RUMFORD, R.I. – While the start of the 2020 Professional Women’s Bowling Association season still is two months away, the PWBA Regional Tour will have its second stop of the year Saturday at the PWBA East Providence Regional.
The one-day event will kick off at East Providence Lanes in Rumford, Rhode Island, at 9 a.m. Eastern with an eight-game qualifying round, and the top four will advance to a stepladder final, which is scheduled for 2 p.m. Eastern. Both rounds Saturday will be broadcast live on BowlTV.
A proving ground of sorts, the PWBA Regional program allows up-and-coming players the chance to test their skills on a stage similar to the national tour, against players who, like themselves, are looking to take the next step in their careers.
The 2020 PWBA Regional program also has the added incentive of the BowlTV PWBA Regional Cup, which will award season-ending bonuses to the top 10 players, based on points earned in all regional events. The highest points-earner will receive a $3,500 bonus, while 10th place in points will earn $500. The total prize fund for the Regional Cup is $13,000.
One of the players chasing that bonus is Summer Jasmin of Beckley, West Virginia. Jasmin is a familiar face on the PWBA Tour, having competed in all five regionals in 2019 as well as 10 national tour stops, with a highest finish of 21st at the U.S. Women’s Open. Jasmin is a fan favorite thanks to her outgoing personality, and her fans won’t be disappointed as she plans on being around a lot in 2020.
“I’m definitely going to all of the regionals that are paired with national stops,” said Jasmin, who had two top-10 finishes in regionals last year. “The regionals before the season are a great way tune-up for the summer, and the BowlTV Regional Cup really makes it more enticing to come out and compete.”
Jasmin opened her 2020 season with an 11th-place finish at the PWBA Sarasota Regional in Sarasota, Florida. She dug herself into a hole early with games of 181, 181 and 187 but was able to gain eight spots with a strong finish.
“I wasn’t comfortable the first couple of games, which led to making some bad decisions,” said Jasmin, who is one of 10 women to roll a 300 game at the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships. “I learned a couple of things I needed to work on before Rhode Island, and I just need to make sure to stay aggressive and trust my instincts, especially with the shorter format.”
Despite falling short of making a regional stepladder in 2019, Jasmin is confident that she will achieve that goal in 2020, with the ultimate goal being a regional win. In order to do that, Jasmin says she will have to control her emotions and stay off the roller coaster.
“Having a good mental game is essential for being successful and as bowlers, we go through different emotions week after week,” Jasmin said. “In Sarasota, I was on a roller coaster, and that’s not a good place to be. I bowled myself out of a couple of stepladders last year, and it really messed with my confidence.”
She had two of those rides during her regional appearances in 2019. At the Sonoma County Regional, Jasmin rolled two games under 170, including 166 in the final game to miss the stepladder by 15 pins. At the Orlando Regional at the end of the season, she started the day with games of 148, 195 and 170, eventually missing the stepladder by 33 pins.
“If I can get out of the gates quicker, then I’ll be able to stay in the moment at the end of blocks,” said Jasmin, who finished 39th on the PWBA Tour points list in 2019. “Eventually, if I keep knocking on the door of the stepladder, it will open.”
Two other players worth watching in Rhode Island are Elise Bolton and Nicole Trudell.
Bolton, of Merritt Island, Florida, captured the 2019 PWBA Greater Cleveland Regional to kick off the 2019 season. She defeated Valerie Bercier of Spring Lake, Michigan, in the title match, 237-221. Bercier went on to win the PWBA Rookie of the Year award in 2019.
Bolton injured her back and was out for most of the summer, returning in Orlando for the Go Bowling! PWBA Regional Showdown, a special made-for-TV event featuring the winners of each of the first four scheduled regional events in 2019. She lost in the first round to Gazmine Mason, 217-214.
Trudell, originally from Rhode Island and currently residing in Bridgeport, Connecticut, burst onto the scene in 2017 with a fifth-place finish at the U.S. Women’s Open, losing her first match on TV to eventual champion Liz Johnson. Trudell again in 2019 proved that she can show up at major events, shooting 300 in match play at the QubicaAMF PWBA Players Championship en route to a 15th-place finish.
The PWBA East Providence Regional roster is full of players whose careers are spread throughout the spectrum; recent collegiate standouts who are trying to prove themselves, journeywomen who are looking to finally break through, and players who were ready to compete 15 years ago but had to wait for the revival of the PWBA Tour in 2015.
While the list of potential winners is long and there is talent from the top to the bottom, Jasmin, Bolton and Trudell are the players who jump off the page as legit title contenders in Rhode Island.
