ITRC hosts first training camp for Team USA women
June 10, 2010
The Team USA women conducted their first training camp at the new International Training and Research Center this week, gaining knowledge that they hope will lead to even greater success in future international tournaments.
The 11-member team started the week-long camp on June 7 at the International Bowling Campus in Arlington, Texas.
Liz Johnson had previously competed at the ITRC, most recently making the televised portion of the U.S. Women’s Open last month. But this time around, it has been a completely different experience.
“This is such an amazing facility,” Johnson said. “I’ve learned so much about the technology part of the sport and everything here is state of the art. Anyone who has the opportunity to come work here should take advantage of it. The coaches are amazing.”
Johnson has been joined by her teammates Kelly Kulick, Shannon O’Keefe, Stefanie Nation, Shannon Pluhowsky, Carolyn Dorin-Ballard, Diandra Asbaty, Tennelle Milligan, Emily Maier, Brenda Edwards and Kendra Gaines. Johnson said the players relish the opportunity to train together along with Team USA head coach Rod Ross and assistant head coach Kim Terrell-Kearney.
“We are so fortunate to be a part of this and be able to work in this facility,” Johnson said. “We are all elite bowlers but even elite bowlers can get better. There are a lot of things I need to improve on and this makes you want to just keep working at it.”
Gaines was a member of Team USA from 1995-1998 until she left to become a professional bowler, but now being back in the mix is a different experience than it was more than a decade ago.
“This is the best player camp I’ve ever been to,” Gaines said. “The focus is more on working with your teammates instead of only on improving our games. That’s been a nice change, but we’ve also learned a lot about our individual games as well.”
Not all of the players’ time was spent training on the lanes. On Wednesday night, they made a special trip to the Ballpark in Arlington to attend the Texas Rangers-Seattle Mariners game, where they were interviewed on the live television broadcast on FOX Sports Net.
The baseball outing also was a chance to take a break from training.
“When you are on the lanes, it seems like everything is work and you have to be serious,” Kulick said. “But when we were at the ballpark, everybody kind of let their guard down and showed a different side. We all had a great time.”
Later this year, the Team USA women will compete in several events, including the Pan American Bowling Confederation Women’s Championships, which will be held Sept. 25-Oct. 2 in Las Vegas. Other events on the schedule include the QubicaAMF World Cup in Zagreb, Croatia, and the Lee Evans Tournament of the Americas in Orlando, Fla.
The 11-member team started the week-long camp on June 7 at the International Bowling Campus in Arlington, Texas.
Liz Johnson had previously competed at the ITRC, most recently making the televised portion of the U.S. Women’s Open last month. But this time around, it has been a completely different experience.
“This is such an amazing facility,” Johnson said. “I’ve learned so much about the technology part of the sport and everything here is state of the art. Anyone who has the opportunity to come work here should take advantage of it. The coaches are amazing.”
Johnson has been joined by her teammates Kelly Kulick, Shannon O’Keefe, Stefanie Nation, Shannon Pluhowsky, Carolyn Dorin-Ballard, Diandra Asbaty, Tennelle Milligan, Emily Maier, Brenda Edwards and Kendra Gaines. Johnson said the players relish the opportunity to train together along with Team USA head coach Rod Ross and assistant head coach Kim Terrell-Kearney.
“We are so fortunate to be a part of this and be able to work in this facility,” Johnson said. “We are all elite bowlers but even elite bowlers can get better. There are a lot of things I need to improve on and this makes you want to just keep working at it.”
Gaines was a member of Team USA from 1995-1998 until she left to become a professional bowler, but now being back in the mix is a different experience than it was more than a decade ago.
“This is the best player camp I’ve ever been to,” Gaines said. “The focus is more on working with your teammates instead of only on improving our games. That’s been a nice change, but we’ve also learned a lot about our individual games as well.”
Not all of the players’ time was spent training on the lanes. On Wednesday night, they made a special trip to the Ballpark in Arlington to attend the Texas Rangers-Seattle Mariners game, where they were interviewed on the live television broadcast on FOX Sports Net.
The baseball outing also was a chance to take a break from training.
“When you are on the lanes, it seems like everything is work and you have to be serious,” Kulick said. “But when we were at the ballpark, everybody kind of let their guard down and showed a different side. We all had a great time.”
Later this year, the Team USA women will compete in several events, including the Pan American Bowling Confederation Women’s Championships, which will be held Sept. 25-Oct. 2 in Las Vegas. Other events on the schedule include the QubicaAMF World Cup in Zagreb, Croatia, and the Lee Evans Tournament of the Americas in Orlando, Fla.