USBC Senior Queens begins Saturday in Reno
June 23, 2014
RENO, Nev. - United States Bowling Congress Hall of Famer Lucy Sandelin of Tampa, Fla., is ready to put her USBC Senior Queens title on the line this week at the National Bowling Stadium.
The 15th annual Senior Queens, which is presented by Storm, will feature more than 50 of the top senior women bowlers in the country. The 2014 edition of the tournament kicks off Saturday and will take place alongside the USBC Queens at the 78-lane NBS.
Sandelin, who also won the 2007 Senior Queens, worked her way up the stepladder to capture the 2013 title at the International Training and Research Center in Arlington, Texas. She cruised to a 279-224 victory over fellow hall of famer Tish Johnson of Colorado Springs, Colo.
Sandelin joined fellow USBC Hall of Famers Sandra Postma (three) and Shirley Levens (two) as the only competitors with multiple Senior Queens titles.
"Winning once was awesome," said Sandelin, a 10-time member of Team USA who became the first woman from the United States to win the QubicaAMF World Cup (1976). "Winning twice was unbelievable. With all of the great players coming up, it would be an honor to win again."
As the defending champion, Sandelin automatically will have a spot in the three-game double-elimination portion of the event. However, she will bowl qualifying to try and improve her seeding in the bracket. If she finishes outside of the top 16 in qualifying, she will earn the No. 16 spot in the bracket.
All players will bowl 15 games of qualifying over three days to determine the 15 bowlers who will join Sandelin in match play. The player who survives the bracket to win the event will take home $3,500 of the $21,000 prize fund, which includes a $5,000 contribution by presenting sponsor Storm.
"In 2008, I decided I was going to save my arm," Sandelin said. "I thought I could figure it out in practice, and it didn't work so well, so I'm definitely not going to take it lightly this year. I can experiment a little bit, but I also don't want to lose my spot for the Triple Crown. I've been practicing every day, and I'm ready for Reno."
The stepladder finals of the Senior Queens will be broadcast live on BowlTV on Thursday, July 3 at 1 p.m. EDT.
The Senior Queens marks the second stop of the Senior Women's Triple Crown Series presented by The Orleans. The Triple Crown Series is a special competition for bowlers who compete in the Senior Queens, National Golden Ladies and Bowling's U.S. Senior Women's Open.
The top 10 players in the Triple Crown standings, which combines qualifying totals from all three events, will take part in the Triple Crown Shoot-Out presented by The Orleans.
The Triple Crown Shoot-Out will be held after the U.S. Senior Women's Open qualifying rounds July 24 at The Cherry Bowl in Rockford, Ill.
The 15th annual Senior Queens, which is presented by Storm, will feature more than 50 of the top senior women bowlers in the country. The 2014 edition of the tournament kicks off Saturday and will take place alongside the USBC Queens at the 78-lane NBS.
Sandelin, who also won the 2007 Senior Queens, worked her way up the stepladder to capture the 2013 title at the International Training and Research Center in Arlington, Texas. She cruised to a 279-224 victory over fellow hall of famer Tish Johnson of Colorado Springs, Colo.
Sandelin joined fellow USBC Hall of Famers Sandra Postma (three) and Shirley Levens (two) as the only competitors with multiple Senior Queens titles.
"Winning once was awesome," said Sandelin, a 10-time member of Team USA who became the first woman from the United States to win the QubicaAMF World Cup (1976). "Winning twice was unbelievable. With all of the great players coming up, it would be an honor to win again."
As the defending champion, Sandelin automatically will have a spot in the three-game double-elimination portion of the event. However, she will bowl qualifying to try and improve her seeding in the bracket. If she finishes outside of the top 16 in qualifying, she will earn the No. 16 spot in the bracket.
All players will bowl 15 games of qualifying over three days to determine the 15 bowlers who will join Sandelin in match play. The player who survives the bracket to win the event will take home $3,500 of the $21,000 prize fund, which includes a $5,000 contribution by presenting sponsor Storm.
"In 2008, I decided I was going to save my arm," Sandelin said. "I thought I could figure it out in practice, and it didn't work so well, so I'm definitely not going to take it lightly this year. I can experiment a little bit, but I also don't want to lose my spot for the Triple Crown. I've been practicing every day, and I'm ready for Reno."
The stepladder finals of the Senior Queens will be broadcast live on BowlTV on Thursday, July 3 at 1 p.m. EDT.
The Senior Queens marks the second stop of the Senior Women's Triple Crown Series presented by The Orleans. The Triple Crown Series is a special competition for bowlers who compete in the Senior Queens, National Golden Ladies and Bowling's U.S. Senior Women's Open.
The top 10 players in the Triple Crown standings, which combines qualifying totals from all three events, will take part in the Triple Crown Shoot-Out presented by The Orleans.
The Triple Crown Shoot-Out will be held after the U.S. Senior Women's Open qualifying rounds July 24 at The Cherry Bowl in Rockford, Ill.