October 30, 2013 at 2:39 p.m.
Women's Bowling Association senior tournament comes to a close
Northwoods women poised for victory
Women's Bowling Association senior tournament comes to a close
Each lane was packed with bowlers, all operating with impressive efficiency. Strikes and spares lit up the scoreboards hanging from the ceilings.
While the bowlers were certainly having plenty of fun, the overwhelming mood in the room was competitive.
It was the final day of the 2013 Women's Bowling Association senior tournament and the women still in contention were determined to make their move.
Sharon Cline, hostess coordinator for this year's tournament, said the final day held plenty of excitement.
"You team up with another lady and you have a chance to win doubles, singles and divisional portions determined by age," she said. "In doubles though, there are no division winners because a 50-year-old and a 65-year-old could be bowling together. All the scores get turned in after the last week and it goes back to the state office in Green Bay. They go over all the scores and calculate all the handicaps to determine the winner."
The standings are updated weekly, so after each leg of the tournament, the women know where they rank.
This year's tournament began on Oct. 11 and ran every Friday, Saturday and Sunday until finally coming to a close this week.
Heading into the final weekend, two Rhinelander women held the lead in the doubles portion, the most coveted title.
Carolyn Jolin and Vicki Larson had a score of 1,606 with a 309 handicap, a single point ahead of Kathy Hill and Sue Dahlstrom. The Ladysmith women had a score of 1,605 with a 588 handicap.
Cline said while the official standings have not been posted yet, she's confident Larson and Jolin earned the title.
"They put together a really great series, and I know no one beat them," she said. "We're a group of ladies from the Northwoods area and to have two local women win it is spectacular for us. A lot of time you go places and people from the local bowling areas don't win at all."
Cline was especially impressed with Jolin's performance.
"Carolyn doesn't usually bowl on that back side of the alley, but she was put there this weekend," she said. "She bowled a 681 series which is really awesome with the handicap added to that."
In all, 962 women from around the state made their way to Rhinelander to compete in the state tournament. Some drove themselves while others came in big busses with others from their local clubs. Cline said it was the largest tournament Rhinelander has ever hosted.
"At 962, this will probably be the biggest tournament we will ever have here," she said. "We had the lanes going Friday through Sunday and it was a great time. I would say it was a great experience and every time we have state tournaments here it's a blast. To see ladies age 50 to as old as 93 out here competing is a lot of fun. Everyone has different technique and to see some women throwing between a 10 and 15 pound ball is amazing. One of the ladies bowled her first 600 ever at a 632, and that was awesome. You definitely make some memories."
Booking state tournaments at Hodag Lanes is a multi-part process and Cline said they were very fortunate to be chosen as host.
"How it works is you make a bid and send in the paperwork with your number of lanes, what you can offer, what shifts there will be and if weekends will work," she said. "They then take it before the board of directors who ultimately choose the bowling center. We were very happy to be chosen."
Cline said Rhinelander often has a leg up because it provides such a memorable experience to the bowlers.
"It's wonderful for us," she said. "This is the fifth sate tournament we've hosted since 2009. It's a great grab for Rhinelander because they really love coming here. All over the state, the ladies will talk about how excited they are to come up and bowl in Rhinelander."
Through the course of the tournament, some bowlers naturally see their chances of winning the tournament vanish, but Cline said that's when Hodag Lanes really shines. It's a fun environment for every bowler, whether they're in contention or not.
"Their attitudes are if they don't bowl well, then they have fun," Cline said. "And we make sure to make it fun. We had a casino theme this year. We're really known for that and it's always a lot of fun. We do penalty shots if they do a 4-6-7 split or a 7-10 split. They taste terrible, but the women love them. We just have a lot of fun and that's what helps make the tournament a success."
The official standings should be posted within the next couple of days. Barring an unforseen development, Jolin and Larson will earn their doubles championship and the rest of the winners will be announced. For most of the bowlers though, it's about camaraderie and having fun. Cline said that's what is most important at the tournaments.
"You make friends for life," she said. "I've met so many great people this year which makes it all worthwhile."
Hodag Lanes will host another state tournament next year. The Elite 600 State Bowling Tournament will make its way to Rhinelander next fall. It's reserved for women who have had a 600 series in their life, making the field of competition much smaller.
Cline is already looking forward to hosting next year's competition and matching this year's enthusiasm and environment.
Andy Hildebrand may be reached at [email protected].
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