30 bonus pins for a possible 50 extra pins each game. So you can see how important it was to win matches.

During the first 6 matches, we struggled a bit, earning only 160 bonus pins and had dropped to 4th place. The good news was that we were only 100 pins out of first place. We weren't necessarily bowling bad either, we just had some pretty big scores shot at us and couldn't win the needed bonus pins.

We started out strong the next set, each shooting 268 for a nice 536 team game and winning all 50 bonus pins. But we again had some trouble, losing the next three straight matches. We ended up shooting a decent last game to finish in 5th place overall in the tournament. Wendy Macpherson and Dave Wodka won the event in an exciting and very close position round match against Michael Haugen Jr. and Caycee Landers. Congrats to all of the finalists!

Missy Makes TV Show in Japan

As previously posted (and for those who either don't speak/read Japanese or weren't able to keep up with the late night LIVE streaming) I was invited to compete in the Ladies Bowling Organization (LBO) Ladies Bowling Tour Stop #5 in Tokyo, Japan over Halloween weekend.

On Friday, during the first day of qualifying, we bowled 6 games, then took a lunch break and bowled 6 more games. I didn't throw the ball that well, as I was suffering from the rather hot bowling center conditions and couldn't quite get the ball off my hand well. (However, the scores were VERY high, and I still managed to score well.) I shot 258, 182, 223, 212, 246, 255, 231, 258, 189, 246, 201 and 208 for +309, using my Bounty Hunter Pearl all day, and was in 4th place.

The field was then cut to the top 14 players. The next day we bowled 14 games of round robin match play, with 30 bonus pins awarded for each game win. I decided to change the surface on my Bank and polish it a little, which made it work much better and I was able to use it for most of the day. I started off well, shooting 217, 239, and 237, winning the first 3 matches. Then it was all downhill, as I had trouble winning matches with everyone shooting really high scores at me. I shot 200, 216, 241 and 195 and lost every match. The next set of 7 games, I shot 233 and won. Then I shot 184, 217 and 219 and lost all 3 games. I finally figured some things out, switching to my Profit and shot 245 and won, 224 and lost and ended the day with a 223 win. So even after a disastrous matchplay record of 6 and 8, I was still in 4th place and made it to the top 8 finals for Sunday.

On Sunday prior to bowling the finals, the main sponsor of LBO - DHC - a major makeup and health/beauty brand, came out and did our hair and makeup for bowling that day. It was a lot of fun and I always LOVE getting pampered! SO I really enjoyed the whole experience.

We then bowled 8 games of round robin match play and then they cut to the top 5 for the TV show stepladder finals. I had my game face on that day and came out of the gates with a 245, 259, 229 and 236, winning all of the matches. I then lost my only match of the day to Shannon Pluhowsky - 211 to 224. I then proceeded to win the rest of my matches, including the crucial position round match with scores of 256, 257 and 246. I had moved into 2nd place and was only 30 pins short of the top seed spot for the TV show.

The first match of the TV show, Mai Takasaka defeated Tomomi Shibata 237 to 191. The next match, Mai faced Japanese sensation Hiroko Shimizu and Hiroko won, 236 to 220. In the semifinal match, I then faced the fierce left-hander Hiroko and defeated her using the Bank, shooting 247-233.

The final match, I bowled Shannon Pluhowsky for the title and the nearly $50,000 prize. Shannon just kept striking, throwing the front 7 strikes at me, meanwhile I faced some carry issues and couldn't knock down 10 pins. Shannon ended up winning 255-195. There was also a HUGE prize for shooting a 300 game on TV and we all were cheering for Shannon to do it. If she had strung 12 strikes in-a-row, she would have won $300,000! Just crazy!

When all was said and done, I finished 2nd in the tournament and came home with a nice paycheck. I had an amazing time in Japan, as Shannon and I stayed in Japan two extra days to do some sightseeing. We went to Asakusa one day in Tokyo and the other day we went to Tokyo Disney Sea, which was a lot of fun! I was able to get my Disney fix, even all the way in Japan!

Regarding the entire tournament and organization, I must say that I am VERY impressed with the professionalism and respect displayed by each of the competitors, staff and the entire organization. Just to give you an example, the players all wore matching suits and nice dress shoes whenever in the bowling center and not bowling.

Each day of the tournament, we had an official opening ceremonies, where each player was individually introduced and then following the introductions, Shannon and I were usually interviewed prior to the start of practice. Also, at the beginning and end of competition every day, we went out to the foul line and gave a courtesy bow to all fans in attendance. Then, immediately following competition every day, ALL signed autographs and took pictures with the fans, making the event VERY fan friendly! And there were plenty of fans to fill the bowling center each day, with stadium type seating all along the concourse, which made it even more fun to compete!

Speaking of the fans, many had thunder sticks, similar to what we would see at sporting events. So the bowling center was definitely loud whenever a favorite bowler would strike or spare.

Another noteworthy positive of the LBO tour is the fact that each bowler is individually recognized in some way, by either the way they dress, a nickname, etc., making it even easier for fans to connect with that bowler and choose bowlers to route for. And each bowler has a character drawing of themselves that is then sold on merchandise such as program books, pins, t-shirts, fans, etc. And it's all very girly and super cute! All of the girls either wear skirts or shorts and matching shirts. And all of the bowling attire is very girly and attractive. Plus the official color of LBO is pink! So you can never go wrong with that!

All in all, I was very honored to be invited to compete in this inaugural tour season for LBO and hope to be back again next year!

LBO Ladies International Open in Tokyo, Japan

Hello Everyone!

I am currently in Japan and will begin competing in the Ladies Bowling Organization of Japan (LBO) Ladies International Open starting tomorrow, Friday, October 29th through Sunday, October 31st.

The tournament will be held at Strikers Nishi-Funa Bowl in Funabashi, Chiba, Japan (just outside of downtown Tokyo).

The format for the tournament is 6 games of qualifying in the morning on Friday, then we take a break for lunch and bowl 6 more games of qualifying. After the 12 game total, they will cut to the top 14 bowlers.

On Saturday, we will bowl 14 games of round robin match play with 30 bonus pins being awarded for each game win and 15 bonus pins awarded for any ties. After the 26 game total (including bonus pins), they will cut to the top 8 finalists.

On Sunday, we will bowl 8 games of round robin match play(again with bonus pins) and after the 34 game total, they will cut to the top 5 for a TV stepladder final. The tournament will be televised in Japan.

To Watch LIVE streaming of the tournament, please visit http://www.lbo.or.jp/
There's a LIVE streaming screen on the right hand side and you can click on it to make it bigger. The website is in Japanese, but you can access the live streaming easily.

www.bowlingdigital.com should be posting scores and updates for the tournament.

Stay tuned...

PBA Regional Spalding G Wathen Memorial Open

Hello everyone!

After a nice three-week honeymoon, it's back to work and that means A LOT of bowling is my future!

This past weekend, I bowled in the PBA West Region Spalding G Wathen Memorial Open, held in Fresno, California. We competed on the high scoring Cheetah pattern, and boy was it ever high scoring!

Even though I practiced every day since returning home from the honeymoon (for a little over one week), I was definitely rusty while bowling this weekend. That's exactly why I wanted to compete because I have MUCH bigger events coming up real soon.

So after a not so stellar start (compared to the high scoring pace of the field) - 204, 200, 235, 236 and 214 - I was +89 after 5 games. I started the tournament using my Bounty Hunter Pearl, but after the fast carry-down we encountered, that ball quickly got thrown back in the bag, as it was going too long. We had to play far right on the lane, and the further right and harder you could play, the better you were going to score. i.e. Wayne Garber averaged about 260 for the first 5 games. So I switched to my Bank, which I had polished up for the tournament. It worked a lot better and was more predictable, and I ended up using this ball for the majority of the day.

Then in game 6, I completely fell apart! I missed two single spares (which is definitely not like me!) and I also left a 2-8-10. Needless to say, this game didn't go too well and I shot 161! And lost A LOT of ground on the cut and the cash number. So with two games left, I was +50 and way out of the top 8 cut to match play and still pretty far out of the top 18 cash spot.

So the last two games, I decided to switch balls to my Profit, which has a strong arc, compared to the skid/snap reaction of my Bank. I ended up bowling MUCH better! It also helped that I finally figured out what I was physically doing wrong and was able to start physically throwing the ball a million times better!

So the 7th game, I shot 248 and was +98 and within reach of the cash number. The top 8 cut was already +200 with one game to go. The last game, we hit a little bit of a weird pair (that's always nice and seems to be inevitable when you need a big game). So I got lined up towards the middle of the game and starting stringing strikes together until a stubborn 9 pin stood up in the 7th frame. I then struck out from the 8th frame on and shot 222 to be +120 overall. The cash spot ended up being +127, so I missed cashing by 7 pins. The cut to the top 8 was +255.

Even though I didn't cash in the regional, I did figure out some key physical game factors and also was able to get in some great competitive practice to get ready for my next BIG tournament - The LBO Ladies International Open in Tokyo, Japan.

The tournament in Japan starts on Friday, October 29th and ends on Sunday, October 31st. If you are interested in keeping up with the scores as I compete, please visit: www.bowlingdigital.com (You may have to click on the Asia section.)

Missy Gets Married!!!

Hello all!

First my apologies, for the lack of blogging in these last few months. As I've already explained in previous blogs, it was hugely due to the major planning of my recent wedding.

For those of you that have ever been married or have ever been involved in the planning process of a wedding, you know how big a feat it is to accomplish! I too used to think, "how hard could it really be?!" Well, I sure found out! It's funny that the littlest things (that you usually don't think about), such as placecards and seating charts to favors and matching cake ribbons, can assume so much of your daily life leading up to that one special and perfect day! And boy oh boy does that day go bye sooooooooooooo very fast!!!

So to answer the million dollar question (which I'm sure you've discovered by now), I am changing my name to Missy Parkin. I hope you all like the new website! Any and all comments are welcome, so feel free to email me or comment on the blog.

Also, I wanted to share with all of you a little bit about our BIG day...

Drew Parkin and I were married on Saturday, September 18th aboard the yacht "Athena" in Newport Beach Harbor in Orange County, California. Our wedding and reception took place aboard the yacht, as it cruised around the gorgeous million dollar houses, harbor seals, and popular balboa island amusement attractions, all night long. And to top it all off, it was a sunny Southern California day with a beautiful sunset, which made for some amazing photos! At the end of the evening, we had a surprise in store for our guests...Drew and I made a unique exit via a white gondola, which circled the yacht a couple of times before taking us on a private mini cruise. The entire wedding was just like a fairytale come true!

Enjoy the photos!

Bowling Update

Hello everyone!

With the wedding quickly approaching, I know I have been neglecting my poor blog. So here's an update as far as my bowling is concered...

I have been keeping things a little low-key as far as bowling a ton of tournaments this summer. However, a few weeks ago, I was a little bored on a Saturday and wanted to get away from the wedding planning, so I decided to bowl a quick 6-gamer at Yorba Linda Bowl. We bowled on the Kegel winding road pattern, and the lanes were pretty difficult. I love tough patterns! And this pattern proved to be so, but if you threw the ball well and made a good shot, it went right in the pocket and usually carried. If you didn't throw a good shot, then the odds of leaving a nasty spare or split were pretty high. I ended up shooting +62 for the 6-game block and won the tournament. I also won a few sidepots and block pots, so it ended up being a nice night!

Then last weekend, I bowled the JAT Alumni Reunion tournament at Classic Lanes in Norco. The event was awesome! The Junior Amateur Tour is the scratch junior tournament club that I grew up bowling in and is also where I really learned a lot of key elements that have helped me get my career to the place it is today. During the reunion tournament, I saw so many friends and fellow competitors that I haven't seen in over 10-15 years. It was amazing to see all of the old photos, reminis and just have fun!

The tournament format was 6 games of qualifying, with the top 16 making matchplay. Scott Norton and I lead the 6 games of qualifying with +98. Then we were paired up, bracket style for matchplay, in a single elimination, best of 3 format. I bowled Scott Kraye and won the first game, but then lost the next 2 games, thus being eliminated from the tournament. I was however, the high woman in the field and did earn a nice check for that.

Then, this past weekend, I bowled the PCB Trios event at Fountain Bowl. A lot of bowlers from Arizona, Las Vegas and Northern California came out to bowl the tournament and there were 21 teams total. Now the teams comprised of one man, one woman and one bowler over the age of 45. So I bowled with my best friend Scott Norton and local bowler Eddie Katz.

Well the scores were VERY high for the tournament, as we bowled on the house shot. However, after two games, Scott and I were making the lanes look like the US Open pattern. (Needless to say we weren't having fun!) Our team was -20 total, after 2 games and we were in dead last.

So then Scott and I decided to show up and bowl and give our partner Eddie some help (who had been trying to hold Scott and I up). For the next 7 games, we ended up shooting: 637, 705, 716, 709, 613, 689 and 670 as a team, putting us at +519 overall and making the final 6th position into matchplay. Individually, we bowled pretty even. Eddie shot +177, Scott shot +149 and I shot +193 for the 9-game block. Most of the day, I used the new 900 Global Missing Link.

On Sunday, we bowled 6 games of head-to-head matchplay, with 10 bonus pins for each individual win and 30 bonus pins for the team game win. We shot games of 666, 738, 729, 760, 669 and 666, winning 170 bonus pins. On Sunday, I used my Bounty Hunter Pearl for most of the day, and even had the front 9 with it, until a stubborn 10 pin got in the way. Although fellow teammate Scott Norton, strung all 12 in-a-row shooting a perfect 300 during game 4 of macthplay. Those scores skyrocketed us into a 2nd place finish overall in the tournament.

Til next time...