First try wins women’s handicap title

Better late than never. Just ask Becky Donaldson.

A bit of a bowling late bloomer, the 43-year-old Fairborn mother of two competed in her first city tournament this year. Donaldson actually did more than compete — she and teammates Tammy Kearby, D’Juan Malone and Crystal Wynn won the Greater Dayton United States Bowling Congress women’s handicap title with a 2,790 team score.

“I wish I would have done this sooner,” Donaldson said, smiling. “I was one of those people who always wanted to try, but never thought they had a chance.”

So when Donaldson got a last-minute call from Kearby about filling a vacancy on the four-person team, there was no hesitation.

“I jumped at the chance,” she said. “It was one more opportunity to get out and bowl.”

Donaldson loves to bowl, but work commitments as a surgical tech limit her league opportunities. And the sport is more than a solo passion, it’s a family affair as Donaldson’s husband, Cliff, and their children, Tori and Kyle, are all avid bowlers. Tori competed on the 2015 Fairborn High School girls state championship team and Kyle will bowl for the Skyhawks next year as a freshman.

Donaldson wasn’t the only first-time champion on the squad as both Kearby and Wynn also celebrated their first championship.

“It’s so exciting and I was very surprised,” Wynn said. Wynn’s surprise stemmed from the fact that the team posted its winning score during the first shift, on the first day, of the two-week tournament.

“I didn’t think it would hold up,” Wynn said. “Dayton has a lot of great women bowlers.”

It was also a pleasant surprise for team captain D’Juan Malone, who tried to keep track of scores via social media. “It looked like we were still leading when I checked, but I wasn’t sure until it was all over,” Malone said.

The women’s team championship was Malone’s seventh city title overall. She has also won singles, doubles and mixed titles.

While it was the first time the foursome bowled together, it likely won’t be the last.

“We had a good time together,” Wynn said. “We definitely want to try it again.”