Michelle Dragon, Conquers The Field To Capture Annual MMA Queens Event.
This Is Her First Idividual Title She Won, Since Moving To Arizona From St. Louis In 2005.
By Michael 'Chip' Begg
Managing Editor - The TenPinExpress.Com
Director Mesa Metro Association
Gilbert - - - For Michelle Dragon, ending up being crown champion at the end of any bowling tournament, does not happen that often. In her immediate family, brother-in-law Brett Wolfe, is usually the one who takes care of this matter. But, could things actually begin to start changing for her when it comes to winning titles?
Within the period of one year, Michelle captured her third Mesa Metropolitan Association (MMA) title. Not only did her third win end up being the charm, but also the biggest prize out of the three. With a starting squad time of 9:30 am on Saturday March 26, at Flipside in Gilbert. Michelle finally secured the title of Queens Champion some six hours later by out bowling Tina Niles, and thus ending Valerie Caron's reign of defending champion. Ben Laughlin won the Masters title.
"This was a real confidence builder, which I needed right now. I have been bowling a lot more this year, and I have been a little more consistent with my scoring,"she said, following the event. "I didn't have the disaster gameof 120 this tournament, like I have in the past. I am starting to bowl more singles tournaments, and this is the firstone I've won since I moved here from St. Louis in 2005. Hopefully, this will lead to a couple more singles titles."
This year's tournament only attracted a field of five bowlers. It was a round robin format. Which meant in addition to the five games of qualifying to make the cut, bowlers in the field also bowled each other once. Total pin fall determined the winner, plus 30 bonus pins were also awarded for each round robin win.
"Yes, this format was a lot of fun," she said, of this year's format. "I looked at the standings sheet after the fourth game of qualifying, and I was not that far out from the lead. So, I thought I could make up the difference once we got into the round robin match play."
Michelle rolled games of: 178, 186, 188, 183, and 182 in the qyalifying round. And in the round robin round games of: 213, 212, 187, and 197. In any kind of tournament competition, there is always one shot and one game a bowler would like to have back.
"It would be the first round robin game I bowled against Valerie.I left the 1-2-4, and chopped the 2-4 leaving the head pin," she said, of her missed spare. " And, I lost that game by three pins, 216-213. If I had a chance to do it all over again, I would slow down so as to not tug it, and pick up the spare."
The other two MMA titles that Michelle captured were team events in the 59th and 60th Women's Championship. Her team name was Evolution Auto, which is an auto repair facility in the East Valley, owned by her family and operated by her husband, Michael
Her teammates were her sister Angela Wolfe. Brandi Calderon, and Trinette Green. At Mesa East in February, they captured the Division C sratch event with a 2,471. And last year at AMF McRay in Chandler, it was a 2,665 team scratch series to win the handicap and scratch events.
"The shot at Flipside was alright, and I found it to play consistently," said Michelle, who bowls at Flipside on Sunday evenings in the Saints and Sinners League, and posted a 203 book average at the completion of the league last year."I don't think I am at the top of my game right now. I am becoming more consistent with hitting my target on the first shot though."
When she bowled in St. Louis, Michelle bowled in the St. Louis Women's All-Star League, which was a traveling league that visited 36 different bowling centers each season. Her home centers were Sunset Lanes and Redbird Lanes. The highest average she posted in St. Louis, was a 202. Her high series a 749, and high game of 300.
"When I moved here with Ang, we called multiple centers near our apartment to see what leagues they offered, and we were a little surprised to find out they did not have any," she said, on where they were going to continue their bowling in Arizona. "Centers have been coming around and offering more scratch leagues. It has been getting a lot better in that respect since 2005."
She did quit bowling for a while after the 2008-09 season after a shoulder injury, and started bowling again in 2013.
"I quit bowling at the end of the 2008-09 season after a shoulder injury, and started bowling again in 2013," she said."I thought it was going to be really hard to pick the game back up again following the time off, but it wasn't too bad at all. It really helped to have a friend who makes bowling balls and set me up with a full arsenal of Visionary equipment."
It also helps to have a family member in the pro shop business for advice and ball drilling.
"I have not thrown a spare ball in a-year-and-a-half to pick up spares, so I decided it was time to stop missing them. Luckily,I can run to family, and take care of that," she said, of brother, Mike Calderon, who owns Bowl 300 Pro Sho in Tempe. "I brought a White Dot to Mike the day before the Queens, so I would have one to use and that worked out well."
Up next for Michelle, is the Phoenix Queens event.
Mesa Bowling News - March 31, 2016