Former Dayton bowler crowned Queens champ
A half dozen former champions were in the mix and many of the top women bowlers in the state were vying for the Queens title, and that suited Trisha Reid just fine.
“When you go into this tournament, you know you have to be on your game,” Reid said. “I knew I’d have to bowl my best, pick up my spares and, hopefully, come out on top.”
That’s exactly what she did. The former Greater Dayton United States Bowling Congress member — who now lives in Columbus — topped the elite field of 88 to win the coveted Ohio USBC Women’s Bowling Association Queens Tournament title Sunday. The annual event, held this year at Hall of Fame Lanes in Canton, is only open to women with an average of 170 or higher.
“Ohio has some of the best women bowlers around, so it’s a huge accomplishment for me,” Reid said.
Reid, 32, made it look easy on Day 1, leading after the first two qualifying rounds. But match play, on Sunday, proved more challenging as Amber Sells, of Zanesville, bumped her into the loser’s bracket.
But Reid found redemption as she qualified for the stepladder finals and got a second chance at Sells. This time, Reid had the advantage, 255-237, advancing to the title match.
Reid beat three-time Queens champion Teri Haefke 216-176, but once wouldn’t be enough. She had to top her twice with the double-elimination format as Haefke came through the winner’s bracket without a loss. “That’s very tough to
do because Teri is such a great bowler,” Reid said. “So, that was probably the most stressful part of the tournament.”
But Reid, whose best previous Queens finish was third place, managed to edge Haefke for the second time in as many games, 247-229, to earn the crown — in this case, a tiara.
“I knew if I stayed as evenkeeled as I could, I had a chance, so that’s what I tried to do,” she said.
Tourney roundup: Day-
ton’s Mandy Wilson has competed in 31 of the 32 annual Ohio Queens tournaments, including this year’s.
Three bowlers posted perfect games as Melissa Van Dyke (Cleveland), Amber Sells (Zanesville), and Erin Jackson (Portage County) all rolled 300 games. Van Dyke also tallied the only two 800 series of the tournament — an 815 and 821.