Marines Stun Air Force, Army in Armed Forces Bowling Championships
By Tim Hipps
USACFSC Public Affairs
LAS VEGAS – The U.S. Marine Corps pulled the biggest upset of the week by winning the men's team title in the 2004 Armed Forces Bowling Championships at Castaways Hotel, Casino & Bowling Center here Jan. 6-8.
Gunnery Sgt. Jim Hall, Gunnery Sgt. Rob Fleck, Sgt. Warren Bennett, Master Gunnery Sgt. Rick Barnard, Master Gunnery Sgt. Mike Shore and Staff Sgt. Donnie Thompson combined to win the championship with a 48-game total of 9,199 – just three pins more than heavily favored Air Force's 9,196.
For the first time ever, the Armed Forces Championships were contested in conjunction with the 2004 USA Bowling National Amateur Championships, which determine the 16 members of Team USA . Although the pairing in three daily flights eliminated the intensity of head-to-head competition between service members, the military bowlers expressed delight in competing alongside the best amateur bowlers in America .
“I liked the competition because we saw the college kids and the state champs here,” Hall said. “They looked like machines compared to us who bowl only once or twice a week. These kids in college bowl every day, and they definitely let you know what you have to do with your game. You have to pick your game up or you'll be sitting on the sidelines.”
Hall threw his right shoulder out of socket in Las Vegas , but that didn't stop him from completing 24 games with a 2,480 total, good for 91 st among 141 male bowlers in the 2004 USA Bowling National Amateur Championships. Hall, who separated two shoulders during hand-to-hand combat training in Kuwait last July and September, said his “love of the game” made him “suck up the pain and bowl” for three solid days.
Foremost on Hall's mind, however, was leading the Marines to the Armed Forces men's team championship. He's missed the Armed Forces tournament only four times since 1988, twice for war in Kuwait , twice for deployments to Okinawa , Japan , and Diego Garcia, a 17-square-mile atoll of coral and sand in the middle of the Indian Ocean . This was, however, his first victory in the Armed Forces Bowling Championships.
“It made my year,” said Hall, 38, of Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego . “My unit wasn't going to allow me to come here. I had to talk them into it. This is one of those things you can take back and say: ‘Hey, see, this is a different kind of thing the unit is also supposed to support. Not just mission accomplished all the time.' Leaving here this time without the gold, I would've been upset.
“I've wanted to be here since 1993, and I'll be back next year even if I don't make the Marine team and have to pay my own way.”
Fleck echoed that sentiment from across the lanes.
“In past years, it's always been the Air Force and the Army competing for first place,” said Fleck, 35, of Twentynine Palms, Calif. “It seems like the Marine Corps and Navy are always down at the bottom punching for third. There's some arrogance on the part of the other services. They really don't even consider us a threat. So for us to come in here and sneak that title out, that's pretty cool. It means a lot to shut a couple people up.
“We really caught them by surprise. To have us win it, I'm sure they're shocked.”
Technical Sgt. Ricky Beck of Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota was quick to applaud the Marines.
“They don't get half as much time on the lanes as we do because our jobs are so different,” said Beck, 42, a 1992 alternate on Team USA who led defending champion Air Force to a runner-up finish in Armed Forces men's team competition. “We have a bunch of guys who compete at this level really, really well, so they caught us by surprise.”
Army finished third in the Armed Forces men's team competition with a 9,104 total, followed by Navy (8,894).
Air Force Senior Master Sgt. Dana Phillips, Staff Sgt. Tracey Gowins, Maj. Carol McTaggart, Master Sgt. Clarice Fielder, Chief Master Sgt. Bobbi Boutwell and Maj. Antoinette Mula combined to win the Armed Forces women's team title with a 48-game total of 8,918. Navy (8,348) finished second, followed by Army (8,284) and Marine Corps (7,786).
The two youngest Soldiers in the tournament stole the individual spotlight in Armed Forces singles competition. Army Spc. Casey Collins, 25, of Camp Carroll, Korea, and Army 1st Lt. Michele Barksdale, 26, of Fort Jackson , S.C. , won their divisions.
“There's no doubt in my mind that I can make Team USA , too,” said Collins, grandson of a retired Army colonel whose family has owned bowling centers around Fort Bragg , N.C. , for more than 50 years. “I will be back.”
Collins won the Armed Forces men's title with an eight-game total of 1,693 and best game of 256. He finished 79 th overall in the USA Bowling National Amateur Championship men's field of 141 bowlers. The top 32 made the cut to contend for spots on Team USA .
Barksdale prevailed in Armed Forces singles with an eight-game total of 1,612 and best game of 246. She finished 86 th among 101 women in the USA Bowling National Amateur Championships.
Daughter of retired Army Capt. William Barksdale who barnstormed through many bowling alleys between battle stints in Vietnam and Thailand , Michele has been hanging around the lanes with dad since she was 3.
From age 14 until 24, however, she quit bowling and dedicated her athletic abilities to basketball. After a successful career at Pemberton Township High in New Jersey , she made the Army women's post basketball team at Yongsan , Korea .
While lifting weights, Barksdale sustained three herniated disks in her lower back that prevented her from running and jumping. So she returned to her first athletic love and finished second in the 8th Army Bowling Tournament in Korea . Before long, she had earned a spot on the veteran-laden All-Army women's bowling team.
“I remember when Casey and I first came in [to All-Army bowling camp] and we were the youngest,” Barksdale recalls. “They were saying things like: ‘We have bowling shoes older than y'all.' So it really feels good to beat them all.
“We may be the youngest, but we're the winners.”
Navy ET1 Bessie Lowery (1,607) was second among Armed Forces women in singles, followed by Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Bobbi Boutwell (1,555) and Army Chief Warrant Officer Joyce Dawson (1,530) of Schofield Barracks, Hawaii .
Navy HM3 Johnny Bryan (1,680) was second among Armed Forces men in singles, followed by Air Force 1 st Lt. Rickie Bannister (1,662) and Army Chief Warrant Officer John Wilson (1,619) of Fort Belvoir , Va.
Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Bobbi Boutwell and Master Sgt. Clarice Fielder won the Armed Forces women's doubles event. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Martin Bedford and Beck combined to win Armed Forces men's doubles.
Navy Lt. Commander Anita Hawkins and Petty Officer 1 st Class Jeff Long won the Armed Forces mixed doubles event.
After helping Army to third place in Armed Forces women's team competition Tuesday and finishing 10th in Armed Forces women's doubles and 23rd in Armed Forces mixed doubles on Wednesday, Barksdale figured she had nothing to lose by relaxing in singles competition on Thursday.
“It was the last day; I was like 600 pins down; and I wasn't making Team USA ,” she explained. “So I just went out and had fun. I figured out what was wrong and I fixed it. I just needed to relax and bowl my game.
“There was no pressure until the final game when my teammates started saying: ‘If you have a good last game, you should win singles,'” Barksdale recalled. “The ball got heavy then.”
Likewise, Collins, whose older brother Chris bowls on the PBA Tour, thought he put too much pressure on himself.
“I wanted it bad, really bad, to at least make the top 32 and try to make Team USA ,” Collins said. “That was probably part of my problem. I was pressing too much because mentally I'm halfway there. I will make Team USA and the PBA Tour someday because that's where I want to be. I'm going to catch a break somewhere.”
Personal Victory
Cheryl Allen of North Las Vegas, Nev., didn't qualify for the match play finals at the 2004 USA Bowling National Amateur Championships, but just being here and competing at an elite level is a victory in itself.
The 35-year-old U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds workgroup manager is a two-time survivor of ovarian cancer. She was first diagnosed at age 23 and underwent six months of chemotherapy.
Allen, who has been bowling for 20 years, regained her health and went on to finish third in Classic Doubles at the 2000 WIBC Championship Tournament in Reno, Nev.
The cancer reappeared, however, in Dec. 2001 and Allen underwent six treatments of chemo, followed by 25 straight treatments of radiation. Yet it couldn't deter Allen, who has just resumed competing after a two-year absence.
"To me, personally, it's a huge victory," Allen said. "Even though this week I struggled because I didn't have energy or got tired, I did well (Thursday) and I finished on a good note."à ¿Â1/2
Allen totaled 1,623 -- including 249 and 232 games-in Thursday's round to finish in 47th place with 4,501 after 24 qualifying games.
She plans on returning next year-healthy and with more energy.
RESULTS
SINGLES
MEN
1. Casey Collins, Army, 1,693
2. Johnnie Bryan, Navy, 1,680
3. Rickie Banister, Air Force, 1,662
4. John Wilson, Army, 1,619
5. Jose Isales, Navy, 1,596
6. Ronald Hurt, Air Force, 1,586
7. Richard Barnard, Marines, 1,579
8. James Hall, Marines, 1,565
9. Martin Bedford, Air Force, 1,549
10. Jeff Long, Navy, 1,544
11. Steven Barinque, Air Force, 1,531
12. Michael Shore , Marines, 1,509
13. David Ingraham, Air Force, 1,505
14. Donald Oglesby, Army, 1,496
15. Rickey Beck, Air Force, 1,488
16. Kenneth Reynolds, Army, 1,475
17. Roger Smith, Navy, 1,455
18. Myron Roberts, Army, 1,449
19. JoJo Barcelona, Navy, 1,434
20. Justin Stevens, Navy, 1,413
21. Donald Thompson, Marines, 1,403
22. Jerry Brewster, Army, 1,349
23. Robert Fleck, Marines, 1,345
24. Warren Bennette, Marines, 1,336
WOMEN
1. Michele Barksdale, Army, 1,612
2. Bessie Lowery, Navy, 1,607
3. Bobbi Boutwell, Air Force, 1,555
4. Joyce Dawson, Army, 1,530
5. Clarice Fielder, Air Force, 1,526
6. Denise Kloeckner, Navy, 1,511
7. Anita Hawkins, Navy, 1,500
8. Dana Phillips, Air Force, 1,474
9. Tracey Gowins, Air Force, 1,469
10. Antoinette Mula, Air Force, 1,413
11. Lisa Beeksma, Marines, 1,412
12. Carol McTaggart, Air Force, 1,409
13. Lulu Jackson, Army, 1,407
14. Deanne Thompson, Navy, 1,398
(tie) Kathy Langam, Navy, 1,398
16. Renea Greenlee, Army, 1,389
17. Celethia Abner, Army, 1,387
18. Cynthia Black, Army, 1,364
19. Coye Allshouse, Navy, 1,354
20. Cassandra Best, Marines, 1,352
21. Wanda Volpp, Marines, 1,351
22. Esperanza Nelson, Marines, 1,343
23. Amber Deckard, Marines, 1,247
24. Charlene Jackson, Marines, 1,152
MIXED DOUBLES
1. Jeff Long/Anita Hawkins (Navy), 3,117
2. David Ingraham/Dana Phillips (Air Force), 3,115
3. Martin Bedford/Antoinette Mula (Air Force), 3,105
4. Rickie Banister/Clarice Fielder (Air Force), 3,104
5. Rickey Beck/Tracey Gowins (Air Force), 3,103
6. Robert Fleck/Lisa Beeksma (Marines), 3,076
7. Johnnie Bryan/Coye Allshouse (Navy), 3,075
8. Ronald Hurt/Bobbi Boutwell (Air Force), 3,040
9. Justin Stevens/Denise Kloeckner (Navy), 3,034
10. Richard Barnard/Cassandra Best (Marines), 2,962
11. Steven Barinque/Carol McTaggart (Air Force), 2,920
12. Jose Isales/Deanne Thompson (Navy), 2,919
13. JoJo Barcelona /Kathy Langam (Navy), 2,895
14. Kenneth Reynolds/Cynthia Black (Army), 2,893
15. James Hall/Esperanza Nelson (Marines), 2,889
16. Donald Oglesby/Renea Greenlee (Army), 2,850
17. Michael Shore/Wanda Volpp (Marines), 2,839
18. Myron Roberts/Celethia Abner (Army), 2,816
19. Roger Smith/Bessie Lowery (Navy), 2,790
20. John Wilson/Lulu Jackson (Army), 2,746
21. Casey Collins/Joyce Dawson (Army), 2,738
22. Donald Thompson/Amber Deckard (Marines), 2,673
23. Jerry Brewster/Michele Barksdale (Army), 2,659
24. Warren Bennette/Charlene Jackson (Marines), 2,556
DOUBLES
MEN
1. Martin Bedford/Rickey Beck (Air Force), 3,217
2. Steven Barinque/David Ingraham (Air Force), 3,172
3. Robert Fleck/Richard Barnard (Marines), 3,146
4. Donald Oglesby/Kenneth Reynolds (Army), 3,099
5. JoJo Barcelona /Johnnie Bryan (Navy), 3,093
6. Ronald Hurt/Rickie Banister (Air Force), 3,065
7. Roger Smith/Jeff Long (Navy), 3,061
8. Justin Stevens/Jose Isales (Navy), 3,042
9. Warren Barrette/James Hall (Marines), 2,934
10. Michael Shore/Donald Thompson (Marines), 2,982
11. Jerry Brewster/Myron Roberts (Army), 2,839
12. Casey Collins/John Wilson (Army), 2,750
WOMEN
1. Bobbi Boutwell/Clarice Fielder (Air Force), 3,079
2. Anita Hawkins/Denise Kloeckner (Navy), 3,004
3. Antoinette Mula/Tracey Gowins (Air Force), 2,991
4. Coye Allshouse/Deanne Thompson (Navy), 2,879
5. Carol McTaggart/Dana Phillips (Air Force), 2,863
6. Lisa Beeksma/Wanda Volpp (Marines), 2,841
7. Kathy Langam/Bessie Lowery (Navy), 2,751
8. Lulu Jackson/Joyce Dawson (Army), 2,734
9. Renea Greenlee/Cynthia Black (Army), 2,644
10. Celethia Abner/Michele Barksdale (Army), 2,636
11. Amber Deckard/Cassandra Best (Marines), 2,581
12. Esperanza Nelson/Charlene Jackson (Marines), 2,511
TEAM
MEN
1. Marines -- 9,199 (James Hall, 1,617; Robert Fleck, 1,543; Warren Bennette, 1,523; Richard Barnard, 1,522; Michael Shore, 1,522; Donald Thompson, 1,472)
2. Air Force -- 9,196 (Rickey Beck, 1,615; Martin Bedford, 1,608; Rickie Banister, 1,572; Steven Barinque, 1,551; Ronald Hunt, 1,533; David Ingraham, 1,317)
3. Army -- 9,104 (Casey Collins, 1,593; Kenneth Reynolds, 1,577; Donald Oglesby, 1,527; John Wilson, 1,524; Jerry Brewster, 1,473; Myron Roberts, 1,404)
4. Navy -- 8,894 (Jose Isales, 1,580; Johnnie Bryan, 1,492; Jeff Long, 1,483; JoJo Barcelona, 1,456; Roger Smith, 1,448; Justin Stevens, 1,435)
WOMEN
1. Air Force -- 8,918 (Dana Phillips, 1,562; Tracey Gowins, 1,519; Carol McTaggert, 1,489; Clarice Fielder, 1,486; Bobbi Boutwell, 1,446; Antionette Mula, 1,416)
2. Navy -- 8,348 (Anita Hawkins, 1,477; Deanne Thompson, 1,400; Kathy Langam, 1,398; Bessie Lowery, 1,382; Coye Allshouse, 1,352; Denise Klockner, 1,339)
3. Army -- 8,284 (Celethia Abner, 1,422; Joyce Dawson, 1,407; Cynthia Black, 1,405; Renea Greenlee, 1,373; Lulu Jackson, 1,348; Michele Barksdale, 1,329)
4. Marines -- 7,786 (Lisa Beeksma, 1,446; Wanda Volpp, 1,418; Cassandra Best, 1,384; Amber Deckard, 1,338; Esperanza Nelson, 1,209; Charlene Jackson, 991)