WESTON, Wis. – Tenpin bowler Abigail Ticknor of Millington placed ahead of more than half of the competitors in the U12 girls division of the United States Bowling Congress Junior Gold Championships last month. She placed 51st among 107 entries in the national tournament held July 14-19 at various bowling centers in northeast Wisconsin.
Ticknor and the others earned their spots via qualifier events throughout the country.
This was Ticknor’s first appearance on the national stage after qualifying for the tournament last September.
Junior Gold Nationals is comprised of four four-game qualifying rounds and subsequent advancer and final rounds on a different sport-shot oil pattern each round.
Sport-shot patterns force bowlers to make adjustments to how they usually bowl and each pattern plays differently. While the bowlers have an opportunity to practice on each of the four qualifying round patterns, the patterns are not revealed until after the conclusion of the tournament, making Junior Gold an especially challenging event.
While she did not advance beyond the qualifying rounds — only the top 16 bowlers from the qualifying rounds moved on — Ticknor finished her 16 qualifying rounds with a total score of 2,222 for an average of 138.88. That’s roughly a pin better than her league average from this past season.
What makes this all the more impressive is that league play is conducted on a more familiar and forgiving house-shot oil pattern.
The United States Bowling Congress’ scoring conversion chart indicates a 138 sport-shot average is roughly equivalent to a 155 house-shot average.
The highlight for Ticknor at Junior Gold Nationals came on July 16 when she opened her four-game qualifying round at Ashwaubenon Bowling Alley in Green Bay with two of the best games of her young career on any type of oil pattern.
She opened the evening with a five-strike, three-spare performance en route to a 177 game.
She topped that score in game two, opening with a turkey (three consecutive strikes) and again finishing with five strikes and three spares, this time putting a 190 on the board to equal her highest-ever game on a sport-shot pattern and to tie her fifth-highest score on any lane condition.
After bowling a 126 in game three, Ticknor finished the night strong with a 155 in the fourth and final game.
Her total score in the round was 648 (162 average), giving her by far her best-ever single-day sport-shot performance.
Ticknor began qualifying play with a 493 (142-111-113-125) four-game round at Ashwaubenon on July 14, putting her in 85th place.
She moved up to 61st the following day with a 555 (122-156-134-143) at Dale’s Weston Lanes in Weston.
Her performance at Ashwaubenon in round 3 moved her up to 49th.
And she settled into 51st place with a 528 (143-103-127-155) at Dale’s on July 17.
Ticknor is the first-ever bowler from Kent County to qualify for, and compete, at Junior Gold Nationals.
She bowls in the varsity division of the Doverama Dragons Youth League in Dover, Delaware.
Two of Ticknor’s league mates also competed in U12 girls at Junior Gold Nationals. Kayelle Belvin of Frederica, Delaware placed 37th in her second appearance at Nationals with a score of 2,318, while Ticknor’s league teammate Saige Boone of Smyrna, Delaware tied for 85th with a score of 1,977.
One Response
Go, Abby, go! You’re crushing this!