Milligan aims to repeat as USBC Queens Champion
Milligan will look to defend her Queens title when an expected field of at least 300 of the sport's top female bowlers will battle for a Queens record prize fund of $200,000 and a $30,000 first prize June 17-21 at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nev.
With few top-flight competitive opportunities for female bowlers, Milligan has a lot of time to think about and prepare for the Queens.
"The Queens is always fresh in my mind and the closer it gets the more I think about it." said the 29-year-old Costa Mesa, Calif., resident in a Wednesday media teleconference. "I'm starved for competition so I bowl whatever I can. I'm bowling in four leagues and as many tournaments as I can to stay sharp."
In winning last year's Queens, Milligan certainly didn't make it easy on herself. After throwing the first strike in the 10th frame of the second championship match, she only managed to knock down five pins on the second ball. She converted the 2-4-5-7-8 spare to secure victory over USBC Hall of Famer Anne Marie Duggan, 202-177, and earn the $25,000 first prize.
Winning the Queens was her fourth professional title and third major. She also won both the Women's U.S. Open and Players Championship in 2000.
As defending Queens champion, Milligan will forgo qualifying for the 2006 event and will be seeded directly into double-elimination match play where her advice for success is simple.
"You need to stay focused on one frame at a time, make your shots and stay within the moment," she said. "And don't think about going into the losers' bracket."
That advice served her well last year as she went undefeated in match play (winning seven matches) to qualify No. 1 for the finals.
Without the opportunity to bowl professionally, Milligan, who recently moved from Yorba Linda, Calif., manages Barry Asher's Custom Embroidery. She also finds time to coach which she feels is crucial to the sport's future.
"I concentrate on coaching bowlers who average between 110 and 170," Milligan said. "I find bowlers of that ability are enthusiastic about improving and coaching helps keep them in the sport."
If there is a silver lining for Milligan from a competitive standpoint, it will be the opportunity to once again try out for Team USA as she plans to enter the 2007 USBC Team USA Trials next January in Reno.
She also had a very successful amateur career winning a gold and two bronze medals in the 1999 Pan Am Games. She also was a multi-medalist in the 1999 Federation Internationale des Quilleurs World Championships, 1997 Tournament of the Americas and 1997 FIQ World Youth Championships.
"I want to bowl for the gold again," she said. "I have some great memories of bowling on Team USA."
In the meantime, Milligan hopes to add to her scrapbook of memories by becoming the fourth bowler to win back-to-back Queens titles.
The USBC Queens finals are scheduled to be broadcast by ESPN2 on Saturday, July 1 at noon EDT.
More on Team USA
Visit bowl.com for live match play and frame-by-frame coverage of the USBC Queens stepladder finals.
5/25/2006