Name:
Mary Betke
Name:
Mary Betke
Birthday: 08/17/61
E-mail Address: strikesareforwomen@yahoo.com
Website: www.oocities.org/strikesareforwomen
How long have you been bowling? 32 years
High Game: 300
High Series: 802
300's: 6
800's: 1
Are you a native Texan? Yes
Left Handed or Right Handed: Left
What equipment do you throw? Right now I throw mostly AMF equipment.
What is your favorite all-time bowling ball? Faball's Black Hammer.
What female bowler(s) do you admire the most and why? Robin Romeo is one of my favorite professional bowlers. She is so consistent and has a great mental game. She has probably never missed a spare in her life. Millie Ignizio also comes to mind. For those of you who have never heard of Millie, shame on you. Millie Ignizio was probably the first great lefty on the women's side. She was a dominant bowling force during the 1960's and early 1970's. She has won three WIBC Queens titles. No one else has ever done that. She also was the first to win three straight professional titles in 1967. Millie's pro career was ended due to health problems. Who knows what she would have done. She still bowls. In fact, I met her one year at WIBC Queens. I even got her autograph.
What female bowler(s) from Texas do you admire the most and why?
As far as Texas women go, Debbye Berry is a bowler that got my attention back in 1983 when I was bowling my very first Bluebonnet Queens tournament. We didn't actually meet and become friends until three years later. 2She packs a big punch in such a small package. Debbye has natural talent, an aggressive style, and is a fantastic pressure bowler. Debbye happens to be my best friend. Another bowler that I have a great amount of respect for, learned a lot from and is also a longtime friend (she was my maid of honor) is Regina Loveall. I first met Regina in college. I bowled on her team in Amarillo. She is a student of the game and a fierce competitor. Growing up in Waco, Susie Reichley was somewhat of an enigma to me. Susie graduated from Richfield High here in Waco. She was at the top of her game the brief time she lived in Waco and made quite a lasting impression on those she bowled with and against. I listened to many a local bowler talk about Susie's intensity, her work ethics and her dedication to the game. I heard and read about Susie's many accomplishments. Needless to say, I developed a world of respect for that lady and her game even before I met her or saw her throw a ball.
Describe your most memorable bowling experience(s):
My most memorable bowling experience is very recent. It was when I won my sixth Bluebonnet Queens title. In December of 1999, I told my husband, Mike, that I felt strong and confident. I was looking forward to bowling Queens and I really believed I could win it again. I asked (more like begged) him and the kids to go with me. I was convinced they were my good luck charms. I was two for two with them at tournaments. They all came with me. I'm three for three now. Confidence can take you a long way. When I looked at the board with five games to go in match-play, I was in third place and was 150 pins behind the leader, Carolyn Dorin-Ballard. Instead of panic sweeping over me, a wave of calm and confidence swept over me. I knew I was going to win. What a great feeling! Too bad you can't bottle something like that. I read an article that was written after Donna Dillon won her third Bluebonnet Queens tournament. According to the article, she experienced the same thing. She knew it was her day.
Another very memorable experience was when I bowled WT Doubles with Regina Hillier, now Regina Loveall. WT Doubles is a fund raising tournament conducted by the West Texas State University bowlers. It is strictly match-play and at that time most entrants were men. Regina and I were the only all women's team. We lost our first match so we went straight into the losers bracket. We "sucked it up" and made it all the way through to the
final match where we bowled Julie Bishop (a freshman on the team) and Marc McDowell (a member of the men's team and a future PBA Bowler of the Year). In the end we lost a very close match, but what an experience that was for me to bowl with Regina, who in my eyes was, and still is, one of the best bowlers ever to grace the lanes.
What is the funniest or most embarassing thing in bowling you have ever seen or experienced? Most of my embarassing moments have come about because of my temper. One of those episodes happened while bowling the Amarillo Invitational. I was still in college and wasn't bowling well. Apparently, I was making quite an ass of myself because the tournament director, Louise Hajaar, reprimanded me for my actions. She informed me that more than one person had complained about my antics. Talk about embarassing! I tucked my tail between my legs and straightened up my act. Did I learn my lesson? Only temporarily. It was probably a good five years and a few more embarassing moments before I finally realized that my tantrums were no good for my image or my game.
List awards, honors, titles, etc.: Miss Texas Junior Bowler (1979), Ft. Worth Bowler of the Year (1991) and Texas Woman Bowler of the Year (1991). National Collegiate Team Champions (1983) and 1st Team Collegiate All-American (1983). Bluebonnet Queens Champion (1983, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1998, 2000). Two-time Member of U.S. National Bowling Team (1991, 1992). Seven PWBA Regional titles. Six state titles (three doubles, one singles, and two team).