New leaders in Diamond and Ruby Singles at 2024 Women’s Championships
May 26, 2024
RENO, Nev. – It was a splendid Saturday for bowlers in singles competition at the 2024 United States Bowling Congress Women’s Championships.
Nanette Gamboa of El Paso, Texas, snuck into first place in Diamond Singles at the National Bowling Stadium by a single pin with a 771 series. Rebecca O’Connor of Knoxville, Tennessee, had held the lead with 770.
In Gamboa’s first game of singles, she fired a fantastic game of 289. She followed that up in Game 2 with 236.
After an open frame to start Game 3, Gamboa rolled seven consecutive strikes before a spare in the ninth set the stage for a dramatic finish. She delivered a nine count to start her final frame and converted the spare to place herself in a must-strike situation to take the outright lead.
She tossed a strike on her fill ball to place her name at the top of the standings and finish Game 3 with 246.
Taking the lead in Diamond Singles was a huge win for Gamboa, especially with her sister, Naomi, and her family and friends looking on.
The performance also was important to Gamboa because she knows how proud her mother would have been of her.
“I mean I am still shaking and have an adrenaline rush,” said Gamboa, who made her 24th appearance at the USBC Women’s Championships. “My last frame, I was nervous, but I just kept thinking of my mom. I lost her this past January. I know my mom, Esperanza, is up there rooting me on.”
It was sort of a shock to Gamboa that she had taken the lead at the National Bowling Stadium.
“I did not even realize how close I was to taking the overall lead,” said Gamboa, who started her 2024 appearance with sets of 586 in doubles and 512 in team on the way to an all-events score of 1,869. “I had bad scores yesterday, and I just wanted to hit a seven. It’s funny. They had all the scores up there, and I wasn’t even looking at them. I was just paying attention to my bowling routine to the very end.”
She was calm, cool and collected throughout her singles series.
“I slowed down and was not rushing like I did yesterday,” Gamboa said.
Another bowler having a satisfying Saturday in Reno was Heidi Locklear of Lakeville, Minnesota, as she took the lead in Ruby Singles with a 685 series.
Locklear was locked in throughout her singles set, and she kept getting stronger from game to game at the National Bowling Stadium.
In her first game, she rolled a score of 198 and followed it up by bowling 229 in Game 2.
Locklear’s final game started with a spare before seven consecutive strikes put her in position to take the lead. She spared in the ninth frame, and a strike to start her final frame, followed by a seven count, officially placed her in the lead. She finished the game with 258.
Shannon Quigley of Bartlett, Illinois, had held the lead in Ruby Singles with 678.
“I just wanted to stay consistent, hit my mark and just throw the ball,” Locklear said. “I’m not really an overthinker when I bowl. I just kind of play it frame by frame.”
Locklear was shocked to hear the news that she had taken the overall lead.
“I didn’t even know what the top score was,” said Locklear, who added 584 in team and 516 in doubles for a 1,785 all-events total. “I just bowled, and I’m glad I didn’t know because I would have put more pressure on myself. I had no clue. I finished bowling and looked up at the leaderboard and was like, wait a minute, I took the lead.”
It was only Locklear’s second appearance at the Women’s Championships, and she bowled like a veteran to claim the lead.
The Ruby Division features bowlers with entering averages of 156-175.
Visit us on Facebook at the official USBC Women’s Championships page.
Nanette Gamboa of El Paso, Texas, snuck into first place in Diamond Singles at the National Bowling Stadium by a single pin with a 771 series. Rebecca O’Connor of Knoxville, Tennessee, had held the lead with 770.
In Gamboa’s first game of singles, she fired a fantastic game of 289. She followed that up in Game 2 with 236.
After an open frame to start Game 3, Gamboa rolled seven consecutive strikes before a spare in the ninth set the stage for a dramatic finish. She delivered a nine count to start her final frame and converted the spare to place herself in a must-strike situation to take the outright lead.
She tossed a strike on her fill ball to place her name at the top of the standings and finish Game 3 with 246.
Taking the lead in Diamond Singles was a huge win for Gamboa, especially with her sister, Naomi, and her family and friends looking on.
The performance also was important to Gamboa because she knows how proud her mother would have been of her.
“I mean I am still shaking and have an adrenaline rush,” said Gamboa, who made her 24th appearance at the USBC Women’s Championships. “My last frame, I was nervous, but I just kept thinking of my mom. I lost her this past January. I know my mom, Esperanza, is up there rooting me on.”
It was sort of a shock to Gamboa that she had taken the lead at the National Bowling Stadium.
“I did not even realize how close I was to taking the overall lead,” said Gamboa, who started her 2024 appearance with sets of 586 in doubles and 512 in team on the way to an all-events score of 1,869. “I had bad scores yesterday, and I just wanted to hit a seven. It’s funny. They had all the scores up there, and I wasn’t even looking at them. I was just paying attention to my bowling routine to the very end.”
She was calm, cool and collected throughout her singles series.
“I slowed down and was not rushing like I did yesterday,” Gamboa said.
Another bowler having a satisfying Saturday in Reno was Heidi Locklear of Lakeville, Minnesota, as she took the lead in Ruby Singles with a 685 series.
Locklear was locked in throughout her singles set, and she kept getting stronger from game to game at the National Bowling Stadium.
In her first game, she rolled a score of 198 and followed it up by bowling 229 in Game 2.
Locklear’s final game started with a spare before seven consecutive strikes put her in position to take the lead. She spared in the ninth frame, and a strike to start her final frame, followed by a seven count, officially placed her in the lead. She finished the game with 258.
Shannon Quigley of Bartlett, Illinois, had held the lead in Ruby Singles with 678.
“I just wanted to stay consistent, hit my mark and just throw the ball,” Locklear said. “I’m not really an overthinker when I bowl. I just kind of play it frame by frame.”
Locklear was shocked to hear the news that she had taken the overall lead.
“I didn’t even know what the top score was,” said Locklear, who added 584 in team and 516 in doubles for a 1,785 all-events total. “I just bowled, and I’m glad I didn’t know because I would have put more pressure on myself. I had no clue. I finished bowling and looked up at the leaderboard and was like, wait a minute, I took the lead.”
It was only Locklear’s second appearance at the Women’s Championships, and she bowled like a veteran to claim the lead.
The Ruby Division features bowlers with entering averages of 156-175.
Visit us on Facebook at the official USBC Women’s Championships page.