It was something new but it certainly didn’t make Kathy Gifford blue.
Gifford, using a new bowling ball and a new technique, dominated the United States Bowling Congress Washington State Women’s Bowling Tournament, winning two titles.
Gifford competed for the Island Girls in the tournament, which covered six weekends in April and May at Kenmore Lanes.
In all, 30 women from Whidbey Island (along with a few Skagit Valley friends) took part in the tournament. The Island Girls competed as 14 teams, 15 doubles and 30 singles.
“This is the 15th year I have organized our group of Island Girls for the state bowling tournament,” Rosemary Kunow said. “We started with 10 in 2003. We’ve bowled in Coeur d’alene, Tri-Cities, Kelso, Seattle and many others.”
Gifford, competing in the state tournament for the first time, won both the singles and all-events championships (combined points from singles, doubles and team action) in the B division. All competitions were handicapped.
“I had struggled to get to 120 for years and was frustrated that I couldn’t bowl any better,” Gifford said. “I have always thrown a traditional house ball and thrown a straight ball. My husband Elton decided it was time for me to get a new fingertip ball and learn to throw a curve ball.”
After getting a “perfectly” drilled ball from the Blakeslee Bowling Service in Mount Vernon, and after only two weeks of practice before the state tournament, Gifford was rolling 135-150 consistently.
“I call it ‘Wonder Ball,’” she said.
Winning at state was “very exciting and totally unexpected,” Gifford said. “I never win anything. I guess I can’t say than anymore.”
In a field of 374 in the singles division, Gifford tallied 849 points, 56 better than the second-place finisher, Island Girls teammate Clarissa West.
How dominant was that win? Thirteen bowlers were within 56 points of West.
Gifford totaled 2,282 points while winning the all-events title over 403 others, 50 points ahead of runner-up Susan Bloomquist of Monroe.
Gifford and Sally Sligh took 72nd out of 202 in the doubles division; and Gifford, Sligh, Mary Fran Wendling and Coral Decker finished 16th out of 110 in the team race.
Gifford wasn’t the only Island Girl to finish among the leaders.
In B division singles, Dianna Struthers placed fifth behind Gifford and West. Laura Meders took 24th, Wendling 39th and Sligh 48th.
Annette Zimmer and Jerry Crabtree placed 13th in doubles.
In the team competition, Island Girls 2 (Kunow, Joanne Skaar, Lorri Martin and Debbie Carrothers) was 10th.
Struthers placed 27th in the all-events standings, while Crabtree finished 29th and West 30th.
Kathy Gifford (submitted photo)
