Who is the greatest woman bowler of all time? My answer is undoubtedly, Marion Ladewig. Many of my childhood friends would say it's because I had a chance to meet her in person when she visited Hilo Lanes in the early 60's to promote bowling and put on an exhibition. Ms. Ladewig was part of an entourage that came to our small town for the newly opened Brunswick bowling center. But, get serious, do you think I would allow such subjectivity to cloud my opinion?

If you have never heard of her, doing some research will reveal that her record of accomplishments will speak for itself. From 1941, when she won her first amateur tournament, until 1964, when she retired from active competition, she dominated the female bowling world. She was also a terrific ambassador for the sport of bowling as she traveled all around the world doing her promotional bowling exhibitions.

In the days (1930's, 1940's and 1950's) when women just "did not patronize" such establishments as pool halls and bowling alleys, she actually started out playing softball. (By all accounts she was a pro-level shortstop with terrific athletic ability.) She started bowling when she was 21 years old, in 1935, and six years later, was "barnstorming" through the Midwest winning a variety of championships. Within another ten years, Marion Ladewig was widely recognized as the one of country's best women bowlers.

There was a bit of a side-track around 1948 when she was forced to stop bowling for a while with an attack of bursitis. She stopped bowling all together for a few months, then came roaring back on the national bowling scene winning the 1948 National All-Star Match Game Tournament in Chicago. She averaged 198 over the first 48 games, then dominated the semifinals and finals, averaging 210. In the days of two-finger bowling balls and manual pin setters, that is a truly superior feat.

Marion Ladewig was named National Woman Bowler of the year from 1950 thru 1954, began traveling around the world as a Brunswick Bowling Ambassador (a relationship that lasted for 30 years until 1978), was one of the original organizers of the Professional Women Bowler's Association (PWBA) in 1959, and won the inaugural PWBA tournament a year later.

The list continues as in 1962, she won the World Invitational and All Star Tournaments; in 1963 she was honored as the Professional Bowling Writers Association (PBWA) Bowler of the Year; and in 1964 was named the first "Superior Performance" inductee into the Women’s International Bowling Congress (WIBC) Hall of Fame. Though she retired from active competition later in 1964, she remained very active in the sport promoting it wherever she traveled.

In 1988, she was selected as a representative to the Olympic games in Seoul, Korea, where bowling was a demonstration sport. Finally, in 1991, she was honored with the "Salute to Champions" award presented by the National Bowling Hall of Fame in St. Louis, Missouri.

Objectively speaking, "I rest my case." Subjectively speaking, "I presented her the lei way back then in the traditional Hawaiian Style." I have been infatuated with older women ever since.

A Hui Hou! (See You Again!)