Kettering bowler caps a solid season at the PWBA Showdown
Some quality time with family — not to mention Mickey and Minnie — was just what Andrea Behr needed to prepare for the PWBA Regional Showdown.
It was the final event of the 2023 PWBA Regional Tour season. Eight of the competitors, including Behr, automatically qualified to match play as regular-season champions while 68 other competitors battled through qualifying to earn one of the additional eight match-play berths.
“To win my first regional tournament in March was incredible and competing in this event was surreal,” Behr said. “But I was definitely a little nervous.”
Luckily, the event was held in Winter Park, Florida,
about 30 minutes from Walt Disney World. So Behr’s tournament plans included a family trip to the Magic Kingdom — a first for both the 40-year-old bowler and her 6-year-old son.
“Spending time there with my family made me feel like a little kid and kind of relaxed me,” Behr said. “I was really enjoying the moment.”
And when Behr walked into Aloma Bowl, she was ready to put in the work. With 16 talented players and only four spots in the stepladder finals, every head-to-head match mattered.
“I kept focusing on one ball, one frame, one game,” she said.
A clutch 300 in the 15th game of match play boosted Behr above the cut line. The Kettering bowler was third after the position-round game with a record of 10-5-1.
Behr faced fourthseeded Ashley Galante in the first stepladder match of the day, falling just short, 229-214, and finishing fourth. While Kerry Smith, of Pennsylvania, was the event’s eventual champion, competing in the event was a win for Behr as well.
“It was very validating,” she said. “Winning my first regional wasn’t just luck. Being here a few months later and advancing to the stepladder was a very positive result.”
Behr was the only non-member to advance to the stepladder final.
“Some of these girls bowl in every tournament, so that can be a little intimidating,” she said. “But with each event, I gain a little more confidence.”
Behr competed in four PWBA events this year, making the stepladder cut twice. She won the PWBA Greater Detroit Regional at Thunderbowl Lanes in Michigan in March.