QUEEN FOR A DAY


2012 Queens title at the International Training and Research Center in Arlington, Texas, on April 24. Qualifying third for the live EPSN telecast,


F


Asbaty opened with a solid 233-191 victory over Liz Johnson. She followed with a mes- sage-delivering 270-185 triumph over second- seeded Stefanie Nation, a match Asbaty closed out with nine consecutive strikes. In the title match, Asbaty overcame a


seventh-frame split by fi ring fi ve consecutive strikes to upend top seed Carolyn Dorin-Ballard, 244-227. Dorin- Ballard left the door open for As- baty’s big fi nish by failing to strike in the ninth and 10th frames. “I learned everything from


2007,” said Asbaty, who was the top seed for that tournament but


ONE AND DONE: Carolyn Dorin- Ballard was the top seed for the Queens finale, but came up just short in the championship.


suffered a 192-143 loss to Kelly Kulick in the title match. “That was my fi rst time on live TV. I wasn’t myself. I rushed. I missed spares. I was overwhelmed and didn’t handle my nerves properly. And it was all over in a minute. “In 2007 I tried to win. You


can’t do that. You have to focus on what you can control, which is your shot-making. This time I re- ally enjoyed every second of it.” Asbaty seemingly enjoyed


herself the entire week, fi nishing seventh after the fi rst 15 games of qualifying against the 131-player fi eld. In match play she averaged 223 in her fi rst three matches be- fore losing to Nation, 697-550.


16 USBOWLER MAY 2012


ive years after a disastrous debut on national television in the 2007 USBC Queens fi nale, a focused and relaxed Diandra Asbaty blitzed her way to the


TIARA TIME: Asbaty exorcised the demons of 2007 with Zen- like focus on national TV in the 2012 Queens finals.


With Dorin-Ballard and Na-


tion locked into the top seeds, Asbaty bowled 706 in a three- game bowl-off against John- son, Josie Earnest and defend- ing champion Missy Parkin to determine the fi nal three spots on the telecast. That score earned Asbaty the third seed, followed by Johnson and Ear- nest. In the fi rst televised match Johnson topped Earnest, 268- 223. Asbaty, of Chicago, credited


her remarkable 747 series on TV with a Zen-like focus that allowed her to eliminate distrac- tions and enjoy her moment.


“Once you get on TV you get into a deeper


focus,” she said. “I never thought about what the score was. I was just throwing shots. I re- ally had no idea I shot 270 or struck that many frames in a row. I was able to slow everything down and live in the moment. “Being able to enter that really deep focus


was crazy. I never thought about how I was acting. I was just reacting to everything. “After the fi rst ball in the 10th, when that


shot was for everything, my reaction shows that I couldn’t believe what I just did. It was amazing.” In addition to the symbolic Queens tiara,


Asbaty picked up $20,000 for her title. Dorin- Ballard earned $10,000 for second place.


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