Gary Feldman was on his way to Atlantic City on Sunday for a bowling convention. The Falcon Lanes owner left Auburn at noon, and 90 minutes later figured to stop somewhere in Binghamton, just about the time his granddaughter, Michelle, was scheduled to take to the lanes in the first Women's Series tournament against Stefanie Nation.
He found a restaurant with a TV carrying ESPN. It soon became a Michelle Feldman lovefest.
“I had all the waitresses cheering for her. They were screaming for Michelle,” he said.
The top-seeded right-hander, bowling a one-game match for the Pepsi Viper Championship in Omaha, Neb., started well, rolling a double. Nation, a Team USA member from Arlington, Texas, found her bearings and struck from the third through sixth frames to hang tough.
The pivotal moment came in the ninth frame. Feldman needed a strike to set up a big finish in the 10th. She sent the ball wide, and it never lurched back to the pocket. The 1-2-8-10 stood. The conversion attempt was just as insulting: Michelle picked up three sticks but wrapped the headpin around the 10, without even a wiggle.
“She told me there was a hang spot on the lane,” said Gary, who spoke to Michelle by phone after the match. “She tried to go around it on his first ball, but it just didn't make it back.”
The second-seeded Nation fired a strike in the 10th frame and walked off the approach to raise the crystal trophy, clinching the 225-200 victory and winning $10,000. Feldman earned $6,000.
Gary Feldman said his granddaughter, who helps manage his bowling lanes, was already driving back east Sunday night. And she's not devastated. Far from it.
“She's not really disappointed. She got a plug in for Auburn and she's looking forward to the next tournament,” he said.
The telecast will re-air at 1 p.m. today on ESPN Classic, Time Warner channel 109. A break in the Women's Series next week will allow Michelle to attend the Hall of Fame induction of her grandfather on Nov. 8 at Sunset Restaurant. The second of seven events is in Taylor, Mich., Nov. 12 to 16.
Feldman, a former Professional Women's Bowling Tour star, earned her top seeding by posting a 7-2 record in Friday's round-robin matches. Along with her total pinfall, she racked up an additional 30 points for each victory to outscore Nation 5,208-5,079. Nation also had a 7-2 match-play record.
“I had all the waitresses cheering for her. They were screaming for Michelle,” he said.
The top-seeded right-hander, bowling a one-game match for the Pepsi Viper Championship in Omaha, Neb., started well, rolling a double. Nation, a Team USA member from Arlington, Texas, found her bearings and struck from the third through sixth frames to hang tough.
The pivotal moment came in the ninth frame. Feldman needed a strike to set up a big finish in the 10th. She sent the ball wide, and it never lurched back to the pocket. The 1-2-8-10 stood. The conversion attempt was just as insulting: Michelle picked up three sticks but wrapped the headpin around the 10, without even a wiggle.
“She told me there was a hang spot on the lane,” said Gary, who spoke to Michelle by phone after the match. “She tried to go around it on his first ball, but it just didn't make it back.”
The second-seeded Nation fired a strike in the 10th frame and walked off the approach to raise the crystal trophy, clinching the 225-200 victory and winning $10,000. Feldman earned $6,000.
Gary Feldman said his granddaughter, who helps manage his bowling lanes, was already driving back east Sunday night. And she's not devastated. Far from it.
“She's not really disappointed. She got a plug in for Auburn and she's looking forward to the next tournament,” he said.
The telecast will re-air at 1 p.m. today on ESPN Classic, Time Warner channel 109. A break in the Women's Series next week will allow Michelle to attend the Hall of Fame induction of her grandfather on Nov. 8 at Sunset Restaurant. The second of seven events is in Taylor, Mich., Nov. 12 to 16.
Feldman, a former Professional Women's Bowling Tour star, earned her top seeding by posting a 7-2 record in Friday's round-robin matches. Along with her total pinfall, she racked up an additional 30 points for each victory to outscore Nation 5,208-5,079. Nation also had a 7-2 match-play record.
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