Romeo ready to defend title at 2015 Senior Queens
May 08, 2015
ARLINGTON, Texas - Though United States Bowling Congress Hall of Famer Robin Romeo of Newhall, California, still was recovering from surgery on her non-bowling thumb, she put together a memorable 2014 season by winning the USBC Senior Queens and a Diamond Doubles title at the USBC Women's Championships.
This year, the 57-year-old right-hander finds herself in a similar situation after elbow surgery last fall, but she's excited about the upcoming 2015 USBC Senior Queens, where she'll look to defend her title May 13-19 at The Ashwaubenon Bowling Alley in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Romeo defeated fellow hall of famer Tish Johnson of Colorado Springs, Colorado, 244-188, in the 2014 Senior Queens finale and is looking to become the fourth bowler to win the event multiple times, joining USBC Hall of Famers Sandy Postma (three), Shirley Levens (two) and Lucy Sandelin (two). No one has won the event in back-to-back years.
"I only started practicing again in February, but I'm feeling pretty good, and I was able to get some good competition in at the Golden Ladies (Classic) in March and the Women's Championships a couple of weekends ago," Romeo said. "This is the first time in my career I'm seeded right into the tournament, which is nice. The pressure is a little different, and I still want to bowl well for position, but it's a little less stressful knowing I'm automatically seeded into match play."
As the defending champion, Romeo will bowl qualifying to see if she can improve her seeding. If she finishes outside of the top 32, she will earn the No. 32 spot in the bracket.
The 2015 Senior Queens will feature more than 30 of the top female USBC members age 50 and older competing for a chance at part of the estimated $20,000 prize fund.
Qualifying starts Thursday at 9 a.m. EDT with the first of three five-game qualifying blocks. After 15 games over three days, the field will be cut to the top 31, plus Romeo, for double-elimination match-play competition.
The top five bowlers after match play will advance to the stepladder finals, which will be broadcast live on BowlTV on May 19 at 11 a.m. Eastern.
The 2015 Senior Queens will be held alongside the USBC Queens, the first event of the new Professional Women's Bowling Association Tour, which is making its return after nearly a dozen years.
The return of the PWBA provides a little bit of nostalgia for Romeo and her fellow Senior Queens competitors, many of whom made a living on the PWBA Tour. It also gives them a chance to see, and compete against, the next generation of talent in the thriving world of women's bowling.
"There's so many good, young players out there, and it's great that they're going to have a chance to travel and compete and shine," said Romeo, a PWBA Hall of Famer with 17 career titles. "I'm going to bowl a few stops, and if I bowl well, I'll probably do more. This is an exciting time for women's bowling, and I really hope the bowlers support it and give it the future it deserves."
The Senior Queens again will mark the second stop of the Senior Women's Triple Crown Series presented by The Orleans. The Triple Crown Series is a special competition for bowlers who compete in the Senior Queens, National Golden Ladies Classic and U.S. Women's Open.
The top 10 players in the Triple Crown standings, which combines qualifying totals from all three events, will take part in the Triple Crown Shoot-Out presented by The Orleans.
The Triple Crown Shoot-Out will be held after the U.S. Women's Open qualifying rounds Sept. 4 at Brunswick Zone Carolier Lanes in New Brunswick, New Jersey. The top prize will be $1,000.
This year, the 57-year-old right-hander finds herself in a similar situation after elbow surgery last fall, but she's excited about the upcoming 2015 USBC Senior Queens, where she'll look to defend her title May 13-19 at The Ashwaubenon Bowling Alley in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Romeo defeated fellow hall of famer Tish Johnson of Colorado Springs, Colorado, 244-188, in the 2014 Senior Queens finale and is looking to become the fourth bowler to win the event multiple times, joining USBC Hall of Famers Sandy Postma (three), Shirley Levens (two) and Lucy Sandelin (two). No one has won the event in back-to-back years.
"I only started practicing again in February, but I'm feeling pretty good, and I was able to get some good competition in at the Golden Ladies (Classic) in March and the Women's Championships a couple of weekends ago," Romeo said. "This is the first time in my career I'm seeded right into the tournament, which is nice. The pressure is a little different, and I still want to bowl well for position, but it's a little less stressful knowing I'm automatically seeded into match play."
As the defending champion, Romeo will bowl qualifying to see if she can improve her seeding. If she finishes outside of the top 32, she will earn the No. 32 spot in the bracket.
The 2015 Senior Queens will feature more than 30 of the top female USBC members age 50 and older competing for a chance at part of the estimated $20,000 prize fund.
Qualifying starts Thursday at 9 a.m. EDT with the first of three five-game qualifying blocks. After 15 games over three days, the field will be cut to the top 31, plus Romeo, for double-elimination match-play competition.
The top five bowlers after match play will advance to the stepladder finals, which will be broadcast live on BowlTV on May 19 at 11 a.m. Eastern.
The 2015 Senior Queens will be held alongside the USBC Queens, the first event of the new Professional Women's Bowling Association Tour, which is making its return after nearly a dozen years.
The return of the PWBA provides a little bit of nostalgia for Romeo and her fellow Senior Queens competitors, many of whom made a living on the PWBA Tour. It also gives them a chance to see, and compete against, the next generation of talent in the thriving world of women's bowling.
"There's so many good, young players out there, and it's great that they're going to have a chance to travel and compete and shine," said Romeo, a PWBA Hall of Famer with 17 career titles. "I'm going to bowl a few stops, and if I bowl well, I'll probably do more. This is an exciting time for women's bowling, and I really hope the bowlers support it and give it the future it deserves."
The Senior Queens again will mark the second stop of the Senior Women's Triple Crown Series presented by The Orleans. The Triple Crown Series is a special competition for bowlers who compete in the Senior Queens, National Golden Ladies Classic and U.S. Women's Open.
The top 10 players in the Triple Crown standings, which combines qualifying totals from all three events, will take part in the Triple Crown Shoot-Out presented by The Orleans.
The Triple Crown Shoot-Out will be held after the U.S. Women's Open qualifying rounds Sept. 4 at Brunswick Zone Carolier Lanes in New Brunswick, New Jersey. The top prize will be $1,000.