A return to obscurity

A standout female bowler hopes someone will revive the women's pro tour.
By JOHN WAWROW
ASSOCIATED PRESS
BUFFALO, N.Y. -- It's a Tuesday night on the city's east side, and Liz Johnson is rolling strikes -- seven, eight, nine in a row -- with hardly anyone watching.
The audience consists of her teammates, any bowlers on neighboring lanes that care enough to glance up, and the few people nursing glasses of draft at the bar. This is about as far from the spotlight as Johnson can get.
A week earlier, she made headlines by becoming the first woman to qualify for a PBA Tour event. On this night, Johnson is in a small, dimly lit bowling center less than a half mile from Buffalo's roughest neighborhood.
Johnson is oblivious to her surroundings. In between conducting an interview and pulling cards in a poker game at the shoe rental desk, she's knocking down pins with robotic efficiency.
Three steps, bend, release -- BAM!
Among the boys
Another strike, an apologetic shrug of her shoulders, another sip from her cocktail glass: "I don't even know what to say," Johnson says with a sheepish grin.
"This is fun for me. I love bowling," Johnson adds. "I'm out with my teammates and my best friends. We go out, have a few drinks, relax and have fun."
It's no different now that she's gained celebrity status after qualifying as an amateur at the PBA Uniroyal Tire Classic on Nov. 10.
"In a way it didn't hit me that I did what I did. I don't know why," said Johnson, who finished fourth in a field of 20 men at the Uniroyal qualifying tournament. "I guess it was awesome."
Ever since the PBA approved women competing on the tour earlier this year, it was only a matter of time before bowling's gender gap would be broken.
And it was no surprise the gap was smashed by Johnson, who has been making her mark since winning U.S. amateur titles in 1993 and '94. Johnson has won 11 titles on the women's pro tour, twice finished a season with more than $100,000 in earnings and was the PWBA's 1996 rookie of the year.
Forced to compete
Johnson, 30, only considered competing against men after the women's pro tour folded a year ago.
"Yeah, it is ironic. If we had a tour, obviously that wouldn't have happened," Johnson said. "I guess everything works out. And everything happens for a reason."
Having spent the last year working part-time in a pro shop and keeping in shape by averaging 25 games a week in local leagues, Johnson took up a friend's offer to drive down to Wickliffe, Ohio, to make her first attempt to qualify for a PBA event.
Johnson got off to a slow start, bowling a 153 in her first game. But she settled down, averaging 230 over nine games to qualify for the Uniroyal event.
As the last seed in the tournament, Johnson had the unenviable task of going up against top-seeded Brad Angelo, who eliminated her 4-2 in a best-of-7 first-round match.
Johnson acknowledged being somewhat in awe playing against men she had watched regularly on TV. It didn't help that a year off from pro competition left her game a little rusty.
Acceptance
What wasn't an issue is how her male peers accepted her. Bowling is a tight-knit community, and Johnson's impressive record preceded her.
"The guys were like, 'You didn't get your card did you?' And I said, 'No,"' Johnson recalled. "And they were like, 'Whew,' relieved, you know. So that was kind of funny."
Angelo was aware of Johnson's ability. He first met Johnson 15 years ago, and regularly bowls with her in a local summer league.
"My immediate thought was, 'Cool.' Not from the standpoint of, 'This is going to be a cakewalk.' But from the standpoint of, 'Wow, good for Liz,"' Angelo said, recalling his initial reaction. "And then the more I thought about it, the more I thought, 'This isn't really all that good news, because she could stomp me like a bug."'
It wouldn't be the first time. This past summer, Johnson beat Angelo in a local tournament, averaging 227 to Angelo's 208.
"I was very honored to be able to be the person to be competing against her," Angelo said. "After we were done, I said, 'Liz, you should come out for more of these.' But I kind of wished I hadn't said that. On second thought, I think I'm going to be rooting more for the women's tour to get back up so I don't have to go through this again."
Future plans
Johnson intends to attempt to qualify for a second PBA event, but not until February, when the tour returns East after making a swing through the Midwest and West coast during the next few months.
And she continues to hope someone will revive the women's pro tour. Meanwhile, Johnson intends to continue bowling, working part-time and living off what's left of her winnings.
Johnson finishes the evening with a three-game score of 790, packs up her ball and is off to compete in another league as a last-minute fill-in.
"I have to keep busy or I'd drive myself crazy," Johnson said. "That's pretty much what I've done for a living for the last eight-nine years. Not to be bowling like that any more is heartbreaking. Hopefully, something will get back on its feet soon."
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