Dorin-Ballard: bridesmaid for a career, queen for a year - Striking Out - Carolyn Dorin-Ballard - Statistical Data Included

Bowling Digest, Feb, 2002 by Dick Evans

THREE VETERAN BOWLING writers were eating dinner at Texas Station when Carolyn Dorin-Ballard and her friends arrived for a celebration feast following her dramatic victory in the $100,000 Brunswick Women's World Open at Suncoast Lanes last November 10.

A lot of diners in the San Lorenzo Italian restaurant gave Dorin-Ballard a second look--she's so slim and attractive that she looks more like a dancer from a nearby Vegas show than a champion bowler.

"Hi, guys, how about me buying you all a glass of wine?" Carolyn asked with a smile on her face--and a $15,000 check in her purse. Because we were in the final stages of our dinner, we declined the generous drink offer, the last I can remember getting one from a pro bowler since Billy Hardwick won the old National All-Star in 1969.

"OK, guys, but if you are at the Women's U.S. Open next month in Laughlin [Nevada], I want to buy you a round of drinks," she said. At that point Joe Lyou, Jim Wyckoff, and this writer raised our hands in unison and said it was a date.

Dorin-Ballard had a date with destiny in 2001. She had been a bridesmaid in the PWBA Player of the Year balloting for four straight years. But she was such a good sport, she even posed in a bridesmaid's dress in the PWBA national program. I interviewed Carolyn for a story in The Miami Herald before the WIBC Queens Tournament last April in south Florida, and she lamented the fact that such a prestigious tournament was going to launch the 2001 tour because "I'm such a slow starter on tour every year."

Not in Year 2001. She won the WIBC Queens and continued to win consistently on the PWBA tour. Her victory at Suncoast Lanes was her seventh of the season. But more important to Dorin-Ballard, from an emotional standpoint, the win at Suncoast sewed up her first PWBA Player of the Year award after 12 years on tour. "I'm just on cloud nine," Dorin-Ballard said after her gut-wrenching 217-210 victory over Lisa Bishop in the semifinal at Suncoast and her spine-tingling 280-258 win over Michelle Feldman in the championship game.

Dorin-Ballard captured the championship through her physical ability to make identical solid-pocket shots frame after frame and her intuition, which prompted her to change Ebonite balls in the 7th frame of the semifinal.

"This has been a very special year for me. I can't imagine Hollywood writing a better script," said the former All-American from West Texas State University and current president of the PWBA Players Association.

Those words echoed while she was flushed with the ecstasy of a thrilling victory, tears gathering in the corners of her eyes. She remembered what a tough year it had been for her personally:

* She led the PWBA players in a threatened boycott of the BPAA U.S. Open.

* Her father, George, died in August. "I think my father would be so proud of me ... I think of him every day."

* The September 11 terrorist attack came while the tour was in Davie, Fla., and the other players looked to her for guidance on whether they should continue to bowl or go home. They bowled.

And bowl Dorin-Ballard did in 2001. She made an amazing 18 national TV appearances, missing shows only four times. She averaged a tour-high 213.44 on a tough sport condition. But more importantly, she remained just as charming and chic as the four-time bridesmaid. (Just for the record, she has made it to the altar once, marrying Del Ballard Jr., who like his wife is one day headed for Hall of Fame honors.)

Two final things about the PWBA's first visit to the brand-new Suncoast Lanes. The crowds seemed larger and more enthusiastic than at the tournaments staged at Sam's Town in recent years. The press room at Suncoast provided the best view of the contestants than any place I can remember. I got a kick out of watching the players' facial contortions after good and bad shots.

But Carolyn Dorin-Ballard's face never changed. She just kept smiling all the way to the bank--and to 2001 Player of the Year honors.

Like all American Bowling Congress vice presidents, Tom DeChalus had to wait 10 long years before being named president of the ABC. His installation on May 1 was of historical significance. DeChalus became the first African-American bowler to hold that prestigious position since the organization was formed in 1895.

The retired New York firefighter got four months to enjoy helping chart the future of 1.8 million ABC members before terrorists destroyed his magical year. "I worked 28 years for the New York Fire Department, and I had trained in the World Trade Centers," says DeChalus, who was named Firefighter of the Year in 1959 and was awarded seven medals of bravery during his esteemed firefighting career.

"The disaster wiped out the cream of the downtown fire department's force. We lost a few more than we should because the catastrophe happened right at the change of tours. Shifts run from 6 p.m. to 9 a.m., so the firefighters coming to work start reporting about 8:30 a.m. When the alarm comes, everyone responds because that is their nature."