By Wishelle Banks
USBC Communications 

RENO, Nev. - With thoughts of the recent Boston Marathon bombings still resonating in their minds and heavy on their hearts, the members of Boston Strong of Nashua, N.H., came to the United States Bowling Congress Women's Championships to bowl, distribute gifts and demonstrate the resilience that has come to define their community.

The tragedy that took place April 15 affected all of the team members, including the two who now live on the other side of the country, but still have ties to Boston. Participating in the world's largest participatory sporting event and reuniting definitely was something they were ready to embrace.

The team, which came together at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center this week, included Beth Carson, Joleen Tesconi, Raeann Rondeau, Brenda Russell and Corrin Mercurio.

"It is a good diversion," said Mercurio, who made her ninth USBC Women's Championships appearance. "It's nice to be able to relax, you know? Unfortunately, when it happened, all we did was watch the news. And most of the news, still - a good portion of it - is about that day. So sometimes, having a distraction is not a bad thing."

Getting back to normal, despite the fact that Boston faces a new normal, certainly is a component of the Boston Strong motto. Healing, lending a helping hand and resuming life's simple pleasures have become hallmarks of Boston culture.

The ladies adopted the phrase as their team name right before they made their Women's Championships appearance.

"When we came to the Women's Championships, we weren't sure what we were going to wear for shirts," said Russell, who made her seventh tournament appearance. "Our team name was Who's Buying. At the last minute, Corrin decided we should wear our Boston Strong shirts because we'd brought them along. At the last minute, we actually changed our team name to Boston Strong. It was a last-minute decision, and it was very fitting."

The team also brought gifts to share with fellow bowlers, which included Boston Strong wristbands. The displays of unity throughout the event made the group feel proud of their roots and appreciate the way people come together in the face of tragedy.

"There are times you take for granted where you live," said Mercurio, who bowls regularly at Brunswick Lowell Lanes in Lowell, Mass. "Then, something like this happens, and you realize, 'I live in a pretty damn good state, with amazing everyday people.' Your firefighters and police officers are heroes all the time. But there are people who just ran. They just did what they did. They ran to help people out. They finished running the marathon, or almost finished the marathon, and ran to give blood. These are everyday people."

The Boston Strong team set the tone for its bowling vacation by renting a house in Reno. It's their home base, where they're able to cook their own food, plan their day trips and simply enjoy the down time.

"We've gone to Lake Tahoe and done a lot of hanging out at the house, playing cards and just relaxing, something most of us don't have time for nowadays," Mercurio said.

Russell set the pace for Boston Strong at the 2013 Women's Championships with a 481 scratch series and was followed by Rondeau (475), Tesconi (461), Mercurio (428) and Carson (380) for a 2,225 scratch total. The Ruby Division team received an additional 100 pins of handicap per game to finish with a 2,525 total.

Ruby Team includes teams with combined averages of 750-899, with handicap being 100 percent of 900.

Presenting sponsors for the 2013 USBC Women's Championships include Circus Circus Reno, Eldorado Hotel Casino Reno and Silver Legacy Resort Casino Reno.