“He has always been my go-to guy for tournaments,” Angel said. “He is my rock. It means so much more that he was able to spend the weekend with me.”
The weekend started with a respectable 643 in the team event, but West struggled a bit in doubles the following day. She made a ball change midway through the event, tallying 607.
“Honestly, I think I was trying too hard, I really wanted to do well for my partner,” she said. “The ball change definitely helped.”
There was, however, another magic ingredient that sparked her singles success.
“My dad got me a sweet tea before singles – I’m a big sweet tea fan,” she said with a smile. “My energy changed, and I was more relaxed.”
West opened the singles block with 279 and had the front 11 in Game 2, finishing with 298. An 800 was in sight, a feat she had never accomplished.
“I was going at a good pace,” she said. “Going into the 10th, I knew I needed at least a double.”
She did one better, striking out for a 225 and 802 series.
“Overall, I was pretty pleased with my performance, she said. “I was trying to keep it clean all weekend, talked with my dad about it a lot.”
Dad’s advice is always welcome, but so too is the ice cream they make a habit of enjoying together.
“One of our favorite things to do is find new or different ice cream shops,” she said.
They found one as well as a tasty Italian spot for dinner.
“Having him there with me was such a great feeling,” she said. “It gave me the extra confidence I needed.”
Dayton dominance: While West walked away with the scratch singles title, two other Greater Dayton USBC bowlers finished in the top five as Andrea Behr was second (751) and Shannon Pluhowsky claimed fifth place (680).
It was more of the same in the all-events scratch competition with six of the top 10 bowlers hailing from the Miami Valley. West, Pluhowsky and Behr claimed the top three spots, respectively, while No. 8 Megan Duff, No. 9 Lori Reasoner and No. 10 Lindsey Furnas rounded out the top 10 placers.
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