Tvaska adds to particpation record at WC
May 23, 2013
By Wishelle Banks
USBC Communications
RENO, Nev. - Mini Tvaska of St. Petersburg, Fla., is a living legend at the United States Bowling Congress Women's Championships, and her celebrity status earned her multiple appearances in her hometown headlines in the weeks leading up to her latest tournament appearance.
What the 95-year-old lacks in stature, she makes up in personality, regularly wowing onlookers and interviewers with her stories and success on the lanes, despite not being able to see the pins, since losing most of her sight to macular degeneration.
Tvaska again was the center of attention at the USBC Women's Championships this week as she extended her own participation record with her 67th consecutive appearance on the championships lanes. She took ownership of the record in 2008 when she competed for the 62nd time, and she is one of only four competitors in the 94-year history of the event to reach the 60-year mark.
Just before her team event at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center on Tuesday, Tvaska was surrounded by her fellow bowlers and Florida Sunshine Gals teammates as she was recognized in the squad room. She was delighted by the decorations, balloons, cupcakes and special attention, but never expected a standing ovation as they headed to the lanes for her history-making appearance.
On the lanes, Women's Championships Tournament Manager Eric Pierson presented Tvaska with a commemorative plaque and an embroidered jacket as cameras flashed and bowlers from several states applauded her achievement and dedication.
Sporting her trademark cap, eight-pound ball and animated style of play, Tvaska rolled games of 77, 90 and 100 for a 267 series. A solitary strike, in the sixth frame of Game 2, and a spare in her final frame of the day to get her to triple digits, highlighted her team event. She was accompanied to the Women's Championships by her niece and teammate, Nancy Nelson, and was excited as she spoke of her long career on the lanes.
"I'm pretty good," Tvaska said after her third game Tuesday. "I feel OK because it's still early in the day. Sometimes in the evening, I am tired, but it's still early. I'm amazed that I am, but I've got a lot to be thankful for, I guess. Even though I didn't bowl real well, I'm just glad that I could throw the ball down the lane."
Macular degeneration appears to be Tvaska's only significant affliction, though a month ago she hurt her back, trying to lift a 15-pound bowling ball. After a visit to the chiropractor, she was relieved that she'd be able to travel to compete in the 2013 Women's Championships.
She us just 4-feet-8-inches tall and resides at an assisted-living community with six friends. She is adamant about getting her exercise on the lanes.
"I gave up driving at 88," said Tvaska, who bowls in two leagues at St. Petersburg's Seminole Lanes. "I knew I couldn't see the signs, and figured I had to give it up. But I enjoy taking the buses. I see too much white - that's why everything was so bright for me here. But that was no excuse. I did feel all right, but I just kept throwing the ball in the same place, and kept missing the head pin. That was killing me, but I do that a lot. I was happy to get one 100 game, anyway. I strive for a hundred when I bowl."
While she can't recall how old she was the first time she rolled a bowling ball (in Dearborn, Mich.), Tvaska knows it was before she was a teenager.
"I just love bowling," said Tvaska, who made her first Women's Championships appearance at the 1947 event in Grand Rapids, Mich., and has followed the event to 48 cities in 28 states. "I remember bowling with stocking feet and just having a blast. I don't remember my scores, but I know that we went many times. Then, I started bowling in a league, a Lithuanian club our parents started, with the men on one side and the girls on the other. We didn't bowl together."
Tvaska has enjoyed many memorable moments on the lanes, and though her skills have diminished, her passion for the sport has not. Halfway through her 67th team event at the Women's Championships, and sharp as a tack, she let out a hearty laugh.
"I still go practice, and I bowl in two leagues," Tvaska said. "I still love to go, just with my girlfriends or with other people. We go out to lunch after bowling."
Along with bowling, Tvaska also is enjoying life.
"I'm still enjoying living," Tvaska said. "I don't have too much pain. I don't take many pills, and I don't go to doctors very much. I'm fortunate that way. I haven't been sick much in my life, and I've never had any operations. I was married 58 years, but I didn't have children."
Tvaska finished her milestone appearance at the Women's Championships with a 293 series in singles and 235 in doubles for a 795 all-events total, and she's already thinking about her return to Reno for the 2014 Women's Championships.
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. - Mini Tvaska of St. Petersburg, Fla., is a living legend at the United States Bowling Congress Women's Championships, and her celebrity status earned her multiple appearances in her hometown headlines in the weeks leading up to her latest tournament appearance.What the 95-year-old lacks in stature, she makes up in personality, regularly wowing onlookers and interviewers with her stories and success on the lanes, despite not being able to see the pins, since losing most of her sight to macular degeneration.
Tvaska again was the center of attention at the USBC Women's Championships this week as she extended her own participation record with her 67th consecutive appearance on the championships lanes. She took ownership of the record in 2008 when she competed for the 62nd time, and she is one of only four competitors in the 94-year history of the event to reach the 60-year mark.
Just before her team event at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center on Tuesday, Tvaska was surrounded by her fellow bowlers and Florida Sunshine Gals teammates as she was recognized in the squad room. She was delighted by the decorations, balloons, cupcakes and special attention, but never expected a standing ovation as they headed to the lanes for her history-making appearance.On the lanes, Women's Championships Tournament Manager Eric Pierson presented Tvaska with a commemorative plaque and an embroidered jacket as cameras flashed and bowlers from several states applauded her achievement and dedication.Sporting her trademark cap, eight-pound ball and animated style of play, Tvaska rolled games of 77, 90 and 100 for a 267 series. A solitary strike, in the sixth frame of Game 2, and a spare in her final frame of the day to get her to triple digits, highlighted her team event. She was accompanied to the Women's Championships by her niece and teammate, Nancy Nelson, and was excited as she spoke of her long career on the lanes.
"I'm pretty good," Tvaska said after her third game Tuesday. "I feel OK because it's still early in the day. Sometimes in the evening, I am tired, but it's still early. I'm amazed that I am, but I've got a lot to be thankful for, I guess. Even though I didn't bowl real well, I'm just glad that I could throw the ball down the lane."
Macular degeneration appears to be Tvaska's only significant affliction, though a month ago she hurt her back, trying to lift a 15-pound bowling ball. After a visit to the chiropractor, she was relieved that she'd be able to travel to compete in the 2013 Women's Championships.
She us just 4-feet-8-inches tall and resides at an assisted-living community with six friends. She is adamant about getting her exercise on the lanes."I gave up driving at 88," said Tvaska, who bowls in two leagues at St. Petersburg's Seminole Lanes. "I knew I couldn't see the signs, and figured I had to give it up. But I enjoy taking the buses. I see too much white - that's why everything was so bright for me here. But that was no excuse. I did feel all right, but I just kept throwing the ball in the same place, and kept missing the head pin. That was killing me, but I do that a lot. I was happy to get one 100 game, anyway. I strive for a hundred when I bowl."
While she can't recall how old she was the first time she rolled a bowling ball (in Dearborn, Mich.), Tvaska knows it was before she was a teenager.
"I just love bowling," said Tvaska, who made her first Women's Championships appearance at the 1947 event in Grand Rapids, Mich., and has followed the event to 48 cities in 28 states. "I remember bowling with stocking feet and just having a blast. I don't remember my scores, but I know that we went many times. Then, I started bowling in a league, a Lithuanian club our parents started, with the men on one side and the girls on the other. We didn't bowl together."
Tvaska has enjoyed many memorable moments on the lanes, and though her skills have diminished, her passion for the sport has not. Halfway through her 67th team event at the Women's Championships, and sharp as a tack, she let out a hearty laugh."I still go practice, and I bowl in two leagues," Tvaska said. "I still love to go, just with my girlfriends or with other people. We go out to lunch after bowling."
Along with bowling, Tvaska also is enjoying life.
"I'm still enjoying living," Tvaska said. "I don't have too much pain. I don't take many pills, and I don't go to doctors very much. I'm fortunate that way. I haven't been sick much in my life, and I've never had any operations. I was married 58 years, but I didn't have children."
Tvaska finished her milestone appearance at the Women's Championships with a 293 series in singles and 235 in doubles for a 795 all-events total, and she's already thinking about her return to Reno for the 2014 Women's Championships.
Presenting sponsors for the 2013 USBC Women's Championships include Circus Circus Reno, Eldorado Hotel Casino Reno and Silver Legacy Resort Casino Reno.