Maryland bowler overcomes injury, takes lead at Women's Championships
July 01, 2017
By Scott Simon and Aaron Smith
USBC Communications
BATON ROUGE, La. - The road to recovery may have been a long one for Alandra McDougald of Gwynn Oak, Maryland, who was injured in a grease fire in 2016, but she persevered and was able to make her United States Bowling Congress Women's Championships debut this week at the Raising Cane's River Center.
The 23-year-old right-hander made the most of her time on the lanes, finding the right look during her final three games on the way to the lead in Emerald Singles with a 625 series. Janet Clark of Albuquerque, New Mexico, previously held the lead with 623.
McDougald rolled games of 212, 170 and 243 to edge past Clark, which included four consecutive strikes down the homestretch. She sealed the lead on the second shot of her final frame, knocking down seven pins.
A grease fire on Mother's Day in 2016 resulted in second- and third-degree burns for McDougald, which included her right hand.
She had to wait several months before being able to pick up a bowling ball.
"I bowl with a 16-pound ball, but when I came back, I wasn't strong enough, so I had to drop down to a 13-pound ball," said McDougald, who bowls regularly at Baltimore's AMF Woodlawn Bowling Center. "It was really weird to me because it felt so much lighter, but I worked and worked to build the strength in my hand."
Taking the lead in her first USBC Women's Championships proved to be a special moment for McDougald, as she was joined at the River Center by her mother, Glynda McDougald.
"I bowl leagues in the fall, and she puts me into local tournaments in the summer," said McDougald, who added sets of 511 in doubles and 440 in team for a 1,576 all-events total. "So I do my best to make her proud."
Emerald Singles includes bowlers with entering averages of 160-174.
Visit us on Facebook at the official USBC Women's Championships page.
USBC Communications
BATON ROUGE, La. - The road to recovery may have been a long one for Alandra McDougald of Gwynn Oak, Maryland, who was injured in a grease fire in 2016, but she persevered and was able to make her United States Bowling Congress Women's Championships debut this week at the Raising Cane's River Center.
The 23-year-old right-hander made the most of her time on the lanes, finding the right look during her final three games on the way to the lead in Emerald Singles with a 625 series. Janet Clark of Albuquerque, New Mexico, previously held the lead with 623.
McDougald rolled games of 212, 170 and 243 to edge past Clark, which included four consecutive strikes down the homestretch. She sealed the lead on the second shot of her final frame, knocking down seven pins.
A grease fire on Mother's Day in 2016 resulted in second- and third-degree burns for McDougald, which included her right hand.
She had to wait several months before being able to pick up a bowling ball.
"I bowl with a 16-pound ball, but when I came back, I wasn't strong enough, so I had to drop down to a 13-pound ball," said McDougald, who bowls regularly at Baltimore's AMF Woodlawn Bowling Center. "It was really weird to me because it felt so much lighter, but I worked and worked to build the strength in my hand."
Taking the lead in her first USBC Women's Championships proved to be a special moment for McDougald, as she was joined at the River Center by her mother, Glynda McDougald.
"I bowl leagues in the fall, and she puts me into local tournaments in the summer," said McDougald, who added sets of 511 in doubles and 440 in team for a 1,576 all-events total. "So I do my best to make her proud."
Emerald Singles includes bowlers with entering averages of 160-174.
Visit us on Facebook at the official USBC Women's Championships page.