A Chase woman struck gold on bowling lanes in Quebec while competing in the 2019 Masters Bowling Association of Canada Nationals.
Helen Dalin, a regular at Chase’s Village Lanes, has been bowling for six years, but says she begain taking the game seriously about a year ago.
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Following impressive results in a season of tournament play, Dalin went into the B.C. Provincials unsure of what to expect. Dalin’s goal was to win at least one match, but she wound up greatly exceeding her own expectations.
At the provincials held in Surrey in April, Dalin won 14 of the 16 matches she played in. Thanks to her tournament-leading results, Dalin was not only on Team BC heading to nationals in Gatineau, but also B.C.’s representative in the singles portion of the tournament.
Dalin described her apprehension at being selected as the singles player representing the province when she was a rookie in national bowling competition. She said the calibre of opponents she was playing against made victory far from a sure thing.
“It’s pretty exciting because almost every game came down to the last three balls,” Dalin said.
When the last ball had rolled, Dalin was the winner in 15 of 21 matches. She won a gold medal in the singles competition and contributed to Team BC’s bronze-medal win.
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Already more than halfway across the country and having never visited the Maritimes, Dalin and her husband extended the trip. The one part of the East Coast provinces they were not able to visit was Newfoundland, but Dalin said that is the site of the national bowling championships next year so she will be playing hard in tournaments to make it there.
Dalin said she got into bowling after she became told old to play softball. She encourages others to get into the sport which she says provides a fun and friendly atmosphere even in high-level tournament play.
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jim.elliot@saobserver.net
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