Rodrigue and Beaulieu earn all-star status at Ontario Winter Games

Randy Pascal

2020-03-12

There was both team and individual success to be celebrated from a local bowling standpoint as area representatives took to the lanes at Orillia Bowl, site of the 2020 Ontario Winter Games showcase for the sport.

The Garson Bowl ladies team of Chantal Tourigny, Tessa Cain, Isabelle Rodrigue, Valerie Quackenbush and Andrea Champagne (coach Roger Givoque) managed to top the podium, beating Northern Ontario #2 (North Bay/Tri-Towns) 971-954 in the final.

Finishing with 56 points at the end of round robin play, Northern Ontario #1 edged Elgin Middlesex (53) for top spot in the six team standings, earning a bye directly into the final.

On an individual level, Isabelle Rodrigue topped all of the remaining competitors in average pinfall, posting an impressive total of 235.5 and earning gold status on the all-star team.

Valerie Quackenbush also bettered the 200-point average, sliding in at 215.2 (4th), with all five of the NO bowlers compiling an average of 185 or more.

While the Northern Ontario #2 men's team fell short of qualifying for the playoffs, Kyle Beaulieu from Whitewater Lanes (Azilda) did earn a spot on the all-star team, averaging 240.0 over the course of the competition.

Joining Beaulieu on the squad that was coached by Ziggy Zaldiner were Dylan Clark, Nolan Tranchemontagne, Azrik Paquette and Chance Cronier.

With 36 points to show for preliminary round efforts, Northern Ontario #2 were on the wrong-end of a log-jam in the standings that would see Niagara Peninsula (38), Central Ontario (38), NO #2 and Elgin Middlesex (35) all tightly bunched behind the front-running tandem of Northern Ontario #1 (53) and Ontario Durham (40).

Rounding out the local representation was a mixed team coached by Yvette MacLellan which featured Logan Rheaume and Nicholas Tourigny from Garson Bowl, Bayly Burns and Melanie Barrette from Plaza Bowl, and Dakota Chartrand from Chico's Bowl in Hanmer.

With an average of 204.5, Burns would show the way for Northern Ontario #1, registering the fifth best pin fall among the thirty competitors in the field.