One-On-One with Chelsey Klingler: Embrace the Journey
The road to the PWBA and competing on the tour takes incredible skills, dedication, perseverance, mental toughness, and the ability to adapt to life’s challenges on the fly. Chelsey Klingler knows a few things about this and I had the opportunity to talk with Chelsey about her bowling journey.
Both of your parents grew up bowling and would eventually come to own a small 16 lane center in downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan. Talk about how your personal relationship with bowling began and what captured your interest to keep going.
“As hard as I try to remember the first time I bowled, the memory just is not reachable. Maybe that is because for as long as I have known, bowling has been a part of my life. I grew up bowling the typical youth league on Saturday mornings. My dad worked in the pro shop at the center where I bowled, and I remember always hanging out in the shop. It wasn’t until I was in High School that my parents purchased Wenger’s Bowl (a unique 16 lane center, 8 lanes downstairs, and 8 lanes up). Conventionally, this was around the time I started to take bowling seriously. I vividly remember spending hours in the center practicing, having the resource to practice for free whenever you want is a huge advantage that I wish every youth bowler had.
I bowled a youth tournament just before my freshman year, I believe it was a Pepsi State Tournament. The lane conditions were a “challenge” pattern. At this point in my game, I had very minimal experience when it came to anything other than the typical ‘house’ pattern. I don’t remember exactly how I did, but I do remember how I felt. I felt like I was experiencing bowling for the first time all over again, and by that, I mean I had not a clue what that ball was going to do down lane. I was seeing ball reaction and was being forced to play parts of the lane that I have never had to experience before. I love it. I loved being challenged, being pushed, and I loved how it felt like bowling was a completely different sport at that moment. It was then that I knew I wanted more from bowling than just bowling league and a few tournaments here and there. I wanted to know the ends and outs of this sport. I wanted to push myself to limits that I didn’t even know existed yet.”
As you continued your bowling journey through high school, you were hitting your stride and having success. Confidence was at an all-time high and you were ready for the next step, to compete at the collegiate level.
“Once I got into high school, I was bowling a tournament every weekend whether that event was a high school tournament or an MJMA (Michigan Junior Masters Association, an incredibly organization for youth bowlers that dates to the 80’s). In high school I was able to accomplish just about every accomplishment possible (300 games, undefeated in single points, Singles/team conference, regional and state champion, Dream Team, All state, all conference). I was able to capture my first MJMA win my senior year of high school and signed a letter of intent for a full ride academically to Grand View University in Des Moines, Iowa.”
You were on track with your goals and feeling excited about the opportunity to compete at the collegiate level. You were inching closer towards your aspirations of one day joining the PWBA tour. But things didn’t go exactly as you had planned and hoped at this juncture. Your journey would take some unexpected twists and turns. Talk about this stage of your journey and some of the challenges you faced.
“I headed off to college thinking I was going to live out my dream of competing collegiately and better myself on and off the lanes. Unfortunately, my college experience did not live up to the hype. To be very clear, I fully support college bowling. I believe it is one of the biggest and greatest sources that young and new bowlers have to really propel their bowling career towards success. While I fully understood that about college bowling then and it still is a great resource for bowlers to grow and thrive, I faced a different experience.
The confidence that I had coming from an incredible youth career was destroyed by those that were supposed to be my biggest supporters. I made endless amounts of phone calls back home to my parents and coach (Charlie Tapp) looking for guidance and reassurance that the negative information I was being fed wasn’t in fact true. My abilities were being questioned and I was in a situation that was going to hinder my growth.
..My coach looked me in the eyes and told me I would never bowl professionally.
-Chelsey Klingler
On the day I last bowled for (Grand View), my coach looked me in the eyes and told me I would never bowl professionally. The very next day I applied to multiple different colleges and started my journey to transfer.”
Sometimes change is necessary to stay the course of your goals and dreams and you took the reins of your life and made courageous decisions. Now you’re on your way, steadfast in your determination to continue developing as a bowler and your long term sights still intact on a professional bowling career. However, life would have new surprises in store for you.
“Shortly after transferring to a college back home (Aquinas college), I became pregnant with my oldest daughter Emma. While my bowling career came to a screeching halt, my life as a mother began. Every decision I made from here on out was no longer for myself. I took a short break from the bowling world.”
With a break from bowling and focused on raising your daughter, the time away allowed you to reflect on your life and your passions. Your dream of bowling professionally kept tugging at your heart. After some time away and with the support of your family, you joined the PWBA tour. It would be a memorable first season both professionally and personally.
“It was when I met my now husband, Drew, that I knew I wanted to see how far I could go in bowling. With his push and unlimited support, I made the commitment to bowling a full season on the PWBA tour. My rookie year was just short of everything I had hoped. Just before the end of the season, I became pregnant with my youngest daughter and I became very ill, preventing me from finishing the season. Once again, life had different plans for me. This of which I was okay with, being a mother is the greatest gift of them all. My girls are my world, and being able to still get back out on the lanes and compete professionally is more important than ever. Being a parent is not something that should hold people back from going after what they want in life, if anything it should be all the motivation, they need to accomplish that dream. I feel that I have an advantage now that I never had before, I have my small army of support behind me.”
You now have two seasons under your belt as a professional bowler. On the PWBA tour in 2022 and 2023, you cashed three times each year and reached match-play in both years. You were a top finalist for PWBA Rookie of the Year in 2022. You finished 51st and 53rd in total points each year respectively. You’ve made a successful impact on the professional tour. Talk about your overall experience on tour so far, about the competition level, and about the players you’ve met and the relationships you built on this journey.
“Bowling on the PWBA is such a unique experience, a rollercoaster to say the least. There are highs and lows. The competition level is unbelievable. These women athletes are the best in the world, they-do-not-skip-a-beat. Even if these first two years have yet to meet my expectations, result-wise, having the privilege to compete against the best in the world, is something I will never take for granted.
Each event I find myself looking at the lane pairings and getting excited. I think to myself ‘what amazing bowler am I going to get the opportunity to cross with this week?’ Every bowler is so different than the next and being able to cross with different ones at each event allows for a new learning lesson. My first year, I bowled next to Diandra Asbaty. She is so incredibly nice. At my very first event, she was the first person to have a conversation with me. She went out of her way to make me feel comfortable without even trying. There are so many women like this out on tour.
The relationships that the PWBA has brought me are unreplaceable. Two years ago, I met Brianna Andrew, we had no idea we both lived in Grand Rapids and were both going to be bowling full-time on tour. I am so thankful that PWBA brought her and I together. She has become my best friend and biggest supporter. It is such an advantage to have someone who understands what you go through event after event. She is my accountability when it comes to practicing, and my mental coach when I need to vent. I know that one day, when I win, she will be there behind me, no excuses. And I can’t wait to do the same for her.”
Now that the 2023 season is over and the 2024 season just around the corner, talk about your excitement, expectations, and preparations for the upcoming 2024 season.
“Three weeks ago, a good friend of mine, Jeremy Pettenger, asked me what my goals were for the 2024 season. Of course, I could have answered ‘I want to win.’ For how obvious of a goal that is, and honestly the same goal for just about every woman out on tour, that goal didn’t seem good enough. After doing some heavy research on how to set goals, I’ve concluded that my biggest goal for next year is I want it to be different. My first two seasons were great, they were consistent, but they weren’t different. Even after going through a challenging pregnancy, my first two seasons were very similar in results. Most will say I overcame so much and was able to get back on my feet and not lose any momentum, but to me having almost the same season means I didn’t grow enough.
I have seven months, give, or take, until the start of season. In some respects that seems like a long time, in others it’s not nearly enough time to accomplish all that I want to get done and all that I NEED to get done. While there are many changes I want to make physically, I am mainly focusing on three key points in my game that I feel will help make this upcoming season different. I completely changed how I attack my spares; spare shooting is a completely different animal out on tour vs local events. Ball roll is another big aspect of my game that I am putting a lot of time into. Being able to have multiple different ball rolls out on tour is going to put you in cashing range every time. Last and certainly not least is the equipment. Far too many times have I relied on my ball reps to put the right ball in my hand. This upcoming season I want to put myself in a position to feel completely confident in my own decisions when it comes to bowling ball choice. If I focus on these three key factors in my game, I truly feel that will put me that much closer to the goal of winning, making the 2024 season different than the others.”
With your professional bowling career in full motion, you live a very full and busy life between bowling and a growing family. Most bowlers have hard enough time keeping track of their bowling equipment, let alone young family members too! Talk about how you manage and balance family and professional bowling life.
“To successfully balance family life and my commitment to bowling professionally it’s important to have strong time management skills and the ability to have positive mental toughness. Being a stay-at-home mom, it would be very easy to get caught up in the busy life of raising a family, running a household, all while trying to find time for adequate self-care. With my oldest in school full-time, I have fallen into a balanced schedule. Drop off, practice, housework, work-out, pick-up, dinner, bedtime – repeat. By having my days mainly planned well in advance, but also allowing myself to be flexible-while still maintaining mental toughness, I can train for tour in a way that I feel necessary. Sure, there are many days where making it to the bowling alley seems nearly impossible. Anyone that has children knows how tiresome it can be. This is where my mental toughness training comes into play. Allowing myself to rest when I need rest, but also pushing myself when the excuses are just not good enough.
Without my husband, bowling full-time on tour would be impossible. He takes on the task of working full-time and supporting the family financially, all while still being an amazing father to our kids. It was his initial push that got me to commit to bowling on tour, and it’s his continuous support that allows me to stay full-time.
Traveling stop to stop can be stressful, time consuming, and overwhelming. My first year on tour I travelled alone for the most part. Being away from my family is the hardest thing for me, and frankly a big distraction. This past season I had the pleasure of having my husband and kids with me at most stops. With my husband being able to work from just about anywhere that has internet, he was able to work from the hotel during the day and attend the later blocks at night. My mother travelled with us and would stay back at the hotel with the kids. Parenting guilt/mom guilt is a real thing. During tournaments it can be hard to push that guilt away and focus on the task at hand. This upcoming season, I want to make travel plans that allow me to have some events with my family and some without. This will hopefully make me feel less distracted and trust that my kids are perfectly fine.
Bowling full-time on tour is a job. I suggest any mom/parent out there that wants to bowl professionally treat it as such. Make the commitment, allow sacrifices, and surround yourself with a supportive community. (A PWBA daycare center at each event wouldn’t hurt either 😊).”
Dare I even ask about hobbies? I imagine there is not much time left on the clock in your day but please talk about other interests you might have. You’ve also recently started coaching services.
“Being a homebody has become my way of cherishing the moments that matter most to me, especially when it comes to my family. I learned quickly as a mom that these years are short. Your kids are only young for so long and next thing you know you have an empty nest. I want to enjoy my home and time with my family as much as possible. As a family we love to read, play board games, and recently started watching the reality show “big brother” together.
Now that my youngest is getting a little less dependent, I have been able to focus a lot on what I want to offer to the world of bowling. As you said, recently I started offering on-lane coaching services. So far it has been incredibly rewarding and I am finding a new love to teaching. This has kick started a new journey for me. I am pursuing certifications to become a life coach. My goal is to provide valuable life tips, goal setting tips, and mental health guidance specific to bowling. Through this path, I hope to extend a helping hand to those seeking personal growth when it comes to the mental side of bowling.”
All around the globe, bowling seems to be gaining momentum both recreationally and competitively. What encouraging words of advice would you give to bowlers out there who are looking to improve their game.
“It’s fantastic to see bowling thriving all over the world. For all the aspiring bowlers, my advice is to embrace the journey of improvement. Remember that every frame, every game, every practice session is an opportunity to refine your skills and knowledge. Stay dedicated, practice regularly, and seek guidance from experienced bowlers or coaches. Patience is key; progress may be gradual, but each small step counts. Lastly, have fun! Bowling is not just about winning; it’s about the joy of the game and the friendships you build along the way.”
Thank you, Chelsey, for taking time with us to share your personal bowling journey. It’s been an incredible and inspiring journey so far, to say the least. The challenges that you’ve overcome, being told you would never reach the professional level and yet, here you are, with the love and encouragement of your ‘small army of support’ competing at the PWBA level. You’ve embraced this journey wholeheartedly. It will be fun to watch you compete in 2024. I know the bowling community around the world wishes you the very best this upcoming season.
“I’m delighted to have had the opportunity to connect with all of you and share my bowling journey. Your support means the world to me, and I am eager to bring my best to the upcoming 2024 PWBA season. Let’s roll those strikes together, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for the sport of bowling in years to come. Thank you for having me, and here’s to an exciting year ahead.”
*Images courtesy of USBC, PWBA, Brunswick and Chelsey Klingler
Accomplishments
- PWBA Points Standings: Finished in 51st place in 2022 and 53rd place in 2023
- 17th Place at 2023 USBC Queens
- 2022 Finalist for Rookie of the Year
- 12th place finish at 2022 Rockford Open
- 17th at 2022 St. Petersburg – Clear Water Open
- 2022 Lady Tate Women’s Scratch 7k Winner
Social Media
- Chelsey Klingler – Facebook
- Chelsey Klingler – Instagram
- Chelsey Klingler – Instagram_ThrowMoreStrikes
