LAS VEGAS – It's not always a guarantee that attending an event once like the United States Bowling Congress Women’s Championships will turn into a yearly tradition, but for one bowler who’s now made 50 consecutive appearances, it’s exactly how she started her journey.

Janice Hebberd of Walsh, Colorado, made her first trip to the tournament in 1973 at the famed Showboat Lanes in Las Vegas along with some of her league teammates and mother.

It would have been her only trip if not for her mother’s encouragement to go in 1974.

“I didn’t have a lot of money, so I wasn’t planning on going,” Hebberd said. “I had my husband and kids to look after as well. But my mother told me a few people dropped out and that she was taking me with her to Houston, Texas, in 1974 and to pack my bags. The rest is history.”

Hebberd bowled with her mother for many years, including numerous trips to the USBC Women’s Championships.

Her dedication goes beyond just the tournament, however, as she and her teammates drive 70 miles each way for league each week, traveling from Walsh to Lamar, Colorado.

With her 50th consecutive appearance in the books, she looks back on many fond memories from traveling the country and meeting new people over the years.

“I never would have seen Niagara Falls in 1984 if not for this tournament,” Hebberd said. “It was so beautiful.”

Hebberd’s motto for making her annual trip is simple – just keep going.

For her dedication to the tournament, she received a commemorative plaque, chevron and necklace. As an added bonus, her team was selected to lead out her squad as the tournament’s grand marshals.

The 2023 Women’s Championships started April 23 and will conclude July 2. The event will run for 71 consecutive days at the South Point Bowling Plaza and feature more than 4,200 four-player teams and nearly 17,000 bowlers.

Follow updates and more from the official USBC Women’s Championships Facebook page.