Five ladies from St. Albert bowled the game of their lives recently to earn the right to represent Alberta at the national classified five-pin championships.
The team of Crystal Feltan, Sherry Auger, Kim Orobko, Michelle Switner and captain Laurel Castor finished first at the recent national qualifier by eight points after trailing by 60 in sixth place going into the fifth and last game of the tournament.
“We were on a mission,” Castor said. “We were bowling good but not overly good so I just basically said to everybody, ‘OK, guys. This is the last game. We need to pull up our socks and show them who is boss.’ And you know what? That’s exactly what we did.”
Battling back from the 60-point deficit was a daunting task for the St. Albert team.
“Usually you see a lot bigger spread from first to six, but to see someone move from sixth spot into first when there were about eight teams all really close to each other was different,” Castor said.
The bowling alley in Calgary was flooded with tears after the team standings were announced.
“It was very emotional and a lot of excitement. For these ladies it’s their first time going to nationals,” said Castor.
She won gold at the 2009 nationals with the provincial championship team from St. Albert.
“It’s tough to get to nationals. It’s a big accomplishment. To do it again is quite the feeling.”
Nationals start May 26 in Winnipeg. In team play the Alberta reps will play 14 games. The format also includes match play for classes one to five. Points are awarded to determine the medal winners. Each bowler on the winning team also receives $1,000.
“The calibre at nationals is a lot more competitive obviously than provincials because they’re all there for one thing and that’s to bring home the title,” Castor said. “At the same time a lot of those ladies have never been to a national event, so everyone going there will feel the same way as the ladies on our team.”
This was the first year the five St. Albert bowlers played together on the same team in the provincial classified playoffs. They qualified through house rounds in five average classes to determine the top St. Albert bowlers in class one through five. Once the team was formed through a playoff, the St. Albert reps won zones for a berth at provincials.
“Classified is meant for everybody. It’s for the lower average bowlers too and that’s their chance to get to nationals,” Castor said.
Feltan, a mother of two who works in administration at Connect Logistics Services, throws strikes in the Friday co-ed league.
Auger, a grandmother who also bowls in the Friday co-ed league, is the owner of Timothy’s Coffee of the World in downtown Edmonton.
Orobko, a bowler in the Wednesday co-ed league, is a mother of two and an LPN who graduated from Paul Kane High School.
Switner, a Bellerose high school grad who works as a teacher’s assistant at the Elves Special Needs Society, plays in the Thursday co-ed league.
Castor, a Paul Kane alumna, is also a grandmother who competes in the Tuesday match play co-ed league.
The provincial champs were awarded medals, a banner for the wall of fame at the St. Albert Bowling Centre and $100 per bowler.
They have practices scheduled twice a week leading up to nationals.
“We’re going there to win it,” Castor said.
