Debi Aiken and her daughter Adrienne are pictured last week at the Wednesday Night League at Tri City Lanes. Adrienne has piled up an outstanding bowling career.
Courtesy photo
EASLEY — There was no question that Adrienne Aiken was going to be a standout bowler.
Her mom, Debi, recently told a classic story of her daughter growing up:
“By the time she was 2 or 3 (years old), she was into bowling,” said Debi, last week during the Wednesday Night League at Tri City Lanes. “We’d fill up the milk jug with water (in the kitchen at home) and it weighed 8 pounds. She would swing that to build up her arm. At 4 (years old), is when we put her in her first league. They didn’t have bumpers then (on the lanes), so she had to learn with the lane. There weren’t a lot of girls (bowling), but her thing was I’m gonna beat these boys. She wasn’t worried about the girls. I’m gonna beat these boys, and that’s how she is now.”
Continued Debi, “Back then, there weren’t a lot of tournaments and scholarship tournaments. Just about every weekend we’d be at Columbia, Charleston and North Carolina bowling in some kind of tournament. She won enough scholarship tournaments to pay for her first year of college (tuition) at Moorehead State (University).”
Adrienne is a 2000 graduate of Berea High School. She never played any school sports. She stayed dialed in every Saturday morning on Youth Bowling.
But at age 18, Adrienne made a big-time statement. She bowled in her first women’s singles tournament in Augusta, Georgia and rolled her first 300 game.
“It was the biggest women’s women’s bowling tournament in pretty much the lower southeast,” said Adrienne. “If you bowled a 225, it was sanctioned and then you were entered. I’m talking 300-plus women. It is nonstop bowling and you have to qualify. I qualified and averaged 236 for 20-plus games.”
Adrienne went on to describe her first-ever 300 game that she bowled: “I get up there and they make a cut, and it’s double elimination. If you lose, you go to the losers bracket. I get up there in my first game of match play. I was lined up and I couldn’t miss. People were scared to bowl with me and you want them to have that mentality. I was in a zone and couldn’t miss. It was so clean and crisp. I didn’t think about anything. I shot my very first 300 and didn’t know I shot my first 300. Then after the last ball, everyone started cheering and my mom was like you shot 300.”
Beyond her mom, Adrienne has had a really supportive friend in Stacy Briggs. In fact, Briggs also saw that 300 game of Adrienne’s at age 18 in Augusta. Briggs took some time from bowling last week in the Wednesday Night League to talk about Adrienne.
“When I first met her (Adrienne), she was so fascinating to watch,” said Briggs. “She was such a powerhouse. It was crazy. Every ball she rolled was so pure. She bowled nine games to qualify (at Augusta) and 42 games straight undefeated. That’s doing something. She won it twice and the third year she was in the top 10 or 12 and she took some time off. You know how life goes and she’s coming back strong.”
It’s one thing to throw a “good ball” when bowling and to win a big tournament.
But it’s how she plays the game that is impressive, too.
“She (Adrienne) is a great teammate,” said Briggs. “Very supportive and always upbeat. She never gets mad.”
Now at 41, Adrienne still finds time to bowl each week. She often gets up to exercise at 4 a.m. at Planet Fitness. Then, she is co-owner of The Pit Stop Restaurant in Greenville.
A “good game” for her is 240-plus. She’s got a total of four 300 games and she’s bowled an 800-plus series three times in her career.
The great thing is that she still has fun bowling. She can laugh, cheer people on and is just be fun to be around. She brings a smile to many faces when she’s competing with high-fives and words of encouragement. Yet, that competitive nature of hers and dedication to the sport that she loves is still there.
“I pay to do it (bowl) and take it seriously,” Adrienne said. “When I come in here and step on the lanes, I give it my all. If I bowl a 180, you can bet I tried all 10 frames. It’s frustrating and irritating, but we all have those days. I try to do my thing and not let it show too much, but people know that I’m very serious. I love to dream, sleep and think bowling.”
So, there you go. That’s why she is such a good bowler and why she marches to such a strong cadence.
Favorites:
TV Show: Peaky Blinders
Movie: The Patriot
Pro Team: 49ers
Pro Athlete: Tommy Jones
Local Restaurant: The Pit Stop
Bowling Alley: Cedar Lane
Type of Bowling Ball: Stormnation
Weight of bowling ball: 15 pounds.
Reach Jeff Holt at 864-855-0355.