USBC Senior Queens returns to national stage in Las Vegas
March 18, 2022
LAS VEGAS - For the first time since 2019, the top female United States Bowling Congress members age 50 and older will take to the lanes at the Gold Coast Hotel and Casino for the USBC Senior Queens.
The 2022 edition of the event will kick off Friday with the tournament's official practice session, before the first round of qualifying gets underway Saturday at 11 a.m. Eastern.
More than 75 competitors will be looking to claim the championship tiara and $8,000 top prize.
The 2020 and 2021 editions of the Senior Queens were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
USBC and Professional Women's Bowling Association Hall of Famer Jeanne Naccarato of Tacoma, Washington, won the 2019 event for her first tiara, defeating Australia's Lee Booth in the final, 245-209.
Naccarato will not be defending her title in 2022, however, so there's an opportunity for one of the four past champions in the field to add another title to their collection or a new competitor to add their name to the historic list of tournament champions.
The past champions in the field include three-time winner and USBC Hall of Famer Lucy Sandelin of Tampa, Florida (2007, 2013 and 2017); USBC and PWBA Hall of Famer Tish Johnson of Colorado Springs, Colorado (2018); Paula Vidad of Sun City, California (2011); and Char Hammel of Henderson, Nevada (2010).
The roster for the 2022 event also includes several athletes who medaled at the International Bowling Federation Masters (formerly Senior) World Championships in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, in November 2021.
All four members of the team that represented the United States will be competing at the Senior Queens after collecting four bronze medals in singles, doubles, team and mixed team competition - Johnson; Debbie Ayers of La Mesa, California; Tracy Calfee of Flat Rock, North Carolina; and Sharon Powers of Lakewood, Colorado.
Three of the four members that claimed the silver medal in team competition for Canada also will be on the lanes at Gold Coast this week - Lauraine Fast of Calgary, Alberta; Jill Friis of Mount Brydges, Ontario; and Deborah Lee of White Rock, British Columbia.
Many of the players in the field at the Senior Queens also competed at the 31st Annual International Golden Ladies Classic from March 13-17 at The Orleans Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.
Regina Aboud of San Jose, California, won the senior division at the 2022 International Golden Ladies Classic, and Heidi Pagenkopf of Lynnwood, Washington, won her second title in the super senior division. Aboud and Pagenkopf will not be competing at the Senior Queens.
All competitors at the 2022 Senior Queens will bowl 15 games of qualifying over two days. The top 32 players, based on total pinfall, will advance to the double-elimination match-play bracket.
Naccarato would have been guaranteed a position in the bracket as the defending champion based on her qualifying total, but the spot now goes back to the field.
The bracket will feature three-game matches, with total pinfall determining who advances. The five players who make their way through the bracket will advance to the stepladder finals. The event features a true double-elimination format, so the No. 1 seed for the stepladder would have to lose twice in the championship match.
BowlTV.com will provide livestream coverage of each round of competition. The stepladder finals will take place Monday at 8 p.m. Eastern.
The 2022 edition of the event will kick off Friday with the tournament's official practice session, before the first round of qualifying gets underway Saturday at 11 a.m. Eastern.
More than 75 competitors will be looking to claim the championship tiara and $8,000 top prize.
The 2020 and 2021 editions of the Senior Queens were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
USBC and Professional Women's Bowling Association Hall of Famer Jeanne Naccarato of Tacoma, Washington, won the 2019 event for her first tiara, defeating Australia's Lee Booth in the final, 245-209.
Naccarato will not be defending her title in 2022, however, so there's an opportunity for one of the four past champions in the field to add another title to their collection or a new competitor to add their name to the historic list of tournament champions.
The past champions in the field include three-time winner and USBC Hall of Famer Lucy Sandelin of Tampa, Florida (2007, 2013 and 2017); USBC and PWBA Hall of Famer Tish Johnson of Colorado Springs, Colorado (2018); Paula Vidad of Sun City, California (2011); and Char Hammel of Henderson, Nevada (2010).
The roster for the 2022 event also includes several athletes who medaled at the International Bowling Federation Masters (formerly Senior) World Championships in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, in November 2021.
All four members of the team that represented the United States will be competing at the Senior Queens after collecting four bronze medals in singles, doubles, team and mixed team competition - Johnson; Debbie Ayers of La Mesa, California; Tracy Calfee of Flat Rock, North Carolina; and Sharon Powers of Lakewood, Colorado.
Three of the four members that claimed the silver medal in team competition for Canada also will be on the lanes at Gold Coast this week - Lauraine Fast of Calgary, Alberta; Jill Friis of Mount Brydges, Ontario; and Deborah Lee of White Rock, British Columbia.
Many of the players in the field at the Senior Queens also competed at the 31st Annual International Golden Ladies Classic from March 13-17 at The Orleans Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.
Regina Aboud of San Jose, California, won the senior division at the 2022 International Golden Ladies Classic, and Heidi Pagenkopf of Lynnwood, Washington, won her second title in the super senior division. Aboud and Pagenkopf will not be competing at the Senior Queens.
All competitors at the 2022 Senior Queens will bowl 15 games of qualifying over two days. The top 32 players, based on total pinfall, will advance to the double-elimination match-play bracket.
Naccarato would have been guaranteed a position in the bracket as the defending champion based on her qualifying total, but the spot now goes back to the field.
The bracket will feature three-game matches, with total pinfall determining who advances. The five players who make their way through the bracket will advance to the stepladder finals. The event features a true double-elimination format, so the No. 1 seed for the stepladder would have to lose twice in the championship match.
BowlTV.com will provide livestream coverage of each round of competition. The stepladder finals will take place Monday at 8 p.m. Eastern.