Bowling extraordinaire

In 2000, Tennelle Milligan won more than $100,000 during her first year on the women’s pro bowling tour. Her first major came in Phoenix, Ariz, where she won the U.S. Open. Her career highlights also include a team gold medal at the 1999 Pan Am Games. She won six western women’s professional bowler titles. She has bowled 25 perfect games.

When it’s time to bowl, Tennelle Milligan doesn’t smile. She doesn’t fraternize with people. She only concentrates on the ball, lane and pins.

That’s why some call her, “The Intimidator.”

But when the gold medal was secured last week at the Pan American Games in Brazil, Milligan toned it down. She was actually smiling. And she had good reason to grin.

Strike after strike, the crowd at the alley in Rio de Janeiro cheered on Milligan as the Costa Mesa resident hunted down a 300 game for Team USA.

On her final ball, she needed one more strike to attain what would have been her 26th perfect game. But after the ball rolled through the lane, amid an anxious buzz from a crowd that had rarely seen a woman bowl like this, the 10 pin stood while the others fell.

No perfect game for Milligan.

But, surprisingly, no disappointment, either.

“I wasn’t upset,” she said. “I was just enjoying the moment … I wasn’t disappointed for me, but I was disappointed for the fans who were watching. I guess a 300 is something that doesn’t happen too often over there, especially for a woman.”

About the only thing that bothered Milligan was that she would have tied her husband, Jason, for most 300 games between the two.

But even that didn’t bring down her spirits. How could it? There has been plenty of success from a bowling ball for Milligan, 30.

More feats came last week when she won two gold medals in Brazil. They could go next to the award she got for winning the U.S. Open, the first major she won during her first year on the women’s pro tour back in 2000.

“You have high expectations because you want to do so well,” she said. “But you never dream of winning a major as your first title. It’s all one big blur, really. Even to this day, it’s like, whoa, I won that?”

During 2000, Milligan made over $100,000. She also won the Touring Players Championship in 2000.

But three years later, the women’s pro tour had to fold because of lack of funding and few sponsors. That was definitely a time to feel down.

“I was very disappointed, very sad,” Milligan said. “That was my job. There were a lot of young girls who were there and that’s all they had. I was fortunate to have a part-time job.”

Milligan has also been fortunate to have a husband like Jimmy, she said. He has been very supportive throughout her career.

They met at a bowling alley in Orange in 1993. He also bowls. He plays on the western region for the PBA.

When he’s not bowling, he’s mostly working as a contracts manager for office systems in Costa Mesa. Together they also work the pro shop and embroidery business out of Fountain Bowl in Fountain Valley.

Yes, bowling has always been a big part of Milligan’s life.

To think she started bowling when she was 3.

“I was a bowling-alley brat,” Milligan said. “Every night after my parents were there playing, I would still be playing. That’s how it got started.”

Milligan, the youngest of three children, used to watch her parents and her older brother and sister compete in leagues. Soon, she would compete in leagues, as well.

Today, she still does. With her coach, Mark Baker, they are in first place in a mixed doubles league at Fountain Bowl.

Think that’s enough bowling?

Milligan also leads clinics once a week, passing down the fine techniques she uses while winning gold for the U.S.A.

That’s what she’ll be trying to do at the Women’s World Championships Sept. 1-8 in Monterrey, Mexico. Before that, Milligan will compete in the U.S. Women’s Open Aug. 13-18 in Reno, Nev.

While she’s competing, she’ll be concentrating on finding that streak when she’s bowling strike after strike on her way to a perfect game.

Like a hot shooter in basketball, she loves being in the zone.

“You’re not even really thinking; it’s just something that happens,” she said. “You feel nothing. You feel so numb. You just go. When something goes that well for you, you don’t have to really think about it, it just happens. It’s effortless.”

STEVE VIRGEN may be reached at (714) 966-4616 or at steve.virgen@latimes.com.