Update

that was the one that got me into this tournament.” The Showdown also fea-

YOUTH SERVED: USBC Youth bowlers (with Women’s Series Showdown champ Michelle Feldman) are randomly selected to partici- pate in the PBA/United States Bowling Congress Insiders’ Tour. They get to meet their favorite pro players, get a behind-the-scenes look at a PBA event and get special VIP seats for the televised finals.

DARK HORSE FELDMAN WINS WOMEN’S SHOWDOWN She really wasn’t even sup- posed to be there, but that didn’t stop Michelle Feldman from claiming victory at the PBA Women’s Series Showdown presented by BOWL.com on April 8. The special event was

conceived to pit the champi- ons of the six PBA Women’s Series singles events against each other to come up with an ultimate champion. But when both Kelly

Kulick and Shannon Pluhowsky nabbed two titles each, second-place com- petitors were tabbed for the Showdown. In Feldman’s case, she earned a spot in the Showdown from a fourth- place finish in the Scorpion event because first-through- third finishers – Pluhowsky, Liz Johnson and Kulick – had already qualified for the Showdown. “I didn’t bowl very good

in the PBA Women’s Series this year,” Feldman con- fessed. “I just didn’t click. I

36 USBOWLER SUMMER 2010

MICHELLE SHOCKS: Click on the box above to watch special video coverage of Michelle Feldman’s victory at the PBA Women’s Series Showdown, presented by BOWL.com.

didn’t make a show or win a title, but I guess I picked the right week to bowl well, and

tured the innovative Petraglia Scoring System, which also worked for Feldman. The Petraglia system awards one point for each ball thrown to complete a frame, with the lowest score winning. A per- fect game is a 10 — 10 strikes in 10 frames. By converting 10-pin spares in the fifth and sixth frames, and strik- ing on her other eight shots, Feldman posted a score of 12 compared to Pluhowsky’s 16 and Stefanie Nation’s 20. Feldman got into the title

match by winning a one-ball roll-off against Nation in the first round after they tied at 14. Feldman, who converted the 3-4-6-7 split in the 10th

frame to earn the tie, struck to win the roll-off while Nation scored a six. In the title match,

Feldman faced Pluhowsky as well as Nation again, who earned her way to the finals through a wild-card match. Feldman claimed the $25,000 prize by nearly posting a per- fect game, leaving the 10-pin just twice. “I knew Stefanie had

an okay shot and I knew Shannon really had a good look. She almost had a per- fect game in the first round. I figured Shannon would be the harder person to beat,” said Feldman. “We were pret- ty close the whole game, until she split in the 10th. That kind of made it so all I had to do was get a spare to win.”