Gohagan notches first win at age 67
She has long been a cheerleader. Now she is a champion.
Lynn Gohagan has cheered on friends and family — especially son George — for years, as they collected tournament title after tournament title. She carried a 200-plus average a few decades ago herself and posted some top10 team and doubles tournament finishes, but never a win.
Until now. Gohagan, who recently celebrated her 67th birthday, and teammate Anne Allen won The National Bowling Association (TNBA) senior women’s doubles title at Beaver-Vu Bowl in late November.
“Years ago, I was a scratch bowler but I was never one to win a whole bunch of tournaments,” Gohagan said. “I just enjoyed bowling.”
Gohagan, of Dayton, and Allen, who lives in Euclid, a Cleveland suburb, defied the odds as both women have pondered hanging up their bowling shoes because of illness or chronic conditions. Gohagan has long dealt with diabetes and is frequently hampered by the pain of arthritis. Allen, 64, had surgery in 2011 to remove a brain tumor. She was unable to walk or even speak for a time.
“I told her years ago, ‘If you ever get back to bowling, we’ve got to bowl doubles,’” Gohagan said. “We’re going to go in and show the young girls how it’s done.”They did just that with a 1,393 handicap score. Gohagan rolled 544 actual, while Allen finished with 582 as the duo posted an actual score of 1,126.
“On a 146 average, I was thrilled,” Gohagan said.
And it wasn’t just the scores or even the win that provided the biggest thrill. While Allen has several championships to her credit, this one was different.
“I’m glad that we were able to do this together,” Allen said. “It’s great to have a best friend. She’s the one person I have who I can always laugh with about anything. She is the big sister I never had.”
Laughter has frequently been the best medicine — that and some Advil.
“There are some days my knees just won’t let me do what I want to do,” Gohagan said. “But with the help of some Advil and Salonpas spray, I made it through.”
And what better way to celebrate a 40-year friendship than with a first-place finish.
“It is truly a blessing,” Gohagan said with a smile.