Parker Capitalizes on Mistake to Win Bowling Title
Vicki Parker of Indiana State took advantage of an opponent’s error in the last frame of the Women’s National Intercollegiate bowling championships at New Kona Lanes in Costa Mesa Monday to win the all-around title.
Going into the final frame, Parker had thought she lost the title to Dolores Ellis of Texas Tech, who had rolled two consecutive strikes to raise her game score to 199, before a gutter ball proved to be the undoing for Ellis.
Parker won the all-around by four pins, 1,690 to 1,686 for Ellis over eight total games. So if Ellis had just four pins on her last frame--which would have put her over 200, earning 30 extra bonus points--Ellis would have won.
Instead, Ellis received no points on her last frame and with new life, Parker rolled a strike to give her a game total of 195 to Ellis’ 199 and accounting for the final total score.
More than the prestige of being the women’s national collegiate champion was on the line. Only the winner represents the United States in the AMF World Cup in Copenhagen, Denmark, in October.
“Once she got that double, I thought it might be over,” the 21-year-old senior said. “That was the last thing in the world I expected to happen (the gutter).”
Parker credited her success to her equipment: specifically, a change of bowling balls and putting on her glasses.
The women bowled in singles and doubles competitions and only the top eight combined scores qualified for the all-around final match play. Parker was eighth going into the final, having made the cut by only seven pins.
In the final, she changed from a 16-pound ball to a more familiar 15-pound ball that she has been using the last six years, and the older ball proved the charm.
“That’s my baby,” Parker said. “There’s such a difference in the two--the 16 has a lot more carry to it.”
She also put her glasses on at the beginning of the fourth game of the all-around, and promptly beat Ellis in their head-to-head game, 224-167, which also put Parker ahead in the cumulative score at that point.
“I usually start with my glasses on and then take them off,” Parker said. “But this time I played without them, but eventually my eyes got tired so I put them on.”
Parker has her sights set on a good showing at the World Cup. Informed that competition there was especially tough, she replied, “Well, I’m going to be tough, too.” Karen Coombs of Morehead State won the singles competition, rolling games of 210-225-226 for a 661 total, 58 pins ahead of Karyn Schusterman of Utah. Coombs and Julie Bishop of West Texas State combined for the doubles title with 1,183 in six games.