PWBA Sonoma Open

This past week, I competed in the Nationwide PWBA Sonoma Open at Double Decker Lanes in Rohnert Park, Calif.

Prior to the event, my roommates and I decided to make a pit stop and spend the night in San Francisco. I played tour guide and we saw a few sights before traveling on to Rohnert Park the next morning. We went to Pier 39 and saw the sea lions and Alcatraz. We then went to Fisherman's Wharf for an amazing seafood dinner.

  

The next morning, we made a couple of stops at the iconic Golden Gate Bridge before presuming our trip to wine country, the sight of the PWBA Tour stop.

This week, we bowled on a 37' flat oil pattern using Ice oil. I had a great practice session, but decided, in talking to my EBI boss Rob Gotchall, that I needed to drill another ball to have other options. So I drilled an Ebonite Warrior Elite.

 

During the first 6 games of qualifying, I started with my Track Paradox and then switched to my newly drilled Warrior Elite, playing outside shooting games of 201, 204, 223, 186, 205 and 173 for -8. With the scores being pretty low, that put me in 28th place.

I decided to drill another Track Paradox for the second block, to help with some carry issues I faced at the end of the first block. In the second 6-game block, I started with my Warrior Elite with 500 grit, playing far outside and shot 228 and 204. I then switched to my newly drilled Paradox and shot 200 and 210. Then hitting a bad pair, I shot 164. Being close to the cut number at that point, I needed a good last game to secure the top 32 cut. I switched to my Paradox Pearl and shot a clean 216 to make it to +14 overall, which put me in 24th place. The cut to the top 32 was -54.

The next morning, I needed to bowl really well in the 6 games of the casher's round to make the next cut to the top 12. Unfortunately, things did not go my way, and I ended up in 28th place in the tournament.

After the tournament, I did manage to do a little sightseeing and visited Korbel Champagne winery. I took a tour and got to learn how they make champagne, which was very interesting.

Congratulations to EBI staffer Jen Higgins, Kelly Kulick, Shannon O'Keefe and Hui Fen New on qualifying for the stepladder finals.

HUGE thank you to Jim Decker, Dennis, Curtis Woods and the entire staff of Double Decker Lanes for hosting an amazing event.

Stay tuned for our next event, starting this Thursday, May 12th at Steve Cook's Fireside Lanes in Citrus Heights, CA. #letsbowl  www.pwba.com

The Start of the PWBA Tour Season - The PWBA Las Vegas Open

This past weekend, I traveled to Las Vegas, Nev. for the start of the 2016 PWBA Tour. Prior to competition starting, I had the privilege to participate in some exciting events at the USBC Convention.

On Thursday night, I attended the USBC Hall of Fame dinner. With a room full of Bowling's elite, I watched as Kim Adler, Joan Romeo, Steve Kloempken, Harry Sullins and Mike Durbin were added to the prestigious USBC Hall of Fame.

USBC Hall of Famers

Greater L.A. Junior All Stars Alumni that were present at the Hall of Fame dinner

The next morning, I attended some of the USBC Convention activities as part of the PWBA and as an active athlete delegate. The PWBA had a special introduction during the annual meeting and afterwards we had an assembly line of autograph signing for all of the delegates. Later that afternoon we had our first official practice session of the season.

 

For the first week on the PWBA Tour, we bowled at Texas Station Resort and Casino and competed on a 39' pattern using Fire Oil.

Only having surgery 6 weeks prior and only being back on the lanes for 2 weeks, I was a little concerned with the amount of games, but felt ready for the tournament, as I had practiced a lot prior to having my surgery.

During the first block of qualifying, I shot 213, 246, 228, 193, 235 and 213 for +128. I used my Columbia 300 Delirium Shock to start and then switched to my Columbia 300 Oath and Ebonite Game Breaker 2 later in the block.

The 2nd block proved to be much more difficult as the lanes played a lot flatter. I grinder the entire block, shooting games of 186, 213, 191, 201, 189 and 221 for +1 on the block and +129 overall. I again used my Columbia 300 Delirium Shock to start, but then quickly had to move in and open up my angles using my Columbia 300 Oath and then slowing things down and opening up my angles even more using a Track Paradox. This put me in 16th place out of 89 participants. The cut to the top 32 was +15.

I was lucky enough to have my parents present for this first event, as well as my second Mom, USBC Hall of Famer - Virginia Norton, helping me and cheering me on during qualifying.

The next morning, we bowled 6 more games in the cashers round and the cut would then be to the top 12 people for match play.

I grinded in the beginning, striking out in the 9th and 10th frame for 212 my first game. Then doubled in the 9th and first shot in the 10th for 191 in game 2. I then switched to my paradox and slowed things down to open up the lanes and shot 221, 232 and 209 putting me at +194 going into the last game. Needing a big last game, I struck out from the 6th frame until the second shot in the 10th frame when a swisher 5 pin cost me to shot 223 and ended up making me miss the cut to the top 12, as I only missed by 3 pins.

All things considered, I am extremely pleased with my performance in the first event. My spare game was very good. I only missed two makeable spares the entire tournament - a 2,4,5,7 and a 2,5,7. My games were steady and I kept the ball in play a lot. I didn't have any really low games and struck out a majority of the 10th frames/end of games. HUGE thank you to Jerry Francomano, Marshall Heimbach and the entire staff at Texas Station for hosting a great event!

 

Congratulations to EBI Hammer staffer Shannon Pluhowsky for leading the event, being top seed going into the TV finals. Also, BIG congratulations to my roommate Sandra Gongora for making her first TV show as the No. 2 seed. She will face the winner of Rocio Restrepo and Liz Johnson. Be sure to tune in to the TV finals which will air on CBS Sports Network on June 7th.

Until next time... Be sure to follow along on XtraFrame.tv  as we compete in the Nationwide Sonoma County Open at Double Decker Lanes in Rohnert Park.  #letsbowl

Missy Parkin and Clara Guerrero Set Clinic Series During PWBA Tour

Hello Everyone! I have some VERY exciting news to share. My Team C300 teammate Clara Guerrero and I will again be conducting several bowling clinics throughout the PWBA Tour Season.

Stuck in a slump? Hit a plateau? Need help on spares, timing or ball motion?  Come join us at a clinic near you!


Our first clinic will be in Sacramento, CA at Steve Cook's Fireside Lanes on Sunday, May 15th from 11am-1pm. Cost is $75 per person. Contact Steve Cook's Fireside Lanes to Sign up Today! (916) 725-2101

Here is our full clinic schedule:

-Sunday, May 15th from 11am to 1pm at Steve Cook's Fireside Lanes in Sacramento, CA 

-Tuesday, May 17th from 6pm-8:30pm at Mira Mesa Lanes in San Diego, CA

-Sunday, June 5th from 6-8pm at West Acres Bowl in Wichita, KS

-Wed., June 8th from 7-9pm at Sun Valley Lanes in Lincoln, NE

-Sun., July 10th from 4:30pm-6:30pm at AMF Gates Lanes in Rochester, NY 


Hope to see you at one of our events! #letsbowl

Missy Undergoes Emergency Appendectomy Surgery

I had to undergo emergency surgery for appendicitis on March 16th. Luckily, I caught it very early and my appendix did not rupture. The surgery went great! They were able to remove my appendix with no complications. I was definitely in a lot of pain the first few days and couldn't do a whole lot by myself. (It's amazing how much we use our core and stomach muscles in day to day life. You don't fully realize this until you are unable to use them.)

Having never undergone surgery before, I was definitely nervous and didn't know what to expect in my road to recovery. Fortunately, I am recovering very well and getting better and better every day! I had my follow up appointment last week and my surgeon said everything looked great! She cleared me to run, do yoga, but still no bowling until the 4 week mark due to weight restrictions. I should be cleared to bowl very soon!

For those that follow me on social media, THANK YOU for your continued well wishes, prayers and encouragement during all of this! I appreciate all of it immensely! And if you don't follow me on social media yet..PLEASE "Like" my Facebook Fan Page - Missy Parkin, Follow me on Twitter @missyparkin or on Instagram @Missy_Parkin so you can get the most current up-to-date information.

I've been getting asked a lot if I'll be well enough to bowl the first PWBA Tour Stop at the end of this month in Las Vegas. The answer is YES! I'll be bowling all of the PWBA Tour stops this season and can't wait to get back out on the lanes!

Until then...

Missy Competes in Sutter Creek PBA Regional

Last weekend, I bowled the PBA Jackson Rancheria Casino Resort Championship at Gold Country Lanes in Sutter Creek, CA. For those that aren't familiar with the area of Sutter Creek, it is situated in the middle of Gold Country in what is known as the Mother Lode, a region where the majority of gold was discovered during the 1849 California Gold Rush.

For the PBA Regional event, we competed on the PBA 50 Standard oil pattern which is 42' and typically plays pretty high scoring. I bowled on A squad and started out of the gates strong using the New Hammer Scandal, having the front 7 strikes both of my first two games, shooting 246 and 257. I followed that up with a 233, 225, 233 and 223. Then needing to switch to my Paradox Pearl, I shot 183 and 218 for +218 overall, which put me close for the top 16 cut to match play.

Hammer Scandal 

While awaiting my fate over making the cut, I ventured to the historic downtown area of Jackson. Amidst the antique shops and candy stores, I found an amazing gem to have lunch at - Rosebud's Cafe. All of the food was farm to table. I had the absolute BEST sandwich I've ever had - a pork belly sandwich, with fresh sprouts on a homemade roll with homemade strawberry jam and served with made from scratch sweet potato fries. AMAZING! Afterwards, I ventured to downtown historic Sutter Creek, but not before stopping at the lookout point of the old Kennedy Gold Mine.

Later I had learned that I had qualified 14th and did indeed make the top 16 matchplay finals. The Round of 16 consisted of a best 3 out of 5 format, so the first person to win 3 games would move on and the loser would be knocked out of the tournament.

I bowed against amateur Mark Del Cerro Jr., who happened to be bowling next to me during all of qualifying. I knew he had a very good look on the pattern and knew I needed to shoot big numbers to win the match. In the opening game, I shot 257 using my Hammer Scandal winning against his 223. He then came back to beat me 246-230 evening out the match at 1-1. In game 3, I needed to strike out in the 10th frame to lock him out, but unfortunately left a stubborn 10 pin and he struck to beat me 233-215.

Being down 1-2, it was a do or die situation as I switched to my Paradox Pearl on the right lane and continued to use my Scandal on the left lane. The match came down to the 10th frame and I needed to strike my first ball in the 10th frame to win, and I did just that winning 248-227. Going into the final 5th game, I started to lose my look as the lanes transitioned. He bowled another big game defeating me 254-212.

Even though in the end I lost the match, I still shot +162 for those 5 games, which is nothing to be upset about. I ended up coming in 10th place overall in the tournament. Although I am seeing definite improvement on the things I am changing in my game, I know I still have lots of work to put in before the PWBA Tour beings at the end of April.

Until next time...

Missy Makes Matchplay at the Masters

This year, I competed in the sold out field of 417 bowlers at the USBC Masters at Woodland Bowl in Indianapolis, IN. We bowled three 5-game blocks of qualifying, two on fresh oil and one on the burn (oil left over from the previous squad), before cutting to the top 64 players for matchplay. This year's oil pattern was 39' using ice oil (shown below.)

The scoring pace was pretty low, putting a premium on shot making and picking up spares. Fortunately, I was able to get lined up early and shot 266 game one using my Track Paradox (with a pocket 7-10 split in the middle of all of my strikes.) I then struggled on the next pair and managed to shoot 181. I then switched to my Track Paradox Pearl and shot games of 224, 190 and 200 to end the block at +61 and just in the current cut number for the top 64.

Paradox Pearl

Paradox

The next block, I again started out strong using my Paradox and shot 221 and 236. I then hit a horrific pair and shot 157, followed with a 187. I managed to pull everything back together the last game, ending with a 235 for +97 overall.

The final block we bowled on the burn. Needing a good block to stay in the cut number, I wanted to stay clean and fill frames. I started out shooting 225 using the new Columbia 300 Swerve FX, but followed it with a 179 and a clean 196. I then switched to the Black Widow Limited and ended the block with a 211 and 212 to get to +120 overall. That put me right on the bubble for the cut to the top 64. Crossing all fingers and toes going into the final game of qualifying for the final block, I managed to barely squeak in to matchplay earning the final 64th position and facing top seed and three-time Player of the Year Jason Belmonte in the opening round match.

Black Widow Limited

Swerve FX

I was very excited to again be back into the Matchplay finals at the USBC Masters. I came in tied for 9th place at the 2012 USBC Masters in Las Vegas, NV. This year, I was one of only four females to qualify for the top 64 cut. Matchplay at the Masters, similar to the USBC Queens, puts players into a 64-person bracket with a 3-game total pinball double elimination format. I faced three-time defending champion Jason Belmonte in my opening match. My game plan worked, as the scoring pace was very low for the match, but unfortunately, I didn't execute as well as I would have hoped and couldn't manage to stay out of trouble. I lost the match 507-613.

That put me into the losers bracket early, which is NEVER where you want to be because it's endless matches from there on out, in order to make the TV finals. My next match was a familiar one, as I went on to face Kelly Kulick in Round 2.  In another very low scoring match, it went down to the final frames, but in the end I lost 538-541 and was knocked out of the tournament.

Although I would have hoped for a better matchplay finals, I am still very proud of how I competed all week. I never missed a single pin spare, made quite a lot of difficult split conversions and overall could see that my hard work the last couple of months was paying off.

Congratulations to Anthony Simonsen who won the USBC Masters becoming the youngest player to win a PBA Major title at 19 years old.

Until next time...

Missy Selected for Team USA 2016

Missy Parkin was selected by the National Selection Committee to represent Team USA 2016. This marks Missy's 7th year on Team USA.

Joining Missy on Team USA are 2016 Team Trials Champion Danielle McEwan, Stefanie Johnson, Shannon O'Keefe, Kelly Kulick, Shannon Pluhowsky, Erin McCarthy, Josie Earnest, Bryanna Cote, Kayla Johnson, Brittni Hamilton and 2016 U.S. Amateur Champion Stephanie Schwartz.

For the Full story about the 2016 Team USA Trials and U.S. Amateur Championship, click here.