Bowling Philosophy-May 2010

A "Grand" Time
by Thomas Scherrer

Kulick "Slams" Door on History

History beckoned Kelly Kulick pretty much all season long. Teased her. Dared her. Challenged her. Called out to her. In some respects, forced her. Kulick responded with one more major moment by running down top seed Liz Johnson in the 2010 US Open title match, 233-203 to not only affirm that Kulick, not Johnson is the world's best female kegler, but signed off on what can arguably be considered the greatest season in women's bowling history.

Sorry.

I meant to say bowling's history.

Sorry, allow me to try that again. If you read my blogs, you understand how much I value winning major championships over any other accomplishment in individual sports. Sports is, after all, about winning on the grandest stage to be remembered as a legend. Kelly Kulick has now allowed us to fully embrace her 2009-10 season with such words as "dream season" and "magical" and "unparalleled". I have one more word: transcendent (another word I enjoy using on my blogs).

Kulick's body of work in 2009-10 will go down as pretty much unbeatable in bowling history-past or present. As we fully try to define Kelly Kulick's legacy (as most recently are defining that of LeBron James' recent events), we must not lose sight of what is vitally important. We were witnesses to something never seen before. The only question remains: what did we see, exactly? There are four situations that Kulick's season can be defined as:

Situation 1: Kulick became the first female to ever win both the Queens and US Open in a season. No need to discuss this. She made history in this situation. Easy to define.

Situation 2: Kulick became the first bowler to win a Triple Crown in a season. Most fans forgot that Kulick won the inaugural Women's World Championship to start off 2009 during the World Series of Bowling. Can't really argue that, however people would dispute the nature of how the format was set up and that any event during the WSOB was entering the "scam" format. Make that argument all you want, but a major win is a major win is a major freakin' win. Of course, that win allowed Kulick to bowl in the Tournament of Champions and we all know how that turned out...

Situation 3: Kulick won bowling's Grand Slam. Right? Right?? Right??? She did win all 3 of her gender's major titles, plus the one event that has no female equivalency in the TOC. This was a Grand Slam!!! Of course, people will also argue that point as well. Some of the real nit-pickers will concede the Triple Crown but a Grand Slam they cannot. As of right now, David Whitley is probably denouncing Kulick's last two wins because they came against imaginary people in an recreational activity. Of course Whitley the Witless probably didn't know that Kulick won the ladies two most prestigious events in the matter of 15 days.

Situation 4: Kulick had the greatest season in women's bowling history. Hard to define by some because there is no ladies tour today and some would go further as to say that if there was a women's tour, Kulick would most likely not have been able to win a World Championship and by extension, a Tournament of Champions. We also cannot forget to mention that the fields for certain women's events are more limited today. These are intangible facts worthy of mentioning. We also have 3 comparable seasons in women's bowling history to try and put it next to Kulick's 2009-10 season. This is where my argument begins.

Season 1: Lisa Wagner (1988)...5 wins, first female bowler to earn $100,000 in a single season, US Open champion, BWAA Bowler of the Year (3rd of 4). Historic for wins, money, and overall significance. This was 22 years ago, during an era where few men were earning 6 figures in bowling.

Season 2: Wendy MacPherson (1997)...4 wins, sets the all-time record for earnings by a woman ($165,425), BWAA Bowler of the Year (back-to back with 1996, 2nd of 4, first of her two back-to-back POY awards), no majors. Worth nothing that the '97 US Open was not contested. Historic for money.

Season 3: Carolyn Dorin-Ballard (2001)...record 7 wins, Queens champion and World Open champion for major wins, first of 2 BWAA POY awards, $135,045 in earnings, 2001 WIBC Team Tournament champion, broke 8 tour records in that season. When women's bowling and the PWBA in particular, was taking a dive in events, CDB's historical season was considered to be the standard for which all seasons would be measured by in women's bowling.

Season 4: Kulick ('09-'10)...5 wins including the Malaysian Open in mid-summer 2009, 3 ladies majors, 1 men's major, first female to win a men's PBA event, 5 television appearances, 10-0 this season, $110,000 in those 5 events alone, in her 10 events this season Kulick's lowest finish was seventh. Seventh??? Are you kidding me?!? Historic on so many fronts in terms of gender breaking, financial, media attention (not as sensational as we probably all assumed but still very solid). Plus, similar to Bill O'Neill's hijacked 2009-10 Player of the Year season, changed the nature of the sport as to who the game's elite players are. No longer is women's bowling a Dorin-Ballard/Barnes/MacPherson/Terrell/Barrette-Hulsenberg-led game. It is a Kulick/Johnson/Pluhowsky/Nation-led game with collegiate standouts in Perez/Leuthold/Earnest/Peloquin/Baker/Miller-type players coming up shortly, looking to quickly test the newly incumbent era of women's bowling. This is truly a great time to be a professional female bowler and the lady at the top of the heap is Kelly Kulick today and for years to come.

Or is it?

As Kulick made history, there has been discussion that this 2010 US Open might be the last Open championship for the lassies. Financial woes and lack of participation have turned one of bowling's great events into a virtual and literal money pit for the United States Bowling Congress. Ideas of folding up shop and focusing solely on the PBA Women's Series and the Queens doesn't sound like such a terrible venture, despite how great this 2009-10 season went. Business is business and in some odd way, it might make more sense if the Women's US Open were not to be contested if it lead to more events and a possible tour schedule. Again, I said if...majors are majors and as we have just seen this past season from Kelly Kulick, you make history in the big time events. Because of that, Kelly Kulick has slammed her way into bowling history.