PBA Women's Series
Encyclopedia
The PBA Women's Series was a mini-tour for female professional bowlers. It was started in 2007 as a way to bring women's bowling back to television after the Professional Women's Bowling Association
(PWBA) disbanded in 2003. Sponsored by the United States Bowling Congress
(USBC) and its website bowl.com, it ran concurrently with several stops on the Professional Bowlers Association
's men's tour.
After the PWBA folded, female bowlers have had very few national venues in which to bowl, other than the USBC Queens
event. A few female bowlers, including Carolyn Dorin-Ballard
, Liz Johnson and Kelly Kulick
, began competing on the "men's" PBA Tour with limited success. The U.S. Women's Open
was resurrected by the USBC in 2007, and it also spawned the creation of the women's series. The trial series featured four events in the early weeks of the 2007-08 PBA season.
The 2007 winners were:
The series was expanded to eight events in each of the 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons, but was not continued into the 2010-11 season.
While the U.S. Women's Open itself required a $250 entry fee, those who wanted a chance to qualify for the PBA Women's Series had to pay an additional $750. Those who qualified were also required to become PBA members, if they were not already.
The results of the 2008-09 PBA Women's Series are as follows:
+Made field of 16 as an alternate.
Each event at the World Series of Bowling had the final round taped September 5–6 for ESPN broadcasts in October-December, 2009. This included the finals for the Women's PBA World Championship event, broadcast October 25, 2009 in conjunction with the finals of the Senior PBA World Championship.
The PBA Women's Series continued into 2010 with the Don
and Paula Carter Mixed Doubles event, the Earl Anthony
Memorial and the PBA Women's Series Showdown.
Scheduled TV finals air dates for the 2009-10 PBA Women's Series (with results) are as follows:
Professional Women's Bowling Association
The Professional Women's Bowling Association formed in 1960. After the organization struggled, a group of female professional bowlers left the PWBA to form the Ladies' Professional Bowlers Association in 1974. The two merged again in 1978, forming the Women's Professional Bowlers Association,...
(PWBA) disbanded in 2003. Sponsored by the United States Bowling Congress
United States Bowling Congress
The United States Bowling Congress is a sports membership organization dedicated to ten-pin bowling in the United States. It was formed in 2005 by a merger of the American Bowling Congress, Women's International Bowling Congress, Young American Bowling Alliance, and USA Bowling...
(USBC) and its website bowl.com, it ran concurrently with several stops on the Professional Bowlers Association
Professional Bowlers Association
The Professional Bowlers Association is the major sanctioning body for the sport of professional ten-pin bowling in the United States. Headquartered in Seattle, Washington, the PBA membership consists of almost 4,300 members worldwide...
's men's tour.
After the PWBA folded, female bowlers have had very few national venues in which to bowl, other than the USBC Queens
USBC Queens
The USBC Queens is an annual ten-pin bowling event for amateur and professional female bowlers, sanctioned by the United States Bowling Congress...
event. A few female bowlers, including Carolyn Dorin-Ballard
Carolyn Dorin-Ballard
Carolyn Dorin-Ballard is one of the top female ten-pin bowlers in the World. She was a member of the PWBA and has bowled in PBA Tournaments as well. She was an exempt competitor in the 2008-09 and 2009-10 PBA Women's Series seasons, which were sponsored by the United States Bowling Congress...
, Liz Johnson and Kelly Kulick
Kelly Kulick
Kelly Kulick is an American professional bowler from Union Township, New Jersey. She has won eight professional women's bowling titles and one PBA Tour title.-Bowling accomplishments:...
, began competing on the "men's" PBA Tour with limited success. The U.S. Women's Open
U.S. Women's Open (bowling)
The United States Women's Open, a.k.a. U.S. Women's Open, a.k.a. Women's U.S. Open, is an annual tournament for women, dedicated to ten-pin bowling in the United States. From its inception in 1949 until its cancellation in 2004 , the event was held every year except for 1953, 1997 and 2002...
was resurrected by the USBC in 2007, and it also spawned the creation of the women's series. The trial series featured four events in the early weeks of the 2007-08 PBA season.
The 2007 winners were:
- Carolyn Dorin-BallardCarolyn Dorin-BallardCarolyn Dorin-Ballard is one of the top female ten-pin bowlers in the World. She was a member of the PWBA and has bowled in PBA Tournaments as well. She was an exempt competitor in the 2008-09 and 2009-10 PBA Women's Series seasons, which were sponsored by the United States Bowling Congress...
- Motor City Classic - Shannon Pluhowsky - Etonic Championship
- Joy Esterson - Lake County Indiana Classic
- Diandra AsbatyDiandra AsbatyDiandra Hyman Asbaty is a bowler currently representing Team USA and is the current United States Amateur Champion. She is also an official youth bowling spokesperson for the United States Bowling Congress...
- Great Lakes Classic
The series was expanded to eight events in each of the 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons, but was not continued into the 2010-11 season.
2008-09 Women's Series
The PBA Women's Series continued in the 2008-09 season with seven events. The 2008-09 format was similar to that used in 2007-08, with two televised finalists advancing from a field of sixteen qualifiers in five of the events. One event featured a qualifying round of 32, with the top two advancing. The final televised event was a mixed doubles tournament, where 16 Women's Series bowlers were paired with 16 male PBA bowlers following separate qualifying rounds for each. The top five doubles teams competed in a "Baker style" stepladder final (male and female bowlers alternate frames during each game).2008-09 Women's Series Participants and Results
The four 2007 Women's Series winners were automatically entered into the qualifying field for each week of the 2008-09 series. Complimenting them were twelve entrants from the PBA Women's Series Trials that were held in conjunction with the U.S. Women's Open. The 2008 U.S. Women's Open took place July 31 - August 6 at Brunswick Zone XL Lanes in Romeoville, IL, where Kim Terrell-Kearney was crowned U.S. Women's Open champion. (Terrell-Kearney declined the opportunity to compete in the Women's Series.)While the U.S. Women's Open itself required a $250 entry fee, those who wanted a chance to qualify for the PBA Women's Series had to pay an additional $750. Those who qualified were also required to become PBA members, if they were not already.
The results of the 2008-09 PBA Women's Series are as follows:
- November 2, 2008 (Omaha, NE; Winner: Stefanie Nation)
- November 16, 2008 (Taylor, MI; Winner: Michelle FeldmanMichelle FeldmanMichelle Feldman is a right-handed female professional ten-pin bowler and former member of the now-defunct Professional Women's Bowling Association . She hails from Skaneateles, NY, and now resides in nearby Auburn, NY. In her career, she has won 14 professional titles: 12 on the PWBA Tour and...
) - November 30, 2008 (Vernon Hills, IL; Winner: Michelle Feldman)
- December 7, 2008 (Cheektowaga, NY; Winner: Carolyn Dorin-BallardCarolyn Dorin-BallardCarolyn Dorin-Ballard is one of the top female ten-pin bowlers in the World. She was a member of the PWBA and has bowled in PBA Tournaments as well. She was an exempt competitor in the 2008-09 and 2009-10 PBA Women's Series seasons, which were sponsored by the United States Bowling Congress...
) - December 14, 2008 (Baltimore, MD; Winner: Jodi Woessner)
- January 18, 2009 (Medford, OR; Winner: Wendy MacphersonWendy MacphersonWendy Macpherson is an American ten-pin bowler.Macpherson was born in Walnut Creek, California and currently lives in Henderson, Nevada. She won twenty titles with the Professional Women's Bowling Association between 1986 and 2003 and was a four-time Bowling Writers Association of America Female...
+) - February 1, 2009 (Reno, NV -- taped mixed doubles event contested January 4–6, pairing PBA Women's Series bowlers with male PBA professionals; Winners: Liz Johnson and Norm DukeNorm DukeNorm Duke is an American professional bowler currently on the Professional Bowlers Association Tour. He has bowled 58 perfect 300 games in PBA competition, including the 15th televised 300 game in PBA Tour history on January 5, 2003....
) - April 12, 2009 (Orlando, FL -- PBA Women's Series Showdown; special event featuring all five 2008-09 singles winners, plus Missy Bellinder; Winner: Carolyn Dorin-Ballard)
+Made field of 16 as an alternate.
2009-10 Women's Series
The 2009-10 PBA Women's Series Tour Trials were held in conjunction with the Women's U.S. Open, August 3–9 in Las Vegas, NV. The PBA announced that the fields for at least the first five 2009-10 PBA Women's Series events (all held August 15-September 4 at the PBA World Series of Bowling in Allen Park, MI) would increase from 16 to 20. Two additional spots were up for grabs at the women's Tour Trials, while the other two come from a Tour Qualifying Round (TQR) in each event.Each event at the World Series of Bowling had the final round taped September 5–6 for ESPN broadcasts in October-December, 2009. This included the finals for the Women's PBA World Championship event, broadcast October 25, 2009 in conjunction with the finals of the Senior PBA World Championship.
The PBA Women's Series continued into 2010 with the Don
Don Carter (bowler)
Don Carter was a right-handed American professional bowler. Learning the game while working a childhood job as a pinsetter, Carter went on to become one of the legends of ten-pin bowling and a founding member of the Professional Bowlers Association in 1958. He was 6-time bowler of the year...
and Paula Carter Mixed Doubles event, the Earl Anthony
Earl Anthony
Earl Roderick Anthony was a left-handed American professional bowler who amassed records of 41 titles and six bowler of the year awards on the Professional Bowlers Association Tour. His title count was amended to 43 in 2008, when the PBA chose to include ABC Masters titles earned by a PBA member...
Memorial and the PBA Women's Series Showdown.
Scheduled TV finals air dates for the 2009-10 PBA Women's Series (with results) are as follows:
- October 25: PBA Women's World Championship (Allen Park, MI); Winner: Kelly KulickKelly KulickKelly Kulick is an American professional bowler from Union Township, New Jersey. She has won eight professional women's bowling titles and one PBA Tour title.-Bowling accomplishments:...
- November 15: Viper Championship (Allen Park, MI); Winner: Liz Johnson
- November 22: Chameleon Championship (Allen Park, MI); Winner: Shannon Pluhowsky
- November 29: Scorpion Championship (Allen Park, MI); Winner: Shannon Pluhowsky
- December 6: Shark Championship (Allen Park, MI); Winner: Kelly Kulick
- January 17: Earl AnthonyEarl AnthonyEarl Roderick Anthony was a left-handed American professional bowler who amassed records of 41 titles and six bowler of the year awards on the Professional Bowlers Association Tour. His title count was amended to 43 in 2008, when the PBA chose to include ABC Masters titles earned by a PBA member...
Memorial (Dublin, CA); Winner: Stefanie Nation - February 21: DonDon Carter (bowler)Don Carter was a right-handed American professional bowler. Learning the game while working a childhood job as a pinsetter, Carter went on to become one of the legends of ten-pin bowling and a founding member of the Professional Bowlers Association in 1958. He was 6-time bowler of the year...
and Paula Carter Mixed Doubles Championship (Wheat Ridge, CO); Winners: Diandra AsbatyDiandra AsbatyDiandra Hyman Asbaty is a bowler currently representing Team USA and is the current United States Amateur Champion. She is also an official youth bowling spokesperson for the United States Bowling Congress...
and Brian VossBrian VossBrian Voss of Kennesaw, GA, is a professional ten-pin bowler and member of the Professional Bowlers Association since 1982. The right-hander currently owns 25 PBA titles... - April 18: PBA Women's Series Showdown (Arlington, TX); Winner: Michelle FeldmanMichelle FeldmanMichelle Feldman is a right-handed female professional ten-pin bowler and former member of the now-defunct Professional Women's Bowling Association . She hails from Skaneateles, NY, and now resides in nearby Auburn, NY. In her career, she has won 14 professional titles: 12 on the PWBA Tour and...