Accomplished bowler Lynda Barnes prefers team competition
In her career, Lynda Barnes of Flower Mound, Texas, has enjoyed success as an amateur and as a professional, but always has been partial to bowling as part of a team.
Already a Team USA veteran, Barnes, now 38, decided to try her hand at the Professional Women's Bowling Association in the early 1990s, but quickly realized she wasn't quite ready.
"I just didn't like the difference in atmosphere from the team stuff to the individual competition and having to make money each week in order to compete the following week made it really difficult on me," Barnes said. "I wasn't in the right mindset, and that makes it hard to be successful out tour, so I think I made the right decision."
Although a back injury delayed her return, Barnes burst back onto the amateur scene and became the 1995 U.S. Amateur champion.
Barnes spent the next three years on Team USA, won the USBC Queens as an amateur in 1998, married PBA superstar Chris Barnes in 1999 and decided she was ready to give the PWBA another try.
"I decided I was in a better place in my life and after I won the Queens, I knew I had the ability to compete on the tour," Barnes said. "I also knew I was getting older and we were talking about kids, so that was definitely the time to do it."
Her second pro stint was short lived too, lasting until 2001 when she became pregnant with twin boys, Ryan and Troy. Once the boys were born, Barnes considered her career complete before fellow pro Carolyn Dorin-Ballard talked her into a doubles tournament more than a year later.
After getting the itch to bowl once again, Barnes sat out the three years required to regain her amateur status and won the 2005 U.S. Amateur championship. For now, the 2005 World Bowling Writers Female Bowler of the Year is content with her spot on Team USA, which runs through 2007.
"Right now it's one day at a time with bowling because there are so few events to bowl in, and bowling against my husband in the PBA isn't an option because I know how good he is," Barnes said. "Also, with the boys getting older and about to start school soon, the travel will get harder. I will keep doing what I've been doing and bowling on Team USA, and I will re-evaluate after the World Championships in 2007."
|
Johnson continues to find success at every level
After the Professional Women's Bowling Association ceased operations in 2003, Liz Johnson of Cheektowaga, N.Y., was one of the few women to take the Professional Bowlers Association up on its offer to compete alongside the men, where she found instant success.
During the 2004-05 Denny's PBA Tour season, Johnson made history when she became the first woman to qualify for a standard PBA Tour event. Later in the year, she joined the PBA and became the first person to qualify for a standard PBA event as both an amateur and a member.
In the same event, the 2005 PBA Banquet Open, Johnson also became the first female to qualify for the Round of 32 and continued her history-making run until it ended in the title match at the hands of superstar Tommy Jones.
"It hasn't been an easy path to take, but I've been fortunate enough to make a few cuts and a TV show, and I've been able to keep bowling and be successful at it," said Johnson, who was an 11-time winner on the PWBA Tour. "Bowling is something I'm lucky to be good at, and I'm hoping that my second-place finish wasn't just a fluke. I've continued to bowl well and I do feel like I can at least compete out there."
Johnson, 32, proved herself again five months later when she became the first woman to claim a PBA regional title, but still hopes for another opportunity to compete full-time on a women's tour.
For now, Johnson will continue working for Storm, doing clinics and bowling in tournaments all over the world. She also will keep bowling PBA Tour and regional events whenever her schedule allows.
"I feel I have a lot of years left in me, and I just wanted to be successful, no matter where it is," Johnson said. "Being on tour was an amazing time in my life and it led to a lot of strong friendships. The Women's Challenge is definitely a different approach to getting women's bowling back on track, but hopefully it will put the sport into a different perspective and get us some attention."
|
|
|
Life goes on for former PWBA star Leanne Barrette
With 26 professional titles and 104 television appearances, Leanne Barrette of Elk Grove, Calif., is the most accomplished of the 16 competitors in the United States Bowling Congress Women's Challenge.
Before the Professional Women's Bowling Association ceased operations in 2003, Barrette had her sights set on breaking the record for career titles, which is 32, held by USBC/PWBA Hall of Famer Lisa Wagner. Despite having her career cut short, Barrette rebounded nicely and has remained active in bowling.
"My ultimate goal was to reach 32 titles, and I feel like with the way I was bowling and the way things were going for me at the time, it was definitely possible," Barrette said. "I didn't feel like I was going to stop bowling anytime soon since I was bowling so well. When the tour ended, I was in disbelief and thought it wouldn't be long before someone was able to get it going again."
Barrette, now 39, was fortunate enough to land a job doing sales and pro shop visits for Steve Cook's Bowling Supply in Sacramento, Calif., but accepted the position expecting it to be a part-time thing until she was able to return to the lanes.
In the three years since the tour ended, Barrette's life has changed and competing isn't as much of a priority as it used to be. Although she does compete in local tournaments and about a dozen Professional Bowlers Association regional events each year, a steady job and the thought of starting a family with fianc, Gary Hulsenburg have become more important.
"A lot of people assume that if the tour came back I'd go right back out there, but I have a good job, a steady income, a fianc, and a new home, and I'm really happy now," said Barrette, who picked up three USBC Women's Championships titles in the last two years. "I spent 17 years doing what I love, and I feel that you should be able to end your career on your own terms when you're ready, but things are good now. I had a wonderful life on tour and I do get sad and miss it sometimes, but I have a wonderful life now too."
|
International star Sara Vargas takes advantage of unique opportunity
In order to rise to the top of her sport, Sara Vargas and her family had to make some sacrifices along the way, but it has all paid off for the 29-year-old native of Colombia.
In 1997, Vargas came to the United States in search of more opportunities and the past nine years have been a whirlwind of success, which includes recent wins at the 2006 World Ranking Masters and 2006 Colombian National Championships.
"It has been very hard to get to this level because we don't get a lot of support from our government," said Vargas, who now lives in Orlando with her family. "My parents had to invest a lot of money to send me to the United States to study and get professional coaching. The sacrifice was worth it though, and I know they are very proud of me. I just feel lucky to have had the opportunity to come here."
In Colombia, there is no collegiate bowling, so athletes are forced to choose between going to college and chasing their dreams of bowling success. Vargas got the best of both worlds when she came to the United States to attend Wichita State University and be part of one of the most successful collegiate bowling programs in history.
"Bowling is a very expensive sport in Colombia, but it was always something we could do as a family," Vargas said. "I am thankful that I was able to take it a few steps further and achieve the things I have. I prepare and practice and I take advantage of the chance to compete. I know a lot of talented athletes who never get that chance."
|
|
