Earning Her Stripes - bowler Tennelle Grijalva

Bowling Digest, Dec, 2000 by Lyle Zikes

She doesn't carry quite the same clout as sports' hottest commodity, but 23-year old Tennelle Grijalva is something of a tiger in her own right

SEE IF YOU can identify, the following athlete:

While growing up in Southern California, this player became acquainted with the game as a toddler. Though the child's parents were not pros, they enjoyed the sport themselves, which furthered the attention and encouragement they gave to their youngster--who, from a very early age, displayed a gift for the activity.

The child got into organized play by the age of six, joining and competing against kids much older. Ultimately, after the junior world had been all but conquered, the youth jumped to adult competition and was soon recognized as one of the best amateurs in the nation. Playing with the U.S. national team resulted in a wealth of competitive international experience, the accumulation of many medals, and further acclaim.

Next stop: the pro tour. The player made an instant splash, winning a regional pro event right away and, six months later, recording a victory in one of the major tournaments of the sport.

Sound like a Tiger Woods resume? The parallels seem close, but the athlete described above isn't a goiter, isn't male, and certainly isn't nearly as famous and wealthy as America's presently most successful and commercially recognizable sports icon. She's 23-year-old bowler Tennelle Grijalva of Orange, Calif., the winner of the 2000 Women's U.S. Open.

Spurred by her U.S. Open title and two other championship-round appearances, Grijalva stood fifth on the PWBA money list going into the fall tour, with more than $50,000 in tournament earnings, plus some $14,000 more ill recognized incentive money. At the beginning of the season, the PWBA's rookie of the year race was expected to be a cakewalk for Australia's Cara Honeychurch; instead, with the major tournament victory on her record, that honor now tilts in Grijalva's favor. Speaking from her home, "about five minutes from Disneyland," Grijalva provided details of her U.S. Open victory and the essentially uninterrupted career progression that has taken her to the pinnacle of her sport.

BOWLING DIGEST: Let's start at the beginning. When did you begin bowling?

TENNELLE GRIJALVA: When I was three years old.

BD: Sounds like there may have been some parental influence there.

TG: My parents bowled. They were just recreational league bowlers, but I would go with them to their league. When they were done, the front desk would turn on one lane and I would bowl on it. My mom said I could join a league when I could throw the bali with one hand, so every chance I got I was out there trying to swing the ball with one hand.

BD: Did you have special coaching at that age?

TG: Not really through my early years. As I got older and began to take the game more seriously, I had coaches like Barry Asher. Now I work for him part time when I'm home, in his embroidery business.

BD: Apparently you weren't a slow learner. Give us an idea of what you were averaging as a youngster.

TG: When I turned 12, I started bowling on the Junior Olympic tour for competitive junior bowlers in the Southland. I was averaging about 175. As time went on I started bowling with the Greater L.A. Junior All-Stars, and at about that point I was probably averaging about 185.

BD: When did you enter adult competition?

TG: Right before I turned 19. We have the Western Women's Association, and I started bowling in that. In 1996, I went to the National Amateur Championship; I didn't make the team, but I finished 10th. That allowed me to be selected for the American Zone Youth FIQ [Federation Internationale des Quilleurs], which took place in Orlando. Plus, two bowlers under the age of 22 were selected along with me for the Tournament of the Americas.

BD: You seem a little modest, but go ahead and break down all the medals you collected.

TG: At the Tournament of the Americas, I got a gold in doubles, a gold in all-events, a silver in singles, a gold in team, and a gold in national all-events, which is the cumulative scores of all the players from each country.

BD: Shortly after that you made the telecast for the 1998 Queens tournament, which is quite an accomplishment. Did the pro tour seem awfully tempting to you at the time?

TG: I thought about it. I had a coach named Jim Lee who passed away last year from cancer. He was Stacey Rider's fiance. Jim was a good friend who helped me a lot, and he thought I should go right on the tour. He would tell me, "You can't buy steak with gold medals."

When I bowled the Team USA national qualifier for the 1999 team, my outlook was: If I don't make it, I'll go on tour; if I do, I'll spend one year on the team. I really wanted to experience Team USA for a year.

BD: To be on the 1999 team must have been especially nice, because you had the Pan American Games and the World FIQ Championships on the docket.

TG: No question, it couldn't have been a better year for competition. I flew home early from the Pan Am Games to see Jim before we lost him. I had won a gold medal in the team event, and Jim gave me his blessing.