Texan sets early mark in Emerald Singles at WC
April 13, 2016
LAS VEGAS - Diane Brown of Georgetown, Texas, admitted her game was not as sharp as she would have liked heading into her United States Bowling Congress Women's Championships appearance this week, but everything fell into place as she took the lead in Emerald Singles on Monday.
Brown, who recently celebrated her 49th birthday, put together games of 223, 225 and 169 for a 617 series at the South Point Bowling Plaza, the highest set and first series of 600 or better of her 19-year USBC Women's Championships career.
The 617 score also matched the Emerald Singles-winning total from 2015 Women's Championships at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nevada, rolled by Marva Cobb of Inglewood, California.
"I was struggling in league before coming into this tournament," said Brown, a right-hander who bowls regularly at Westgate Lanes and Dart Bowl in Austin, Texas. "My rhythm got better, I was able to release the ball cleanly and my timing was good, so it just clicked all of a sudden. I was just doing my best to pull out a good series because I have never put three 200 games together."
Brown also was a part of the tournament's Friendship Squad, which helps pair bowlers who do not have a team but wish to bowl in team, doubles and singles competition.
The 2017 Friendship Squad will take place April 24-25 at the Baton Rouge River Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, home of the 98th Women's Championships. Bowlers must sign up in pairs to be eligible to compete on the Friendship Squad.
"This is my fourth year of bowling on the Friendship Squad," Brown said. "The group we were coming with couldn't make it anymore due to health reasons, so my friend and I decided to continue this way. You actually get to see a lot of the same people year after year. We had seen the ladies we bowled with this year on the Friendship Squad before, so it was nice to get to know them this year."
Brown now has the long wait to see if 617 will be enough in Emerald Singles for the second consecutive year, but she was happy with her performance regardless of where she ends up in the standings.
The 2016 Women's Championships kicked off April 9 and will conclude its 94-day run in Las Vegas on July 11.
"I probably will be watching the leaderboard on a regular basis to see how it holds up," said Brown, who added 469 in doubles and 439 in team for a 1,525 all-events total, also the highest of her Women's Championships career. "It's exciting to know I bowled well. I haven't bowled a 600 in a tournament in a long time, so it felt really good. I'm hoping the score can stay up there for three months."
Emerald Singles features bowlers with entering averages of 160-174.
Visit us on Facebook at the official USBC Open/Women's Championships page.
Brown, who recently celebrated her 49th birthday, put together games of 223, 225 and 169 for a 617 series at the South Point Bowling Plaza, the highest set and first series of 600 or better of her 19-year USBC Women's Championships career.
The 617 score also matched the Emerald Singles-winning total from 2015 Women's Championships at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nevada, rolled by Marva Cobb of Inglewood, California.
"I was struggling in league before coming into this tournament," said Brown, a right-hander who bowls regularly at Westgate Lanes and Dart Bowl in Austin, Texas. "My rhythm got better, I was able to release the ball cleanly and my timing was good, so it just clicked all of a sudden. I was just doing my best to pull out a good series because I have never put three 200 games together."
Brown also was a part of the tournament's Friendship Squad, which helps pair bowlers who do not have a team but wish to bowl in team, doubles and singles competition.
The 2017 Friendship Squad will take place April 24-25 at the Baton Rouge River Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, home of the 98th Women's Championships. Bowlers must sign up in pairs to be eligible to compete on the Friendship Squad.
"This is my fourth year of bowling on the Friendship Squad," Brown said. "The group we were coming with couldn't make it anymore due to health reasons, so my friend and I decided to continue this way. You actually get to see a lot of the same people year after year. We had seen the ladies we bowled with this year on the Friendship Squad before, so it was nice to get to know them this year."
Brown now has the long wait to see if 617 will be enough in Emerald Singles for the second consecutive year, but she was happy with her performance regardless of where she ends up in the standings.
The 2016 Women's Championships kicked off April 9 and will conclude its 94-day run in Las Vegas on July 11.
"I probably will be watching the leaderboard on a regular basis to see how it holds up," said Brown, who added 469 in doubles and 439 in team for a 1,525 all-events total, also the highest of her Women's Championships career. "It's exciting to know I bowled well. I haven't bowled a 600 in a tournament in a long time, so it felt really good. I'm hoping the score can stay up there for three months."
Emerald Singles features bowlers with entering averages of 160-174.
Visit us on Facebook at the official USBC Open/Women's Championships page.