First-timers take lanes at 2013 WC
May 10, 2013
By Wishelle Banks
USBC Communications
RENO, Nev. - The members of Bear's Den of Mantorville, Minn., were ready to roll with the excitement of the specially-constructed 44-lane bowling venue inside the Reno-Sparks Convention Center being used for the 2013 United States Bowling Congress Women's Championships.
The team is part of a three-team group, and four Bear's Den members competed in the USBC Women's Championships for the first time. The group included six first-time bowlers. The event is in its 94th year and welcomes bowlers from all 50 states and several foreign countries each year.
For 28-year-old Geri Nelson, a social worker from Byron, Minn., walking into the Reno-Sparks Convention Center this week was everything she expected - and a great deal more. As she and her teammates moved from the squad room, down the "Memory Lanes" hallway and onto the lanes, Nelson found herself caught up in the moment.
"It's kind of like prom," Nelson said. "I was actually pretty stunned. I couldn't stop laughing, with all the people applauding and the music and all that. It was quite a to-do for all of us."
Nelson and her teammates didn't allow the stress of competition to lessen their excitement about bowling in such an expansive facility. For them, the focus is more on the camaraderie and being together at the Women's Championships in Reno.
"Our strategy, being that we're first-timers, was just to have fun," said Nelson, who bowls at Byron Lanes. "We weren't nervous. We're just here to have a good time. We don't really take it too seriously, so that helped calm us down. We did fairly well. My high score was a 150, which I'm happy with, because that's about 25 pins over my average."
Nelson's teammate, Sharon Narveson of Kasson, Minn., made her 18th Women's Championships appearance and rolled a high game of 185 in team Friday.
"I was pleased with what I did today," Narveson said. "The RSCC is a very nice place."
Narveson, 60, is a retired property assessor, who still enjoys working part-time in retail. She doesn't obsess over high-score strategies and uses her annual trip to the Women's Championships for a vacation, too.
"Once the first few frames are done, and the nerves are gone, then it's just to settle down and have a good time," Narveson said. "If I do well, I do well. If not, I'm not a high-pressure bowler."
Nelson, a right-hander who first rolled a bowling ball five years ago, echoed that sentiment.
"None of us are," Nelson said. "We really like to have fun together, and we actually even said before that there's no pressure on any of us. We're just out here to have a good time. If we do well, we're all happy for each other. If not, it's just another game."
The 2013 Women's Championships also was Nelson's first visit to The Biggest Little City in the World.
"It's a really cool town," she said. "We've had fun. Plans haven't been completed yet, but we've definitely had a really fun time out here, so we're hoping to make it back."
Narveson led the team with a 447 scratch series and was followed by Sammi Schultz (436), Nelson (415), Dawn Walker (368) and Sarah Billings (363).
Presenting sponsors for the 2013 USBC Women's Championships include Circus Circus Reno, Eldorado Hotel Casino Reno and Silver Legacy Resort Casino Reno.
USBC Communications
RENO, Nev. - The members of Bear's Den of Mantorville, Minn., were ready to roll with the excitement of the specially-constructed 44-lane bowling venue inside the Reno-Sparks Convention Center being used for the 2013 United States Bowling Congress Women's Championships. The team is part of a three-team group, and four Bear's Den members competed in the USBC Women's Championships for the first time. The group included six first-time bowlers. The event is in its 94th year and welcomes bowlers from all 50 states and several foreign countries each year.
For 28-year-old Geri Nelson, a social worker from Byron, Minn., walking into the Reno-Sparks Convention Center this week was everything she expected - and a great deal more. As she and her teammates moved from the squad room, down the "Memory Lanes" hallway and onto the lanes, Nelson found herself caught up in the moment.
"It's kind of like prom," Nelson said. "I was actually pretty stunned. I couldn't stop laughing, with all the people applauding and the music and all that. It was quite a to-do for all of us."
Nelson and her teammates didn't allow the stress of competition to lessen their excitement about bowling in such an expansive facility. For them, the focus is more on the camaraderie and being together at the Women's Championships in Reno.
"Our strategy, being that we're first-timers, was just to have fun," said Nelson, who bowls at Byron Lanes. "We weren't nervous. We're just here to have a good time. We don't really take it too seriously, so that helped calm us down. We did fairly well. My high score was a 150, which I'm happy with, because that's about 25 pins over my average."
Nelson's teammate, Sharon Narveson of Kasson, Minn., made her 18th Women's Championships appearance and rolled a high game of 185 in team Friday.
"I was pleased with what I did today," Narveson said. "The RSCC is a very nice place."
Narveson, 60, is a retired property assessor, who still enjoys working part-time in retail. She doesn't obsess over high-score strategies and uses her annual trip to the Women's Championships for a vacation, too.
"Once the first few frames are done, and the nerves are gone, then it's just to settle down and have a good time," Narveson said. "If I do well, I do well. If not, I'm not a high-pressure bowler."
Nelson, a right-hander who first rolled a bowling ball five years ago, echoed that sentiment.
"None of us are," Nelson said. "We really like to have fun together, and we actually even said before that there's no pressure on any of us. We're just out here to have a good time. If we do well, we're all happy for each other. If not, it's just another game."
The 2013 Women's Championships also was Nelson's first visit to The Biggest Little City in the World.
"It's a really cool town," she said. "We've had fun. Plans haven't been completed yet, but we've definitely had a really fun time out here, so we're hoping to make it back."
Narveson led the team with a 447 scratch series and was followed by Sammi Schultz (436), Nelson (415), Dawn Walker (368) and Sarah Billings (363).
Presenting sponsors for the 2013 USBC Women's Championships include Circus Circus Reno, Eldorado Hotel Casino Reno and Silver Legacy Resort Casino Reno.