GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — For as long as she can remember, Chelsey Klingler has been around bowling. Her parents owned their own alley in downtown Grand Rapids. She bowled at Aquinas and then in 2021, she took her game to the professional women’s bowling association.
“I love competing locally but I just wanted more so it was kinda a what if. Like if I didn’t do I would always question if I could compete out there. I would want to know how I could rank with the rest of them so I needed to give it a try,” said Chelsey Klingler.
Now she’ll get to play in her hometown as the PWBA makes a stop at Spectrum Lanes in Wyoming this week, playing along with several other West Michigan athletes.
“I always say the hardest part about competing is being away from home so to have the opportunity to compete here and I get to sleep in my own bed and go home and cook meals and be with my family at night, that’s just a huge opportunity for me,” said Klingler.
“As I got older, as I competed more and was earning scholarship money, I decided that going professional would just be something I wanted to jump in to and see how it went. I did that three years ago and I’ve been out on tour for three years now and loving every minute of it,” said Brianna Andrew.
Coming from the South Chicago suburbs, Brianna Andrew made Grand Rapids her second home when she attended Calvin University. Along side touring on the PWBA, she coaches at Northview high school and is getting her masters in mental health therapy.
This weeks tournament is the 4th stop on the tour this season and their first ever in Grand Rapids. It will include three different events starting on Thursday with the winner earning up to $12,000. Andrew says her mental game has become a priority for her since she turned pro.
“Bowling I would say is 90% mental. They are long days, they are grinds. So I think it takes a lot of mental energy and strength to be a strong athlete out there,” said Andrew.
Dasha Kovalova will also compete this week. She was born and raised in Ukraine and moved to Kansas in 2012 to bowl collegiality. The world champion and major winner now lives in Muskegon and says she’s also is happy to have a tournament in her own backyard.
“It’s exciting and nerve-racking at the same time because there are a lot of people who I know are my friends that are going to be there and I do have performance anxiety sometimes but it’s good because both my mom and dad can come watch me bowl. And maybe I can bring more awareness to bowling with locals and just kinda show them that it’s not just, you know, you put a lot of effort in to bowl good at the professional level," said Kovalova.
For fans who want to watch the action in person, you can buy tickets at Spectrum Lanes. You can also watch live on BowlTV.
