The now 51-year-old is three-for-three in senior tournaments after winning the senior women’s division of the Central Rhodman Classic at Super Bowl Lanes, in Michigan last Sunday. It was an unexpected win for Coleman after she sat out most of the 2020-21 bowling season.
“I started league in August but, by October or November, COVID was really going around so I made a personal choice to stop bowling,” she said. “My family was more important than bowling and I really wanted to spend the holidays with them, so I stopped bowling.”
It was the first time since Coleman was 5 years old that she wasn’t competing in a league. The Fairborn bowler subbed a few times, starting in April, but wasn’t overly optimistic about her chances heading into The National Bowling Association (TNBA) tournament in Michigan.
“To be honest, I did not put in the work and I was not sure what I was going get when I went out there,” she said.
Coleman credits muscle memory and a strong mental game for much of her success.
“I definitely missed some things I should not have missed, but my mental game was pretty strong and I was able to shake off mistakes and recover,” Coleman said. “I have enough confidence that I can figure it out if I’m struggling.”
Coleman, however, didn’t have many struggles as she was the third seed heading into match play. She topped fellow Dayton bowler Candace Shepard, 383-315, for two games, to advance to the championship match against top-seeded Michele Irwin, of Indianapolis. Coleman edged out Irwin, 211-199, for the win.
“It was a good win because this is definitely a quality tournament,” Coleman said.
Next up for Coleman will be the TNBA Reed-Hawthorne Singles Classic, in July, followed by the USBC Senior Championships in Las Vegas in August. She qualified for the national event with a first-place finish in the Ohio State USBC Open Seniors Championship in 2019. The 2020 state and national seniors’ events were canceled due to the pandemic.
“I have never been big on practice, I basically used league as practice,” she said. “But I want to sharpen up, so I know I need to get out there a few times a week. I know I have to put in the work.”
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