Special to the Citizen
Michelle Feldman certainly knew what she was talking about.
Last week the 32-year-old said she thought a new format in the Women's Series, with its 10 finalists each week competing in one-game round#-robin matches, would be an advantage for her.
Nice call. Feldman finished as the top seed in the Pepsi Viper Championship in Omaha, Neb.
Today she will bowl second-seeded Stefanie Nation for the title.
The ESPN telecast, which also features the Denny's PBA Tour finals, airs at 1 p.m. on Time Warner Channel 24.
Feldman and Nation will square off just before the men's championship match.
Feldman started quickly Thursday morning at Omaha's Thunder Alley. She averaged 218 for the first seven games to lead the 16 qualifiers.
That night she knocked down 1,477 pins in the seven-game block to finish second overall while maintaining a 214.50 average.
In Friday's round robin against nine other finalists, Feldman compiled a 7-2 mark, earning 30 points for each win.
It wasn't without trepidation, though. Michelle missed the 10-pin six times, said her grandfather Gary Feldman, who crowded around a computer with others Friday night at Falcon Lanes to watch the frame-by-frame results online.
“It seemed like she was down 20 or 30 pins early in her matches, and then she would string six or seven strikes in a row to win,” he said.
Michelle played a swing shot in attacking the Viper oil pattern. By description, it's a pattern that challenges players to explore different angles to the strike pocket.
“Actually, I was surprised I did as well as I did,” the Auburn woman told bowl.com.
“(Thursday), bowling across from the men was easier for me because I kind of go with them. Not that I didn't bowl well (Friday), but I'm a little more left than the women and it's a lot easier.”
And gone were the best-of-seven matches that the Women's Series used last year to determine winners.
Feldman was unable to make the finals in the four events that were contested.
“I don't like bowling those long matches. This new format might help me a little more,” she said last week before driving to Nebraska for the competition.
Prophetic, indeed. And today Feldman, who won 12 titles on the now-defunct Professional Women's Bowling Tour, can re-stake her claim as one of the game's elite players.
Last week the 32-year-old said she thought a new format in the Women's Series, with its 10 finalists each week competing in one-game round#-robin matches, would be an advantage for her.
Nice call. Feldman finished as the top seed in the Pepsi Viper Championship in Omaha, Neb.
Today she will bowl second-seeded Stefanie Nation for the title.
The ESPN telecast, which also features the Denny's PBA Tour finals, airs at 1 p.m. on Time Warner Channel 24.
Feldman and Nation will square off just before the men's championship match.
Feldman started quickly Thursday morning at Omaha's Thunder Alley. She averaged 218 for the first seven games to lead the 16 qualifiers.
That night she knocked down 1,477 pins in the seven-game block to finish second overall while maintaining a 214.50 average.
In Friday's round robin against nine other finalists, Feldman compiled a 7-2 mark, earning 30 points for each win.
It wasn't without trepidation, though. Michelle missed the 10-pin six times, said her grandfather Gary Feldman, who crowded around a computer with others Friday night at Falcon Lanes to watch the frame-by-frame results online.
“It seemed like she was down 20 or 30 pins early in her matches, and then she would string six or seven strikes in a row to win,” he said.
Michelle played a swing shot in attacking the Viper oil pattern. By description, it's a pattern that challenges players to explore different angles to the strike pocket.
“Actually, I was surprised I did as well as I did,” the Auburn woman told bowl.com.
“(Thursday), bowling across from the men was easier for me because I kind of go with them. Not that I didn't bowl well (Friday), but I'm a little more left than the women and it's a lot easier.”
And gone were the best-of-seven matches that the Women's Series used last year to determine winners.
Feldman was unable to make the finals in the four events that were contested.
“I don't like bowling those long matches. This new format might help me a little more,” she said last week before driving to Nebraska for the competition.
Prophetic, indeed. And today Feldman, who won 12 titles on the now-defunct Professional Women's Bowling Tour, can re-stake her claim as one of the game's elite players.
