SYRACUSE, N.Y. - For bowling fans looking to get out of the cold and snow in Syracuse on Wednesday, the Oncenter Convention Center was the place to be as scores continued to heat up at the USBC Women's Championships.

Dede Davidson of Buellton, Calif., rolled the sixth 800 series in tournament history, USBC Hall of Famer Dana Miller-Mackie helped her team into the top spot in Scratch and Diamond Team and Jackie Mitskavich of Du Bois, Pa., tossed a 299 game.

Davidson had trouble with the handle on one of her bowling bags while checking in at the airport and ended up bringing two balls to Syracuse - one she can throw on any condition and a spare ball.

The gamble paid off for the 44-year-old left-hander who posted games of 279, 268 and 253 for 800 on the nose. She helped Batt Bowl of Jacksonville, Fla., to a 3,057 scratch score and 3,060 with handicap. Miller-Mackie's team leads both categories with 3,275.

"I was loose and relaxed and just having fun," said Davidson, a former star in the Professional Women's Bowling Association, who is the 1991 USBC Queens champion and owns the PWBA records for 8, 16, 24, 32, 40, 48 and 56 games. "Bowling isn't my job or my life anymore, so it's more of a social thing for me and a chance to come out and see everyone. The fact that I can still go out and shoot 800 is pretty darn good."

Miller-Mackie is in town looking to improve on her runner-up finish at the USBC Senior Queens and posted a 643 series to help Team EFX of Sun City, Calif., to games of 1,071, 1,063 and 1,141.

While the talented left-hander brings the experience to the team, Christina Kinney of Las Vegas provided the firepower with games of 236, 267 and 289 for a 792 set. She started her second game with eight consecutive strikes before leaving a 10 pin that ended up being her lone open frame of the day.

"I had a really good look today, and didn't really have to adjust much," Kinney said. "I missed the 10 pin in the second game, and at that point, I wasn't really thinking about 800. I was just focused on throwing good shots and helping my team, and it feels really good to be in the lead. We've been trying for this for a long time."

Miller-Mackie and Kinney were joined by Laurie Soto (663), Erin Lenahan (630) and Paula Vidad (547).

"There was a lot less pressure on us because the expectations for us weren't as high as some of the other teams," Vidad said. "We bowled well as a team and got really excited the last game when we started striking. We feel pretty good right now, but we know there's still a few strong teams bowling tonight. If we can survive that, we like our chances. Hopefully, we can hold on."

As Team EFX was quietly taking the lead, Team USA member Liz Johnson and her Bowlers Choice Pro Shop teammates were trying to defend the Scratch and Diamond Team titles they won at last year's event in El Paso, Texas.

They claimed the Scratch crown a year ago with a record score of 3,424, but came up short of that this time around, finishing with 3,192, which is third in Scratch Team and fourth in Diamond Team this year.

"Our team chemistry is great, and we bowl well together as a team," Johnson said. "Anytime you're the defending champions, people have their eyes on you, and you go out there trying to follow up last year's win with a solid performance. We did our best, and even though we didn't quite get there, we couldn't be happier."

Michelle Sterner led the way for the defending champions with 694 and was followed by Johnson (655), Susanne Nawojski (630), Nikki Lunsford (607) and Sue Jeziorski (606).

Mitskavich, also a former PWBA standout, was around the pocket all day, but things really came together in her final game of team, which she started with 11 consecutive strikes before a 10 pin ended her bid for the 13th perfect game in Women's Championships history.

"The team event is a slower pace than we're used to, so I just try to relax and fill frames," Mitskavich said. "I found something the third game and just wanted to repeat shots. Anytime you try to shoot 300, there's pressure, and that's magnified here. I took a deep breath and tried to throw a good shot. I hit the pocket, but it wasn't the best shot of the day, and I left a weak 10. I'll take 299 any day of the week, though, so I'm not disappointed at all."

The talented right-hander, who owns the second-highest series in USBC history (877), helped DuBois Lanes to a 3,044 total in Scratch and Diamond Team on Thursday.

The Diamond Division is made up of bowlers with averages of 180 and above, with handicap based off of 100 percent of 220.

Sponsors for the 2011 USBC Women's Championships sponsors include Turning Stone Resort and Casino, official brackets sponsor, Humana, official registration sponsor, Miller Lite and Molson Canadian, official beer sponsors. Supporting sponsors include Storm Bowling Products, Nationwide Insurance, The Oncenter, Syracuse Convention and Visitors Bureau, Caz Limo & Tours, Kegel, official lane maintenance provider, US Steltronic, official scoring system, and Brunswick, official lane provider.