Oregon bowler jumps into Ruby Singles lead at USBC Women's Championships
June 27, 2010
EL PASO, Texas - Holly Van Nortwick of Hillsboro, Ore., picked the right time to shoot the highest series of her bowling career, which moved her into the lead in Ruby Singles at the 2010 USBC Women's Championships on Friday.
The 40-year-old right-hander rolled games of 222, 206 and 196 to finish with a 624 scratch series and received an additional 22 pins of handicap per game to reach her final total of 690. Angie Motzko of Watertown, Minn., held the lead since May 8 with 672.
Van Nortwick performed consistently in her other events as well and moved into a tie for fourth place in Ruby All-Events at 1,834. She finished with a 544 scratch series in team and 468 in doubles. Betty Brooks of Lakewood, Calif., leads with 1,898.
Van Nortwick credited a change in her starting position, made just three weeks prior to competing at the tournament, to helping her overall performance. Having attacked the lanes by lining her feet up near the center of the approach in the past, Van Nortwick moved her starting position further right, and the results have showed.
"About three weeks ago, I changed my approach," said Van Nortwick, who made her third Women's Championships appearance. "I've been having people tell me to do that for a while, and I finally decided to try it during my summer league. It's been working out pretty well so far."
Van Nortwick finished her singles competition before most of her teammates and was on her way out of the El Paso Convention and Performing Arts Center before her phone rang with news of her accomplishment. She was in the process of getting onto a shuttle to go back to her hotel with her mother, Darleen, and several other bowlers.
Upon her return to the tournament lanes, she received a gracious applause from her fellow teammates and competitors to recognize her feat.
"I'm pretty shy and quiet, so when I came around the corner and they started cheering, I was pretty embarrassed," said Van Nortwick, who bowls regularly at Sunset Lanes in Beaverton, Ore. "It was exciting, though. I was in shock when they told me. I come to this tournament for fun and the chance to hang out with my teammates. I never thought about getting my name up on the leaderboard in any way."
Van Nortwick was happy that she was able to share the experience with her mother, who made the trip from Alaska to watch her compete.
"She flew in from Alaska to watch, so that was really nice," Van Nortwick said. "Mom and Dad came and watched last year, so I called him right after I found out. It was a special moment."
One of the bowlers on Van Nortwick's companion team, Eileen Pracz of Tigard, Ore., also bowled well during singles. Van Nortwick believes they were able to feed off of each other as the strikes kept adding up. Pracz is in 12th place in Ruby Singles with a 654 handicap series.
"It's funny, because in the past, we have bowled doubles together, so we were thinking what it would have been like to bowl like that during doubles," Van Nortwick said. "It's always a blast to see teammates do so well."
Even a day after her accomplishment, Van Nortwick still found it hard to believe that her name was on top of the leaderboard. She only has seven days to wait to see if she can add her name to the record books as a Women's Championships titlist. The 2010 tournament wraps up on July 4.
"I'm still in shock," Van Nortwick said. "I always joke around that I'm the handicap bowler of this group, so this is unbelievable."
Pracz added 580 in doubles and 503 in team for a 1,737 all-events total in the Ruby Division. All scores include handicap.
The Ruby Division includes bowlers with averages between 150 and 179, with handicap based on 100 percent of 180.
Presenting sponsors for the 2010 USBC Women's Championships are Nationwide Insurance; Kegel, official lane maintenance provider; US Steltronic, official scoring system; Brunswick; Storm Bowling Products Inc.; and the El Paso Convention and Visitors Bureau.
The 40-year-old right-hander rolled games of 222, 206 and 196 to finish with a 624 scratch series and received an additional 22 pins of handicap per game to reach her final total of 690. Angie Motzko of Watertown, Minn., held the lead since May 8 with 672.
Van Nortwick performed consistently in her other events as well and moved into a tie for fourth place in Ruby All-Events at 1,834. She finished with a 544 scratch series in team and 468 in doubles. Betty Brooks of Lakewood, Calif., leads with 1,898.
Van Nortwick credited a change in her starting position, made just three weeks prior to competing at the tournament, to helping her overall performance. Having attacked the lanes by lining her feet up near the center of the approach in the past, Van Nortwick moved her starting position further right, and the results have showed.
"About three weeks ago, I changed my approach," said Van Nortwick, who made her third Women's Championships appearance. "I've been having people tell me to do that for a while, and I finally decided to try it during my summer league. It's been working out pretty well so far."
Van Nortwick finished her singles competition before most of her teammates and was on her way out of the El Paso Convention and Performing Arts Center before her phone rang with news of her accomplishment. She was in the process of getting onto a shuttle to go back to her hotel with her mother, Darleen, and several other bowlers.
Upon her return to the tournament lanes, she received a gracious applause from her fellow teammates and competitors to recognize her feat.
"I'm pretty shy and quiet, so when I came around the corner and they started cheering, I was pretty embarrassed," said Van Nortwick, who bowls regularly at Sunset Lanes in Beaverton, Ore. "It was exciting, though. I was in shock when they told me. I come to this tournament for fun and the chance to hang out with my teammates. I never thought about getting my name up on the leaderboard in any way."
Van Nortwick was happy that she was able to share the experience with her mother, who made the trip from Alaska to watch her compete.
"She flew in from Alaska to watch, so that was really nice," Van Nortwick said. "Mom and Dad came and watched last year, so I called him right after I found out. It was a special moment."
One of the bowlers on Van Nortwick's companion team, Eileen Pracz of Tigard, Ore., also bowled well during singles. Van Nortwick believes they were able to feed off of each other as the strikes kept adding up. Pracz is in 12th place in Ruby Singles with a 654 handicap series.
"It's funny, because in the past, we have bowled doubles together, so we were thinking what it would have been like to bowl like that during doubles," Van Nortwick said. "It's always a blast to see teammates do so well."
Even a day after her accomplishment, Van Nortwick still found it hard to believe that her name was on top of the leaderboard. She only has seven days to wait to see if she can add her name to the record books as a Women's Championships titlist. The 2010 tournament wraps up on July 4.
"I'm still in shock," Van Nortwick said. "I always joke around that I'm the handicap bowler of this group, so this is unbelievable."
Pracz added 580 in doubles and 503 in team for a 1,737 all-events total in the Ruby Division. All scores include handicap.
The Ruby Division includes bowlers with averages between 150 and 179, with handicap based on 100 percent of 180.
Presenting sponsors for the 2010 USBC Women's Championships are Nationwide Insurance; Kegel, official lane maintenance provider; US Steltronic, official scoring system; Brunswick; Storm Bowling Products Inc.; and the El Paso Convention and Visitors Bureau.