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Some people have what it takes, and some people don't.
Jodi Woessner had it – on the bowling alley, that is.
Woessner, an Oregon resident and a 1988 graduate of Lake High School, grew up hanging out in her father's bowling alley. John Woessner, who now lives in Texas, owned the eight-lane Deshler Lanes in Deshler, Ohio, when Jodi and her brother, Brady, were kids.
“We were basically there every other weekend,” Jodi recalled. “My brother bowled until his thumb fell off, but I get very bored if there is no competition. I'm not good with practice. If there's nothing to win at the end (I think), 'how boring is this?'
“I would bowl for an hour or so and then I would go play video games, and we could play those as long as we wanted. I was blessed with natural (bowling) talent, and I was more lazy about that practicing part than I should have been. But, I think I've done OK.”
Woessner began bowling competitively at age 11 and was competing in adult leagues by the time she was 20. She turned professional at 24 and has since bowled 28 perfect games and been inducted into the Toledo and Ohio State women’s bowling halls of fame.
The 5-foot-4 Woessner holds the Toledo women's high series record of 856, which she bowled at New Glass Bowl Lanes, and she has 21 800 series during her career. A three-time Ohio Women's Bowler of the Year (2007, '08, '09), Woessner has appeared on TV tournaments “probably 10 times” and won the title at the televised 2008 PBA Women's Series Baltimore Open.
She earned an exemption on the PBA Women's Series in August 2008, meaning she no longer had to qualify for the PBA Women's Series tournaments.
“There were only seven tournaments a year,” Woessner said. “Right now there aren't any more tournaments because the funding is gone. There are no tournaments scheduled for next year. The USBC ended up laying off a bunch of people a few months ago and they determined they don't have the money to do it anymore.
“I was very disappointed, because I had a really great opportunity. A few years ago we were gaining momentum, gaining a lot of fans and getting more coverage and things like that. Women's bowling was gaining so much exposure. And now going into next season, there isn't anything major (for women) to bowl in. It's disappointing. Hopefully, if and when the economy turns around, if anybody has a couple million sitting around and they don't know what to do with it, they can sponsor the women's tour.”
Because there are no tournaments scheduled on the PBA Women's Series next season, Woessner said she plans to bowl in as many local and regional tournaments as she can. She is scheduled to compete in an upcoming PBA regional tournament in Sterling Heights, Mich., where men and women will compete against each other.
“Two years ago I won a men's tournament and that helped me build my confidence and do well over the last couple years,” Woessner said. “My husband (Aaron Hawkins) gave me that nudge that I needed. I was hemming and hawing around, asking myself if I could compete (against men). I was building that pity party and writing myself off. Aaron was just saying, 'Just go out there and prove it.' Knowing I really never competed full-time on the women's tour, it made me feel good that I could compete.”
Woessner has never competed full-time on the women's tour because she wants to maintain her full-time job at Owens Corning, where she is a process expert.
“I work with the call center technology, managing the phone calls and routing and all that stuff,” she said. “I've been here for 12 years, and I started as a customer service person. I'm working full-time and bowling as much as I can. It (competing on the men's tour) would take a lot more time commitment. Those guys are so good. Could I compete? Probably in some tournaments. Could I do it consistently? I'm not willing to take that risk at this point. The guys' tournaments have been cut down, too. They've lost a lot of sponsorships as well.”
On April 22-23, Woessner competed in the 91st USBC Women's Championships, held at the El Paso (Texas) Convention and Performing Arts Center. She set the all-time tournament record for all-events and tied the tourney record for a three-game series.
She had a scratch all-events total of 2,330 for nine games (258.8 average), beating the previous record of 2,231 set by Leanne Hulsenburg in 2005. Woessner also rolled an 816 series in the doubles event while partnering with Tracey Distel of Lansing, Mich.
“That (effort) definitely didn't sink in for a while,” Woessner said. “I actually had a higher series than any man has bowled in that tournament. Everything clicked. I can't even imagine doing it, and I did. That's what's so crazy about it. Everything I did worked. And when it didn't work, I made an adjustment and then it worked. It's something you don't experience very often.”
Last season, Woessner finished sixth in points (out of 18 bowlers) and seventh in earnings in the PBA Women's Series.
“That was good for me,” said Woessner, who has earned $47,600 over the past two seasons. “I was kind of up and down. Overall, getting sixth in points against that field - the best women in the world - I can't be too disappointed with that. I'm going to move forward and stay competitive and bowl in as many tournaments as I can, especially on the weekends.
“I want to try to stay sharp, in case something comes up with the Women's Series again. I don't want to start over again.”
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