It was a fun weekend on the Prairies full of cheering, laughing, close wins, and closer losses. On June 21- 22 the five-player womens BC team from Castle Bowl made up of Dorothy Scott, Mae Perepolkin, Tina Fomenoff, Lisa Lesy and Lori Bakken competed in the National Classifieds tournament.
The ladies competed at the National Level against seven other provinces. Though the ultimate prize proved elusive there were some pretty impressive numbers.
Their first game of the two day, 14-game tournament, was won by a measly two points on BC’s total score. Two points would be a theme on this tournament as there was another game won by a deuce, and match lost by four points and many standing two pins! In fact Team BC lost third place by only two points, with the winning team from Quebec.
“For me to have the chance to go to Provincials and place first in BC was amazing,” said class-1 bowler Dorothy Scott who scored the most match points on the team with 8.5. “Then to bowl at national level and meet so many friendly people was amazing! Anyone can try out to have this fantastic experience!”
Tina Fomenoff echoed Scott’s sentiments. “It was an amazing time with every team cheering each other on,” said the Class 3 bowler.
Mae Perepolkin was excited to have shared the experience with an “amazing” team.
Lisa Lesy in class 4 had an All Star weekend.
Game 3 on day one was the highest single bowled by any 5-pin lady with a 341. And it didn’t stop there. Lisa averaged 223.14 through the weekend earning her the All Star award in her class, which is the person with highest average at the end of the tournament.
“I set out with the goal of going All Star this weekend,” said Lesy. “I couldn’t control what any other person or team could do, only myself. So I focused on each ball and took it one game at a time. Also our team couldn’t have done any of this with out our captain Lori Bakken who kept us going, kept us cheering, and kept us motivated. She was definitely our glue!”
Sakatoon native Bakken was happy to be home. She gathered family and friends to cheer the BC team on. A born coach and competitor, Lori scored six match points over the tournament.
“Although I was disappointed in my bowling, I couldn’t have asked to bowl with a better team,” the captain reflected. “Between my girls and all of the other bowlers, the experience was amazing!”
Ask any of the girls and they will tell you this is the best tournament 5-pin bowling has to offer. It doesn’t matter what average you have, or how long you have been bowling, there is a place for you on a team. The friendships and memories made this weekend will last a lifetime, and truly span across all of Canada. Now they are all going to enjoy a summer break before league starts up in September, and there are always spots open on teams any day of the week.