A bowling best

DARRELL L. BREESE/ Frontiersman reporter

WASILLA - When Tiffany Lebahn first picked up a bowling ball as a 4-year-old, she had no idea how far the sport could take her.

But now 14 years later after a record-setting performance, she is finding that there is a world of opportunity opening up for her.

She bowled a state junior girls record three-game series score of 752 on March 6 at North Bowl in Wasilla, besting the previous record set a week earlier by her friend Christa Eggleton of Anchorage.

&#8220I knew I had a good series after I rolled the last frame, but I wasn't sure exactly how well I did,” Lebahn said. &#8220It took me about a minute to ad up the scores for my three games when it sunk in that I had the state record.”

According to Lebahn, she had just read about Eggleton setting the record 740, the morning before she was to bowl in the major senior-junior league.

&#8220It encourage me,” she said. &#8220I told my sister that I was going to focus and see how close to it I could come. Then I broke the record. It was a surprise.”

The day before her record-setting performance she rolled a personal best series of 681 - 37 points better than her previous best. She increased her score by 71 points during her record -breaking outing, giving her an increase of 108 points in a two-day span.

Bowling big scores in nothing new to the Lebahn family. In October her father Dale bowled the first perfect 300 game at North Bowl in three years.

&#8220It is definitely a family sport for us,” Tiffany said. &#8220I practically grew up in the bowling alley.”

The Colony High senior hopes to convert her recent success on the alleys into a place on a collegiate bowling team next fall.

&#8220Up until this year I never really thought about bowling in college,” she said. &#8220But in February I visited Morehead State University in Kentucky with my parents and talked with the bowling coach. Then I really got excited about bowling in college.”

Lebahn bowled games of 267, 259 and 226 in setting the record. Her series score is also the highest of the major senior league, a class that includes both boys and

girls.

&#8220The guys have been pretty cool about it,” Lebahn said. &#8220They're saying things like they bowled a 200 and still got beat by a girl.”

Contact Darrell L. Breese at 352-2267 or at darrell.breese@

frontiersman.com.