LAS VEGAS — It was a once in a lifetime opportunity and two Doniphan women made the most of it in Las Vegas, Nev.
Pat Leroux and Debbie Lathum were among 10 Missouri bowlers to compete during August at the 2021 USBC Senior Championships.
Leroux was among the highest finishers, taking second place in the 75-and-up women’s division, finishing just five pins behind national winner Sherlinda Brown of St. Paul, Kan.
“That’s just one of those deals with bowling,” said Leroux.
In the three-game finals, Leroux topped the field by more than 50 pins in her second game with a 197 and finished strong with a 173 in the third and final game.
Lathum finished 13th in the Women’s 65-69 division, finishing just 42 pins away from reaching the finals after six games of qualifying.
The national tournament was held at the Sunset Station Strike Zone in Henderson, Nev., a 72-lane bowling facility just outside Las Vegas.
Leroux said she enjoyed her first chance to compete in a national tournament although she saw it as a ‘once in a lifetime opportunity’ that she doesn’t plan to do again.
Rounding out the list of finalists in Leroux’s division were Anita Trimble of Gillett, Arkansas, Maggie Degenstein of Rugby, North Dakota, Carol Miller of Wasilla, Alaska, and Frankie Dahl of Redmond, Oregon.
Second place earned $425.
Leroux and Lathum both are regulars in the Wednesday morning Koffee Klan at the Dexter Bowling Center. They also compete on Thursdays in the Nine-Pin Mixed League at the Doniphan Bowling Center.
Leroux said she started bowling 40 years ago at the old Tower Lanes in Doniphan.
The pair qualified together for nationals at the USBC state tournament held in Lebanon, Missouri, earning a spot on the Missouri team.