Ohio USBC WBA Senior Queens Tournament
(Association in parentheses)
1. Teri Plaso (Portage County)
2. Linda Kelly (Greater Dayton)
3. Cindy Short (Greater Hamilton)
4. Tracie Nedoma (Cleveland)
5. Sue Hartley (Greater Dayton)
6. Sue Aman (Massillon)
7. Laura Simmons (Lake-Geauga)
8. Fredrica Devine (Springfield)
Much has changed in the more than three decades since Linda Kelly posted her first Classic Division team title at the United States Bowing Congress Women’s Championships in 1982, but Kelly’s passion for the game has remained constant.
“If you really love the game, you do what you have to in order to maintain your ability to compete,” Kelly said. “Bowling is a huge part of our lives, it’s in our blood.”
The veteran bowler, whose accomplishments landed her in four halls of fame (national, state and local), continues to put in the time on the lanes and in the gym. And he efforts continue to net results.
Kelly closed 2015 with a second-place finish in the Ohio USBC Women’s Bowling Association Senior Queens Tournament. She led all bowlers after nine games of qualifying but Teri Plaso, of Streetsboro, came up big early in the championship match rattling off seven straight strikes in the prestigious senior tournament.
“She bowled a really good game,” Kelly said of Plaso. “She out-bowled me.”
It was Kelly’s first time competing in the event for women 50 and older although she met the age requirement more than a decade ago.
“It’s nice that they have things for us to bowl in even though we’re not in the spring chicken category anymore,” she said, smiling.
More recently, Kelly bowled alongside those “spring chickens” in the Ohio USBC Queens Tournament, tying for 13th with her daughter Megan in the two-day state event.
“It really was the cream of the crop as far as Ohio bowlers,” Kelly said.
But it isn’t the top finishes, high scores or even the occasional tiara that keep Kelly coming back to the lanes.
“I’m addicted to the game,” she said.
There was a time before Megan was born that Linda and her husband Bob bowled in six or seven leagues a season. Linda, in fact, bowled in two leagues on Monday nights alone. Now a grandmother, Kelly still bowls twice a week and competes in tournaments many weekends.
“Honestly, it’s something I always look forward to,” she said. “I can’t wait to get to the bowling alley.”
Next up, Kelly will be heading to Las Vegas for the National Golden Ladies Classic Feb. 29-March 3.
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