Pluhowsky back on TV for PWBA Storm Sacramento Open finals
June 20, 2016
ARLINGTON, Texas - Shannon Pluhowsky of Dayton, Ohio, has won bowling tournaments on five continents and proven over the last decade she's a threat to win anytime she takes the lanes.
She reinforced that by earning the top seed for the televised finals of the first event of the 2016 Professional Women's Bowling Association season and again two weeks later when she earned the No. 2 seed for the TV stepladder of the PWBA Storm Sacramento Open.
When the final round of the PWBA Storm Sacramento Open airs on CBS Sports Network on Tuesday, June 21 at 10 p.m. Eastern, there will be talk of her performance at the season-opening PWBA Las Vegas Open, and the week between the events when the 33-year-old left-hander was absent from the PWBA Tour.
Sometimes, though, the biggest victories can come off the lanes, and Pluhowsky skipped the PWBA Tour's second stop because of her role at the Junior Masters at Dayton's Capri Lanes, the type of event that helps build a future for the sport.
"When they announced the Tour this year was going to start earlier, I knew I was going to miss the second event, but it would be for a great reason," Pluhowsky said. "I'm fortunate to work in an environment that supports my bowling and lets me go compete anytime I want, so it wasn't a hard decision to spend this particular weekend giving something back to the bowling community. It's a terrific event with a lot of history, and I'm proud to be a part of it."
The prestigious scholarship tournament dates to 1981, and the list of past winners reads like a who's who of bowling, including United States Bowling Congress Queens champion Diandra Asbaty, PWBA standout Jennifer Higgins, Professional Bowlers Association titlist Brian Kretzer and more.
This year's event featured new age-based divisions (15 and Under and 16 and Older, with boys and girls categories in each) and attracted 154 bowlers. Since its inception, the tournament has paid more than $300,000 in scholarship money and continues to provide a challenge and educational opportunity for the next generation of PWBA and PBA stars.
So, despite the blazing start to the 2016 PWBA season, Pluhowsky remained committed to the Junior Masters and served a dual role for the event.
As a top female competitor who has enjoyed success at every level of the game, she's a role model to today's youth bowlers. As the general manager at Capri Lanes, it was her job to make sure things ran smoothly at the center and the bowlers had a challenging, but fair, lane condition for the competition.
The Junior Masters weekend also included a presentation and Q&A with PBA champion Rhino Page, who talked about bowling in general and all the things he learned or would've liked to know as a youth bowler.
Because she was so busy with the Junior Masters, Pluhowsky didn't get to bowl much, but she clearly didn't miss a beat. She used the unofficial practice session at the PWBA Storm Sacramento Open to get tuned up, and then improved each round on the way to her second TV show in as many events, matching the two championship-round appearances she made in 2015.
By most standards, Pluhowsky had a successful 2015 season, but, in her eyes, there's always room for improvement.
"Last year, I didn't really have a great season, so to start off this year by making a couple of shows, is a nice way to start the summer," said Pluhowsky, a two-time major champion who's still searching for her first official PWBA title. "We're lucky to have such great support and so many stops to bowl. I'm still not disappointed about missing the second event because we have a long season of bowling to go. Being at the youth tournament and seeing the bright future was just as rewarding as bowling."
The qualifying, match play and group stepladder portions of the PWBA Storm Sacramento Open took place May 13-14 at Steve Cook's Fireside Lanes in Citrus Heights, California, with Cherie Tan of Singapore, claiming the top seed for the TV finals. As the No. 2 seed, Pluhowsky will face the winner of the opening match between No. 3 Anggie Ramirez Perea of Colombia and No. 4 Hui Fen New of Singapore.
For more information on the PWBA, visit PWBA.com.
She reinforced that by earning the top seed for the televised finals of the first event of the 2016 Professional Women's Bowling Association season and again two weeks later when she earned the No. 2 seed for the TV stepladder of the PWBA Storm Sacramento Open.
When the final round of the PWBA Storm Sacramento Open airs on CBS Sports Network on Tuesday, June 21 at 10 p.m. Eastern, there will be talk of her performance at the season-opening PWBA Las Vegas Open, and the week between the events when the 33-year-old left-hander was absent from the PWBA Tour.
Sometimes, though, the biggest victories can come off the lanes, and Pluhowsky skipped the PWBA Tour's second stop because of her role at the Junior Masters at Dayton's Capri Lanes, the type of event that helps build a future for the sport.
"When they announced the Tour this year was going to start earlier, I knew I was going to miss the second event, but it would be for a great reason," Pluhowsky said. "I'm fortunate to work in an environment that supports my bowling and lets me go compete anytime I want, so it wasn't a hard decision to spend this particular weekend giving something back to the bowling community. It's a terrific event with a lot of history, and I'm proud to be a part of it."
The prestigious scholarship tournament dates to 1981, and the list of past winners reads like a who's who of bowling, including United States Bowling Congress Queens champion Diandra Asbaty, PWBA standout Jennifer Higgins, Professional Bowlers Association titlist Brian Kretzer and more.
This year's event featured new age-based divisions (15 and Under and 16 and Older, with boys and girls categories in each) and attracted 154 bowlers. Since its inception, the tournament has paid more than $300,000 in scholarship money and continues to provide a challenge and educational opportunity for the next generation of PWBA and PBA stars.
So, despite the blazing start to the 2016 PWBA season, Pluhowsky remained committed to the Junior Masters and served a dual role for the event.
As a top female competitor who has enjoyed success at every level of the game, she's a role model to today's youth bowlers. As the general manager at Capri Lanes, it was her job to make sure things ran smoothly at the center and the bowlers had a challenging, but fair, lane condition for the competition.
The Junior Masters weekend also included a presentation and Q&A with PBA champion Rhino Page, who talked about bowling in general and all the things he learned or would've liked to know as a youth bowler.
Because she was so busy with the Junior Masters, Pluhowsky didn't get to bowl much, but she clearly didn't miss a beat. She used the unofficial practice session at the PWBA Storm Sacramento Open to get tuned up, and then improved each round on the way to her second TV show in as many events, matching the two championship-round appearances she made in 2015.
By most standards, Pluhowsky had a successful 2015 season, but, in her eyes, there's always room for improvement.
"Last year, I didn't really have a great season, so to start off this year by making a couple of shows, is a nice way to start the summer," said Pluhowsky, a two-time major champion who's still searching for her first official PWBA title. "We're lucky to have such great support and so many stops to bowl. I'm still not disappointed about missing the second event because we have a long season of bowling to go. Being at the youth tournament and seeing the bright future was just as rewarding as bowling."
The qualifying, match play and group stepladder portions of the PWBA Storm Sacramento Open took place May 13-14 at Steve Cook's Fireside Lanes in Citrus Heights, California, with Cherie Tan of Singapore, claiming the top seed for the TV finals. As the No. 2 seed, Pluhowsky will face the winner of the opening match between No. 3 Anggie Ramirez Perea of Colombia and No. 4 Hui Fen New of Singapore.
For more information on the PWBA, visit PWBA.com.