Return of PWBA worth the wait for Parkin
January 19, 2016
ARLINGTON, Texas - Few terms get tossed around the sport of bowling more than timing.
During the approach, the slightest hitch in the pushaway or quickness of the feet may disrupt a bowler's timing, which often affects the results 60 feet away. However, the perfect timing throughout the approach can lead to consistency, better results, and, most importantly, more wins.
From an early age, Missy Parkin of Laguna Hills, California, exhibited the latter, rolling her first perfect game at age 14 and winning the first Junior Gold Championships two years later in 1998.
Even before those successes on the lanes, she knew bowling was going to be a part of her life.
"I can remember in kindergarten when the teacher asked everybody what they wanted to be when they grew up," Parkin said. "Most kids would say they wanted to be a police officer or doctor, but my answer has always been a professional bowler. I can imagine the look on my teacher's face when I said that, but it has always been what I wanted to do."
Timing in life, however, does not always work out the way things are planned.
After spending four years on Junior Team USA and beginning her collegiate career at California State-Fullerton, Parkin was faced with an unplanned, but welcomed, challenge. California State-Fullerton was unable to field a women's team after her second year, but she was given the option to join the men's team and compete against the guys.
She not only accepted the chance, she thrived, helping California State-Fullerton advance to the 2003 Intercollegiate Team Championships, where she earned the tournament's most valuable player award in a field that included the likes of Sean Rash and David O'Sullivan.
"During my first two years, the women's team only had five bowlers total, so we didn't even have a sub," said Parkin, a two-time National Collegiate Bowling Coaches Association first-team All-American and the 2002-03 NCBCA Most Valuable Player. "I was sad when the women weren't able to field a team, but I was ecstatic to bowl with the men. I already had a lot of experience of bowling with the guys from junior bowling, so I was ready for the challenge."
Another new challenge awaited Parkin as she prepared to graduate.
During her final semester, the Professional Women's Bowling Association Tour closed its doors, unraveling a plan Parkin had set in place for as long as she could remember.
"My goal was to go to college, get my degree and then go out on tour," Parkin said. "That had been the plan forever, and I was one semester away from being able to bowl. I was absolutely devastated. I wasn't sure what I was going to do, since the plan I had for my whole life was thrown out the window."
In 2004, Parkin once again adjusted to the curveball and proved her resilience by becoming the first woman to join the Professional Bowlers Association.
She attempted to earn her spot on the PBA's exempt Tour at the inaugural PBA Tour Trials later that year but was unable to gain an exemption. Once again having to adjust to life without a tour, Parkin took a job at a public relations firm. Six months later, her father and bowling-industry professional, Frank Bellinder, encouraged her to continue her quest to live out her lifelong dream.
"My dad convinced me to quit my job, come and work with him at his pro shop and bowl anything and everything," Parkin said. "And that's what I did. I was about 23, quit my job and started bowling full-time. I started to travel overseas a lot to bowl at that time, too. It was very awesome and a very cool time, but the ultimate goal was always to have a full-time tour."
Parkin quickly became a household name as one of the top female players in the world. She captured her first major title at the 2011 United States Bowling Congress Queens, qualified for the PBA Women's Series each year of its existence and brought home a handful of medals in international competition as a Team USA member.
In October 2014, USBC and the Bowling Proprietors' Association of America announced the re-launch of the PWBA Tour starting in 2015, finally giving Parkin the chance to realize her dream.
"I was bowling a practice session at a PBA regional when the news came out," said Parkin, the first woman to win three PBA regional titles. "Someone asked me about it, and after I looked it up, I needed someone to pinch me because I couldn't believe it was really happening. It was something we all had been waiting for, especially the ladies in my generation that just missed the chance to tour. It really was a dream come true."
Parkin made two championship round appearances during her first season on the PWBA Tour, and now that she has a home for the future, she has her sights set higher for 2016 and beyond.
"I have really high expectations for myself," said Parkin, who finished third at the 2015 PWBA Storm Sacramento Open and PWBA Lubbock Sports Open. "My ultimate goal is to be in the hall of fame. It's so prestigious, and I really aspire to join a few of my friends like Virginia Norton, Vesma Grinfelds and Fran Deken with that honor."
During the approach, the slightest hitch in the pushaway or quickness of the feet may disrupt a bowler's timing, which often affects the results 60 feet away. However, the perfect timing throughout the approach can lead to consistency, better results, and, most importantly, more wins.
From an early age, Missy Parkin of Laguna Hills, California, exhibited the latter, rolling her first perfect game at age 14 and winning the first Junior Gold Championships two years later in 1998.
Even before those successes on the lanes, she knew bowling was going to be a part of her life.
"I can remember in kindergarten when the teacher asked everybody what they wanted to be when they grew up," Parkin said. "Most kids would say they wanted to be a police officer or doctor, but my answer has always been a professional bowler. I can imagine the look on my teacher's face when I said that, but it has always been what I wanted to do."
Timing in life, however, does not always work out the way things are planned.
After spending four years on Junior Team USA and beginning her collegiate career at California State-Fullerton, Parkin was faced with an unplanned, but welcomed, challenge. California State-Fullerton was unable to field a women's team after her second year, but she was given the option to join the men's team and compete against the guys.
She not only accepted the chance, she thrived, helping California State-Fullerton advance to the 2003 Intercollegiate Team Championships, where she earned the tournament's most valuable player award in a field that included the likes of Sean Rash and David O'Sullivan.
"During my first two years, the women's team only had five bowlers total, so we didn't even have a sub," said Parkin, a two-time National Collegiate Bowling Coaches Association first-team All-American and the 2002-03 NCBCA Most Valuable Player. "I was sad when the women weren't able to field a team, but I was ecstatic to bowl with the men. I already had a lot of experience of bowling with the guys from junior bowling, so I was ready for the challenge."
Another new challenge awaited Parkin as she prepared to graduate.
During her final semester, the Professional Women's Bowling Association Tour closed its doors, unraveling a plan Parkin had set in place for as long as she could remember.
"My goal was to go to college, get my degree and then go out on tour," Parkin said. "That had been the plan forever, and I was one semester away from being able to bowl. I was absolutely devastated. I wasn't sure what I was going to do, since the plan I had for my whole life was thrown out the window."
In 2004, Parkin once again adjusted to the curveball and proved her resilience by becoming the first woman to join the Professional Bowlers Association.
She attempted to earn her spot on the PBA's exempt Tour at the inaugural PBA Tour Trials later that year but was unable to gain an exemption. Once again having to adjust to life without a tour, Parkin took a job at a public relations firm. Six months later, her father and bowling-industry professional, Frank Bellinder, encouraged her to continue her quest to live out her lifelong dream.
"My dad convinced me to quit my job, come and work with him at his pro shop and bowl anything and everything," Parkin said. "And that's what I did. I was about 23, quit my job and started bowling full-time. I started to travel overseas a lot to bowl at that time, too. It was very awesome and a very cool time, but the ultimate goal was always to have a full-time tour."
Parkin quickly became a household name as one of the top female players in the world. She captured her first major title at the 2011 United States Bowling Congress Queens, qualified for the PBA Women's Series each year of its existence and brought home a handful of medals in international competition as a Team USA member.
In October 2014, USBC and the Bowling Proprietors' Association of America announced the re-launch of the PWBA Tour starting in 2015, finally giving Parkin the chance to realize her dream.
"I was bowling a practice session at a PBA regional when the news came out," said Parkin, the first woman to win three PBA regional titles. "Someone asked me about it, and after I looked it up, I needed someone to pinch me because I couldn't believe it was really happening. It was something we all had been waiting for, especially the ladies in my generation that just missed the chance to tour. It really was a dream come true."
Parkin made two championship round appearances during her first season on the PWBA Tour, and now that she has a home for the future, she has her sights set higher for 2016 and beyond.
"I have really high expectations for myself," said Parkin, who finished third at the 2015 PWBA Storm Sacramento Open and PWBA Lubbock Sports Open. "My ultimate goal is to be in the hall of fame. It's so prestigious, and I really aspire to join a few of my friends like Virginia Norton, Vesma Grinfelds and Fran Deken with that honor."