Pictured Is: Ericka Berg.
Editors Note: When Ericka Berg Looks Back At Her Bowling Career Five Years From Now. She Will Always Remember Saturday July 26, 2025. And In Particular The 2024-25 Season. She Had The Kind Of Season Everyone Wishes They Had. She Only Not Won: One, Two, Three, But Four Individual Titles At The AZ State Women's Open Championships. This Past April At AMF McRay Lanes In Chandler. She Is Creating Her Own Legacy In Bowling, And This Is Only The Beginning Of What She Wants To Accomplish Moving Forward. She Received Her Awards At the Annual State Meeting At The Hassayampa Inn In Prescott.
By Michael 'Chip' Begg
Managing Editor - thetenpenexpress.com
Prescott, AZ. - - - Growing up in Rockford, IL in the early 80s and 90s, the game of bowling was always the topic of discussion around the family of Ericka Berg's dinner table. And it is easy to understand why. From her father John to her mother Paula, and to her sister Liz, the quartet was always in a bowling center at any given time, and continuing to progress in the sport was the goal of everyone in her family.
"My parents bowled in Vegas leagues so they could have a reason to take vacations to Las Vegas. Back then there were plenty of tournaments in the Midwest, but we had nothing like the tournaments youth bowling has these days," said Ericka, of her start in the game of bowling. "I don’t feel that we were really competitive. Maybe Liz and I would have a sisterly challenge but that’s about it. My dad got into coaching so it was fun always having him around and helping me improve."
Her parents started to get her involved the game of bowling at age six at Don Carter Lanes in Rockford. Rockford is also the former home of the PWBA at Cherry Bowl. The PWBA is now headquarted in Arlington, TX.
"Oh yes, when the Women’s tour was in Rockford I always bowled the youth pro-ams. That was always a great experience because they were always so friendly and tried to give you pointers," she said, of her encounters with the PWBA tour members. "I would watch the competition rounds after school and attend the live TV shows, it was always so much fun. To this day I still follow the PWBA and watch their tournaments online, you always learn something to help your game while watching the best in the world."
She will also always remember the opportunities Don Carter Lanes gave her as a junior bowler.
"Back then there were no bumpers like there are today and the bowling center would put a carpet down on the lane instead. You only had to throw at half the lane. That is where it all started. Then I kept bowling in junior leagues every year," she said, of her beginning in the game. "I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. Don Carter Lanes was like my second home growing up. We had an amazing Youth Director (Karen Stone) and bowling Proprietor (John Sommer), who absolutely poured their hearts and souls into giving us youth opportunities, which shaped me into the competitive bowler I am today."
During her junior bowling career, she remembers placing high in a Coca Cola local zone tournament, which qualified her for a state event. Where she got to travel as a reward for her accomplishment.
"I was a sophomore in high school. It was the first-year bowling was a sport. I was lucky to qualify individually for the IHSA state tournament three years-in-a- row. I will never forget my senior year when my team also qualified for the state tournament and we placed 3rd by ONE pin," she said, of her first accomplishment. "Obviously the top three teams got the big state trophy, and we were the first local team to ever get one in bowling. It was at that time in my life I realized the importance of ONE pin. Any time I leave a split, even as irritating as it may be, I always remember that every pin counts and may be the difference on whether you win or lose. This also proved true in all-events this year at the AZ State Women's Open, as I managed to squeak it out by ONE pin. One thing I wish I could have accomplished was throwing a 300 earlier than I did. It took me way too long, but I finally did it in 2023. Now I’m just waiting on an 800 series."
She moved to Arizona in October of 2003 from Illinois but didn’t join a league until 2008.
"I am a nurse, and at the time I was working eight-hour evening shifts, so it was hard to consistently have the same night off each week," she said, of joining a league in the Valley. "It was much easier when I switched to 12-hour shifts which allowed me to bowl."
However, it was the first league that her and her sister Liz would join, where they would hook up with two other ladies from the Midwest. And as they say, the rest of the story would become history.
"My sister and I joined the 5th Wheelers league at Bowlero Mesa, and we got put on a team with Kristen Cook and Katie Burks who also had just moved here from the Midwest," she said, of the start of her bowling career in Arizona. "We made amazing friendships and continue to bowl in Nationals together 17 years later."
The four would also win Mesa Metro City team titles in: 2012, 2013, and 2014.
Her best Women’s Nationals performance was in 2022, ironically in Addison, IL. But there are two other Women's Nationals appearances that she will never forget either for different reasons.
"We got to lead the squads out twice at Nationals. The first time was 2015 in Reno and then again in 2023 in Vegas," she said, of the experience. "They randomly choose a lane number, and it happened to be our lane. I don’t know how we have had that happen twice. We don’t like to be the center of attention, but we went with the flow and made more fun memories."
This past year she averaged 206 in the Ball Busters League at Bowlero Kyrene. Her high game this past year was a 279, and high series was a 683.
"This league is for women with any average. We have all average divisions and the most important thing, is that all these women support each other and like to have fun," she said, of the Ball Busters bowling league. The league bowls on Monday night at Bowlero Kyrene Lanes. "I felt like this season was up and down for me. I also sub on a competitive mixed league (Virtue Classic at Bowlero Mesa). I like bowling against high average bowlers as it pushes me to be better."
She has simple but attainable goals for the upcoming 2025-26 bowling season.
"As far as bowling goals this year I hope to add another 300 to my resume and perhaps finally get that 800," she said. "I’m also hoping to enter a PWBA regional event at some point to gain more experience, but I need to devote more time to practicing before I can do that."
Her first state title in Arizona, came in 2013, when she won the doubles event with her sister Liz. They also won the Mesa Metro Association City doubles title in 2014 and 2015.
"It’s a great feeling as I was always her biggest cheerleader. She was always better than me and that pushed me to get better. Even though she isn’t currently bowling, she always celebrates my accomplishments,", said Ericka, of Liz’s 2017 induction into the Rockford Public Schools Athletic Hall of Fame. "It would be an honor to be in the hall of fame someday myself, but it’s not something that I’ve even thought about. Bowling is just one piece of my identity, and it doesn’t define me. To get there someday, I need to bowl more events. I have tried to get her to come out of retirement on multiple occasions but maybe one of these bowling ambassadors will have better luck!"
This year at the AZ State Annual meeting, which was held at the Hassayampa Inn in Prescott, on July 26. Ericka picked up more trophies At the AZ State Women's Open which was held at AMF McRay Lanes in Chandler this year. She had won four overall titles that included: Singles scratch 175 & above, (761); Handicap singles 175 & above, (831); All-Events scratch 175 & above, (2,055); and All-Events handicap 175 & above 2,265.
"It was fun to get my awards at a state meeting since I hadn’t attended one before.," she said, of attending her first one. And was hosted by Central Arizona USBC. "This was an exciting accomplishment and nice to be formally recognized by the board members."
Other notes of interest from this year's annual state meeting in Prescott:
Arizona State Individual Awards:
2023-2024 Season Awards:
High Series:
Andrew Knebelsberger - 878 - Mesa Metro - Brenda Burns - 814 - Metro Phoenix.
High Average:
Dave Leverage - 247 - Metro Phoenix - Brenda Burns and Correen Acuff - 224 - Metro Phoenix.
2024-2025 Season Awards:
Star of Tomorrow Award - Alyssa Brunsvold - Tucson Metro
Boy of the Year - Payson Jacobson - Central Arizona
Hall of Fame Superior Performance Inductees:
Gary Estep - Metro Phoenix
Eduardo Vargas - Tucson Metro
2024-2025 - Masters & Queens Champions:
Senior Masters:
Robert Wiley - Metro Phoenix USBC
Senior Queens:
Denise Mazzulla - Metro Phoenix USBC
Masters:
Brett Wolfe - Metro Phoenix USBC
Queens:
Correen Acuff - Metro Phoenix USBC