“Dos Pueblos got after us a little bit,” Cabrillo coach DON CROSS shrugged Thursday. “They’re a quality team that outplayed us. We played great for a long time, but the interception before halftime hurt us. In the second half they still had momentum. Both second half touchdown drives started on our side of the field. My hat’s off to them.” Cross added that the Charger defense penetrated the Cabrillo backfield more than he would have liked.
Early in the game guard DAVID KULP went down with a knee injury which did not help the situation. Cross later found out that the senior will be lost for the season. “Déjà vu all over again,” he quipped ruefully thinking back to last year when a raft of injuries decimated his team.
On the positive side Cross saw linebacker MATT ROTONDI (pictured here) working overtime. Rotondi led the team in tackles racking up 15 while JAKE FARLEY and ZACH HOLMES noteched nine each to share second place.
In tomorrow night’s Los Padres League opener at Pioneer Valley Cross said his team will face a big, physical team that makes few mistakes. “I haven’t seen them making errors, not putting the ball on the ground or being penalized. They are large up front, 260-280. They run between the tackles behind those big boys. We’ll have to counter that with quickness. The key for us is to control that line surge.” Pioneer Valley is 2-1, Cabrillo 1-1.
MIKE NELSON will move over from tackle to take Kulp’s spot while KEVIN PFISTER will fill take over at tackle. The contest, the first of the Los Padres League season, will be broadcast on Comcast Channel 23 beginning at 7:30.
RYAN CHURCH SHOWS [AGAIN] WHY HE SHOULD BE PLAYING
In Washington D.C. tonight opposite the Phillies RYAN CHURCH got one of his now occasional opportunities to be in the starting lineup and he responded with two doubles in two trips to the plate. They were his 39th and 40th of the season. Just to keep you up on the stats Churchie boasts a .458 slugging percentage to go with his 40 doubles and 14 home runs. The other corner outfielder, the one who has played all season and continues to, the one named Austin Kearns, is slugging 53 points lower at .405. We ask once again, why is Kearns playing and Churchie sitting?!?
BELINDA THOMAS BOWLS WITH THE PRO'S
Here was DeDe Davison, winner of 17 Western Women's Bowling Championships. Over there was Kelly Kullick, winner of the U.S. Women's Open in 2003. And across the room were five more bowlers who toured the nation on the women's pro tour."
Watching them like a hawk was Lompoc’s own BELINDA THOMAS.
One of the more prestigious bowling events for women is the U.S. Women’s Open. It debuted in 1949 and continued as a premier event until the Women’s Professional Bowling Association (PWBA) disbanded in 2003. Now, it is back, stronger than ever under the direction of the United States Bowling Congress (USBC) and in partnership with the Professional Bowling Association (PBA). In August 128 of the nation’s finest women bowlers converged at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno to participate in the rejuvenated event. Seven of the players were former women touring professionals.
Belinda Thomas, co-owner of Ocean Lanes is a relatively newcomer to the sport having started to seriously bowl in 2005 when she arrived in Lompoc. She was introduced to bowling in 2004 and like so many novices, used a K-Mart bowling ball and bag for her first taste of the sport.
After purchasing Ocean Lanes she decided there was more to bowling than merely rolling a ball down 60 feet of wooden lanes. Accordingly, she got some decent equipment, talked with people who knew and understood the sport, and finished her first year with a fairly decent 149 average. She continued her education, learning about various lane conditions, the reaction of bowling ball surfaces with wooden and synthetic lanes, and with the multiple variations of lane conditioning and its affect on scoring. She also devoted the hundreds and hundreds of hours of practice required of someone wanting to improve her game. She remained focused and finished the second year with a respectable 176 average. “Not bad,” she said, “but not good enough.” She continued her training and is now seeking a full time coach. Her average for year three is currently 186.
Her ambition is to become a professional bowler. She wants to share the lanes with the likes of Kullick, Davidson, and other former pro’s like Carolyn Dorin Ballard, and Kim Terrell but on an equal basis, comrade to comrade.
Belinda’s adventure to the U.S. Women’s Open was a thrilling experience, hobnobbing with the pros, with other players having years and years of experience in the professional ranks, and with those, like her, just starting out. She was nervous, of course, but surprisingly, not intimidated. She found the pros to be a lot fun and was able to relax with them prior to competition. Once the pros laced up their bowling shoes, however, and stepped on the approaches, it was altogether a different ball game. On came their game face and it was off to the races for position standing and money.
Although Belinda did not finish as high in the standings as she wanted to, the experience was worthwhile. It affirmed her determination to become a professional bowler in the near future. Belinda will watch the finals of the U.S. Open televised on ESPN the second Sunday of October but with the mindset that says, “I want to be watched, and I will someday soon.” Belinda wants to thank all of her sponsors for without their support, she would not have been able to bowl in this event. She will always cherish those who made her adventure possible.
She is committed to making next year’s Women’s Open an even bigger adventure. -- By KARL CORSER
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