Pictured Above Are Arica Jackson And Phillip Hanna
Arica Jackson, Of Phoenix, Continues To Impress With Her Game Since Relocating To The Valley From Detroit.
One Of Her Accomplishments Includes Winning The National 40 Frame Game National Championship Last Nov.
By Michael 'Chip' Begg Managing Editor -thetenpinexpress.com- Director Mesa Metro Association
Phoenix - - - Any time that Arica Jackson, of Phoenix, Arizona. Makes plans to bowl in a new league, or a big tournament. She does not want to waste an opportunity to make a good first impression with the others she bowls with in her league, or competes against in an event.
A good example of this fact came last November 11-13 at the Silver Nugget Casino & Bowling Center in Las Vegas, Nevada., during the 22nd annual Forty Frame Game National Championship bowling tournament. Those entered into the event, bowled two preliminary rounds that narrowed the field to the final six and bowled on Saturday afternoon for the championship.
Arica, formerly of Detroit, who relocated to the Valley two years ago, took first place with a score of 1056. Jeffrey Erber of Elizabeth, Co., was runner up at 1028.
"This was my first big event title," said Arica, following the singles and doubles event of the MMA Open on Sunday February 26, at AMF Mesa Lanes in Mesa. "I am very grateful that I was able to win the tournament. I was a little nervous bowling on a big stage, but I was able to push through the nerves."
Arica, originally qualified for the national finals by taking first place in the Forty Frame Game Tournament Ladies Doubles Division along with Alexandria Eckert of Leavenworth, KS., in Reno, Nevada.
"It was a surreal moment," said Arica, after the event was over and she found out she had won it. "I did not know anyone else who was bowling in the event.I had the support though, of my fiancée Phillip Hanna. He was there to cheer me on. It was a thrill to be able to represent Phoenix at the tournament."
Arica, a right-hander, who does most of her league bowling at Glenfair Lanes in Glendale. According to Bowl.Com, she posted a high book average of 210 in the 26 Mixed Invitational League at Thunderbowl Lanes in Detroit during the 2012-13 season.
"It was a little different bowling at the Silver Nugget than it is at Glenfair, and it was a little more challenging," she said, of bowling in a center she has not bowled in before. "The shot was a lot tougher of a shot, but I was able to adjust to it very quickly for the first set. The second set I did not bowl that good. I got a lot of good advice from Phillip. I made ball switches, and paid close attention to what the ball was doing."
A Forty Frame Game is one game that is 40 frames long. Unlike golf where you get one mulligan per round, bowlers get four mulligans and a opportunity to increase or decrease their scores through various bonus and pitfall frames. A perfect score in an event like this is 1305.
"I used a Columbia 300 Swerve FX and a Jigsaw Corner, and yes, they were perfect ball choices," she said, of the equipment that was in her bag. "I was not supposed to have the Swerve. I had taken a ball to Craig Spencer at Virtue Bowling Supply to have a slug put in it, and the ball had cracked while it was being repaired. He gave me the Swerve and suggested that I take this ball with me, and it worked out very well."
Bowlers are able to qualify to bowl in the national championship, at one of two Forty Frame Game tournament sites. Those being the USBC Open Championship, or the original site in Toledo, OH.
"Despite the challenges I faced during the course of the tournament, I never gave up. I was in first place after the first preliminary round and in fifth place after the second one. I continued to push through it, to make it work to my advantage," said Arica, of her competitive streak. "There was a guy that was bowling on my pair during the course of the event. He was working on a perfect game, but left a 10 pin that ended his shot at a 300 game. I knew then that I had won the tournament.
"I didn't get to practice at the Silver Nugget prior to the start of the tournament," she added. "That's because we drove up there the morning of the tournament. I went into the tournament feeling really confident that I could do well in it. After I bowled a good first set, I said to myself, 'Arica you have got this.'"
Arica, who is an underwriter for Quicken Loans in Phoenix, started to bowl at age 17. She averaged in the 180's at the start of her bowling career, but has been in the 200 plus range since she was 22. In the MMA Open, she bowled a 729 in singles. A 768 in doubles, and a 729 in team. Her teammates include: Emily Ornelas, Verlandas Leneair, and Phillip Hanna. They rolled team scores of: 915, 897, and 936 for a scratch total of 2,748. In keeping with the mortage theme, their team name is called 'Pending'.
"This is the best I've done bowling in a tournament period," she said, of bowling at AMF Mesa for the first time. "I found the shot early, and held onto it. There was only room for a little margin of era that I could make."
She has rolled five perfect games in her career thus far. All coming back home in Detroit. They were bowled at: Country Lanes on August 28 2014, Thunderbowl Lanes on April 20, 2014, Plum Hollow Lanes on March 15, 2012, Plum Hollow Lanes again on February 18, 2010. And her first perfect game was bowled at Royal Lanes on March 18, 2007. Her highest series is a 773, and she has rolled 11-in-a-row- on five different occasions.
"One of the things I would like to accomplish moving forward in bowling, is rolling my first 800 series," she said, of her future goals. "My highest series to date is a 773 that I rolled at Country Lanes in Detroit. The main thing I want to work on with my game, is being as consistent as possible.
"I also want to increase my average at the end of each season to the high teens. I feel I have the ability to make the proper adjustments on the lanes to be able to accomplish this," she added. "No, going out on the women's tour hasn't crossed my mind yet. I feel like I have to be more consistent to do well on the tour. I don't feel like I am there with my game yet, to give the tour a try."
With 90 lanes, Thunderbowl Lanes located in Allen Park, is the biggest bowling center in the Detroit Metro area. "It was intimidating," she said, of bowling in a big bowling center. "Leagues filled the whole house. You were under a lot of pressure, to beat your competition."
She has only bowled in one USBC Open, and one USBC Women's Nationals event. They both were bowled last year in Las Vegas, and Reno.
"Bowling in a USBC Open, gives you a reality check on where you think your game is at the time," she says, of the experience. "Getting as good as I have in bowling is because of Phillip. He is a good bowler in his own right, and he is always right on with the advice he gives me. He always pushes me through when a situation becomes challenging."
So, remember this young lady's name. You will be hearing a lot more of her bowling accomplishments in the future.
Phoenix Bowling News March 6, 2013