On Tuesday night at Golden Pin Lanes, Bryanna Caldwell bowled the greatest set of games in Tucson history. That includes men, women, everybody, in more than a century of bowling.
No one has done better.
Caldwell bowled 300, 279 and 300. Out of 36 possible strikes, she rolled 35. It tied the sanctioned United States Bowling Congress women’s record for a three-game series, 879.
Her average this year is 245. It was 234 a year ago.
It was so remarkable that the most honored bowler in Tucson history, PBA Hall of Famer Paul Colwell of Catalina High School, told me “Bryanna is probably the best female bowler in America. It wasn’t a fluke.”
Caldwell graduated from Canyon del Oro High School in 2004 and was, at that time, probably the most coveted college recruit in Tucson.
You didn’t hear much about it because bowling is not a glamour sport. She went to powerhouse University of Central Missouri where she was the NCAA Bowler of the Year in 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008.
“I had bowled 300 on 10 previous occasions, so I know what it’s like to shoot 300,” she said. “My previous best was 861, so it was a very special night. I work full time and bowl two nights a week, so I’m not able to work on my game as much as I’d like.”
There is no longer a Pro Bowler’s Tour for women.
“That’s too bad,” said Colwell, who rolled 43 perfect 300 games in his career and won nine PBA Tour championships. “Bryanna could make a lot of money. She’s a special talent.”
This didn’t happen by accident. Bryanna’s grandfather, Ray Munguia, who still averages 190 in his early 70s, gave her a bowling ball when she was 7. Her parents, Dallas and Monica Caldwell, both have had season averages of 200 or more. Her father has twice bowled perfect games.
By the time Bryanna was 14, her average hit 200 and kept going north.
“I bowl Tuesdays and Fridays and in every tournament I possibly can, most of them on weekends, whether in Arizona or national,” she said. “It’s a bummer that there is no women’s pro tour.”
She is sponsored by and endorses Columbia 300 bowling balls and Turbo, a bowling grips firm.
Before Caldwell returned to Tucson full-time to help the day-to-day operation of her parents businesses – granite countertops, a jewelry store, a janitorial company, among other things — Caldwell was on Team USA in 2006, 2007 and 2011.
Tuesday night at Golden Pin Lanes, as word of Caldwell’s 300-279-300 series spread, a crowd of bowlers gathered. It was so good that even Caldwell was taken aback.
“When I went to work Wednesday morning, I was a little overwhelmed, almost in shock that it happened,” she said. “You always hope you’ll have a night like that, but when it actually happens, wow.”
