Teri Haefke's average Ohio's best

The Ohio Women's Bowling Association's Hi-Lites publication for December has a front-cover story about Austintown's Teri Haefke.
The article, entitled "A Conversation with Ten Pin Teri," pertains to Haefke's distinction for highest women's average in Ohio: 239.
Some excerpts from the Haefke interview:
Q. Would it be safe to say that you must be pretty pleased with your game at this point?
A. Yes. The past few years have been the high point of my game. I will say that bowling for me has changed since the PWBA went under. I miss the tournaments and the competition.
Q. Are there any areas you feel have room for improvement?
A. Definitely. I feel that I need to practice more on being consistent with my approach and delivery.
Q. When you are practicing, is there any particular routine you follow?
A. I have a five-step approach, so I work on my steps, my push away and my follow-through because once you have that down, the rest just falls into place.
Q. Watching you compete during this year's Ohio WBA Championships in Cleveland, there was a lot of power combined with a graceful swing. How would you describe your form?
A. I believe my form is very different from most others. I have a very powerful arm swing, which in turn, gives me a powerful game. This form just came natural to me.
Q. What do you feel is your "A" game?
A. I would say my "A" game would be medium oil where I can play an area of a two-to-four board swing. I would prefer wood lanes and wood approaches. Right now, I bowl in two houses that are quite different. They are both wood.
Q. Do you bowl in both all-women and mixed leagues?
A. I bowl in three leagues. One is a ladies, one is a men's and the other is mixed.
Q. You've held the Ohio WBA high average and the WIBC national high average. What would you like to see ahead for Teri Haefke?
A. I would just like to continue achieving more. I want to break more records. I want to be someone that people can remember and look up to. I try so hard to be respected on and off the lanes.
Q. In what other aspects of bowling are you involved?
A. I would love to be a member of Team USA and work with Jeri Edwards. She is a wonderful person on and off the lanes. I was a member of the PWBA regional tour for a few years. I would love to be able to make my career strictly bowling, but it is hard to do. I also was a high school coach for three years and my girls [Austintown Fitch] placed third twice and we won state the last year. I, unfortunately, had to give it up because of work. I miss that.
Q. Is there any aspect of bowling etiquette you feel cannot be stressed enough?
A. I believe when you are teaching someone to bowl, you must stress to them how important lane courtesy is. Also, having a positive attitude will help others around you have one.
Q. How frequently do you purchase new equipment?
A. I haven't purchased new equipment in about a year. For awhile, I was throwing new bowling balls quite frequently, thanks to Chuck Fairchild and Damon Sarocco. I have to say thanks to them and to Hammer Equipment for their help in my success.
Q. What is the story behind Ten Pin Teri?
A. For a long time, that was my nickname because, before I shot my first 300, I had three 299s. Of course, what did I leave? You guessed it. The name just stuck with me.
Top team score
Another Hi-Lites item reported that the Nemenz Save-A-Lot team of Canfield rolled a 2,139 three-game series in November, 2004, which qualified them for third place in the Three Woman Team category. Team captain Marla Chicase was notified by USBC in late September and a plaque was presented to the trio in mid-October.
Paula Pecorelli had 728, Chicase 724 and Michaelene Klug 687.
Hi-Lites also listed the OWBA 2004-05 league award winners.
Of more than 6,000 nominations received, only the top one percent were honored for average and series; among those were: (190-up) -- Jennifer Mellott, Youngstown, 225 average, 825 series; Marla Chicase, Youngstown, 217/802; (170 to 189) -- Patty Duffy, Youngstown, 182/750; Theresa Zitnik, Youngstown 189/734; (150-169) -- Danielle Vuletich, Youngstown 156/674; (130-149) -- Diane Barber, Youngstown, 148/639; (110-129) -- Janet Donnorummo, Youngstown, 129/544.
More Haefke
Teri Haefke had high single (277), high three-game set (728) and high four-game set (1005) in Wedgewood Ladies Trio on Jan. 10.
Amethysts won first half and Topaz was second in Pinettes at Holiday, where 3 Betts a Day was Variety Mixed's second quarter winner.
I found that Margaret Porter passed away at age 100 recently. The write-up said that she bowled with the Christian Women's League at Camelot Lanes until April 2003. In her final game at 97 1/2, Porter had a 172 game.
The Senior Masters Tournament begins Feb. 4-5 and continues Feb. 11-12. Contact John Bossone at 758-9140 or Ted Bundy at 545-6217.
bassetti@vindy.com