Families celebrate Mother's Day at WC
May 15, 2013
By Wishelle Banks
USBC Communications
RENO, Nev. - The sport of bowling always has been a family affair - a fact that was especially true on Mother's Day at the 2013 United States Bowling Congress Women's Championships.
The Reno-Sparks Convention Center was teeming with bowlers, and many mother-daughter duos spent the day together on the tournament lanes.
When Cindy Fenhaus and her daughter Jessica Moore of Elko, Nev., reserved their spot at this year's event, they didn't realize it was Mother's Day, but they certainly enjoyed the opportunity to be together on such a special Sunday.
"It just happened to be the date we put in for, and it happened to be on Mother's Day," said Fenhaus, 59, who made her 20th USBC Women's Championships appearance. "So we decided, what better time."
Moore, 35, began bowling during her sophomore year of high school, and it wasn't long before she and her mother began hitting the lanes together. They have kept that tradition going strong at home as well as annually at the world's largest participatory sporting event for women.
"I started bowling with my mom during my senior year in high school," said Moore, who made her 13th Women's Championships appearance. "After my 18th birthday, I started in a women's league and bowled my first state tournament with my mom in 1996. My mom and I are in a women's league Tuesday and Thursday, and we also are in a mixed league."
Fenhaus isn't taking no for an answer when it comes to planning ahead for their participation in the 2014 Women's Championships. At this stage of her life - and the game - she has no intention of losing momentum.
"Yes, we're already planning on being here next year," Fenhaus said. "This was my 20th consecutive tournament, so I have five more to go, for sure."
Amy Miller-Vandawaker and her mother, Karen Miller of Dryden, Mich., flew to The Biggest Little City in the World for a Mother's Day bowling extravaganza. The Women's Championships has become a chance for them to see the sights of the host city and catch up with family from across the country.
"When it started out, I came with my sister from Virginia, and her daughter came from Michigan with me," said Miller, who made her eighth tournament appearance. "Then Amy started coming, and my sister moved to North Carolina. But we always meet here and have a vacation. We do things afterwards, like visit Lake Tahoe and see the sights. We're going to San Francisco after this."
But as much as their annual trek to the tournament is a vacation, it also is a competition.
Amy, who now is 44 years old, first rolled a bowling ball in her 30s and has bowled in six Women's Championships. Miller has been stepping onto the lanes since she was in junior high school, and the 67-year-old has been participating in the Women's Championships since 2006. They both enjoyed the specially-constructed venue inside the RSCC this year.
"It didn't seem too bad on the lanes," said Miller-Vandawaker, who bowls regularly at Hideaway Lanes in Almont, Mich. "I've had a lot tougher years when my ball didn't react the way I wanted it to. I thought the lane conditions were good. During bowling season, we bowl every week in one league. I was over, or at my average, most of the games, so I was pretty happy."
Miller-Vandawaker finished this year's Women's Championships with a 464 scratch series in doubles, 424 in singles and 419 in team for a 1,307 all-events total, while her mother had 336 in singles, 322 in team and 314 in doubles for 972. Fenhaus had scratch sets of 527 in singles, 526 in team and 492 in doubles for a 1,545 all-events score, and Moore closed with 525 in doubles, 450 in team and 448 in singles for 1,423.
Presenting sponsors for the 2013 USBC Women's Championships include Circus Circus Reno, Eldorado Hotel Casino Reno and Silver Legacy Resort Casino Reno.
USBC Communications
RENO, Nev. - The sport of bowling always has been a family affair - a fact that was especially true on Mother's Day at the 2013 United States Bowling Congress Women's Championships.
The Reno-Sparks Convention Center was teeming with bowlers, and many mother-daughter duos spent the day together on the tournament lanes.
When Cindy Fenhaus and her daughter Jessica Moore of Elko, Nev., reserved their spot at this year's event, they didn't realize it was Mother's Day, but they certainly enjoyed the opportunity to be together on such a special Sunday. "It just happened to be the date we put in for, and it happened to be on Mother's Day," said Fenhaus, 59, who made her 20th USBC Women's Championships appearance. "So we decided, what better time."
Moore, 35, began bowling during her sophomore year of high school, and it wasn't long before she and her mother began hitting the lanes together. They have kept that tradition going strong at home as well as annually at the world's largest participatory sporting event for women.
"I started bowling with my mom during my senior year in high school," said Moore, who made her 13th Women's Championships appearance. "After my 18th birthday, I started in a women's league and bowled my first state tournament with my mom in 1996. My mom and I are in a women's league Tuesday and Thursday, and we also are in a mixed league."
Fenhaus isn't taking no for an answer when it comes to planning ahead for their participation in the 2014 Women's Championships. At this stage of her life - and the game - she has no intention of losing momentum.
"Yes, we're already planning on being here next year," Fenhaus said. "This was my 20th consecutive tournament, so I have five more to go, for sure."
Amy Miller-Vandawaker and her mother, Karen Miller of Dryden, Mich., flew to The Biggest Little City in the World for a Mother's Day bowling extravaganza. The Women's Championships has become a chance for them to see the sights of the host city and catch up with family from across the country. "When it started out, I came with my sister from Virginia, and her daughter came from Michigan with me," said Miller, who made her eighth tournament appearance. "Then Amy started coming, and my sister moved to North Carolina. But we always meet here and have a vacation. We do things afterwards, like visit Lake Tahoe and see the sights. We're going to San Francisco after this."
But as much as their annual trek to the tournament is a vacation, it also is a competition.
Amy, who now is 44 years old, first rolled a bowling ball in her 30s and has bowled in six Women's Championships. Miller has been stepping onto the lanes since she was in junior high school, and the 67-year-old has been participating in the Women's Championships since 2006. They both enjoyed the specially-constructed venue inside the RSCC this year.
"It didn't seem too bad on the lanes," said Miller-Vandawaker, who bowls regularly at Hideaway Lanes in Almont, Mich. "I've had a lot tougher years when my ball didn't react the way I wanted it to. I thought the lane conditions were good. During bowling season, we bowl every week in one league. I was over, or at my average, most of the games, so I was pretty happy."
Miller-Vandawaker finished this year's Women's Championships with a 464 scratch series in doubles, 424 in singles and 419 in team for a 1,307 all-events total, while her mother had 336 in singles, 322 in team and 314 in doubles for 972. Fenhaus had scratch sets of 527 in singles, 526 in team and 492 in doubles for a 1,545 all-events score, and Moore closed with 525 in doubles, 450 in team and 448 in singles for 1,423.
Presenting sponsors for the 2013 USBC Women's Championships include Circus Circus Reno, Eldorado Hotel Casino Reno and Silver Legacy Resort Casino Reno.