Cheektowaga’s Liz Johnson one of seven women added to Team USA 2008

Cheektowaga’s Liz Johnson one of
seven women added to Team USA 2008

Cheektowaga’s Liz Johnson will again represent the United States on Team USA in 2008, an honor she held from 1994-1996 before joining the women’s professional tour.

Also added to the women’s team are six others who have made plenty of history and experience between them - Wendy Macpherson, Carolyn Dorin-Ballard, Kelly Kulick, Kim Terrell, Diandra Asbaty and Missy Bellinder.

In August, the World Tenpin Bowling Association voted to allow members of professional organizations to compete in international events, prompting USBC to change the selection procedures for Team USA in 2008.

A USBC committee selected the seven from the pool of players that included Team USA members since 1998 and former Professional Women's Bowling Association/Ladies Professional Bowlers Tour members.

"After I decided to be a pro bowler, I didn't think that I'd ever have this opportunity again," said Johnson, an 11-time winner on the PWBA Tour. "It will be great to represent my country again and bowl alongside some tough competitors."

The seven will join Lynda Barnes, Tennelle Milligan, Shannon Pluhowsky and Rochester’s Shannon O'Keefe, all of whom earned spots on Team USA 2008 due to their performance at the 2007 USBC Team USA Trials.

Four additional women will be added at the 2008 USBC Team USA Trials. The top two finishers earn automatic selections and two additional players will be selected from the field by the National Selection Committee.

Six women from Team USA 2008 will represent the United States at the Women's American Zone Championships, scheduled for October 2008 in Santiago, Chile.

The 2008 USBC Team USA Trials will take place January 13-18 at Sunset Station in Las Vegas. The event is open to any USBC member, including those who were in the pool but were not selected for Team USA. Denny's PBA Tour players are also eligible, but must receive an exemption from the PBA in order to compete.

Player profiles of women added to Team USA 2008

Liz Johnson, Cheektowaga, NY: An 11-time PWBA Tour titlist and recent winner of her second U.S. Open title, Johnson made history in 2005 by becoming the first woman to win a PBA regional tournament and advance to the TV finals of a Denny's PBA Tour event. Johnson won consecutive U.S. Amateur titles in 1994 and 1995, and was a Team USA member from 1994-96.

Carolyn Dorin-Ballard, North Richland Hills, TX: A spokesperson for the USBC High School program, Dorin-Ballard won seven titles - including the USBC Queens - in the 2001 season, tying the record for most in a season. She rolled back-to-back 300 games in a Professional Bowlers Association regional event in August 2005, and also has a PBA regional title to her credit.

Wendy Macpherson, Henderson, NV: Macpherson, who has six major titles among her 20 PWBA Tour victories, and Rochester’s Millie Ignizio are the only three-time USBC Queens champions. She is the PWBA's all-time earnings leader with more than $1.2 million and owns 10 PWBA records. Macpherson made history in 2006 when she won the Regular Singles title at the USBC Open Championships, becoming the first woman to win a Regular Division event.

Kelly Kulick, Union, NJ: Kulick, the reigning USBC Queens champion, became the first woman to earn a Denny's PBA Tour exemption and went on to compete in 19 events during the 2006-07 season. She was PWBA Rookie of the Year in 2001 and, two years later, won her first tour title at the 2003 U.S. Women's Open. Kulick won the 2000 U.S. Amateur title and was a Team USA member from 1998-2001.

Kim Terrell, Antioch, CA: Terrell, the women's head coach at Delaware State, a Junior Team USA assistant coach and spokesperson for the USBC Collegiate program, won nine PWBA titles that includes two majors - the 2001 U.S. Women's Open and the 2002 USBC Queens. She was named PWBA Rookie of the Year in 1989 after being a part of Team USA in 1988.

Diandra Asbaty, Chicago: A member of Team USA every year since 1999, Asbaty is the only current amateur selected from the pool. Asbaty, a spokesperson for the USBC Youth program, is the reigning QubicaAMF World Cup champion and has twice won the Masters gold medal at the World Championships. At age 25, she was inducted into the World Bowling Writers Hall of Fame.

Missy Bellinder, Fullerton, CA: A Team USA member in 2000 and 2001, Bellinder was the first woman to own a PBA membership and recently became the only woman to win a second PBA regional title. She won the first U.S. Junior Amateur title thanks to a victory at the 1998 USBC Junior Gold Championships.