Bowling One-On-One with Diandra Asbaty: If You Can Dream It, You Can Do It
From collegiate success to her 2023 induction into the USBC Hall of Fame, Diandra Asbaty has propelled the future of bowling. On top of her impressive career in the sport, she continuously advocates for youth athletes with her Elite Youth Tour and mentoring.
From the moment I first met Asbaty at an Elite Youth Tour event back in 2019, I felt an unmatched sense of admiration. I witnessed her positive energy and determination to pass along her experience to the dreamers of the youth. The encouragement and love every athlete was met with left an evident impact.
Her positive energy and passion isn’t only evident in her play, but also in conversation. Recently, I had the honor of speaking with Asbaty, reflecting on her accomplishments and what she has in store for the future.
Everyone has a unique starting point with the sport of bowling and special memories they associate with it. For Asbaty, she grew up surrounded by the sport, first introduced by her Grandma Betty.
It all started at Wednesday night league, where Betty found great pleasure surrounded by her girlfriends on the lanes. Asbaty and sister Kassy, who is three and a half years older, were encouraged by Betty to try the game out for themselves.
As the girls spent more and more time practicing, Kassy was noticed by a local coach, leading her to get competitive and experience some tournament wins.
With Kassy’s progression alongside her own, Asbaty understood early on that ‘you get out what you put in.’
The sky would be the limit for Asbaty as she found a passion that would forever change her life. It was no longer a game of leisure to enjoy every now and then.
“I wanted to know what it felt like to win,” Asbaty said.
Years building up the foundation of her game led to a new beginning: bowling for the University of Nebraska-Lincoln from 1998-2002.
Dreams slowly shifted into reality, creating a new world where the possibilities would prove to be endless.
During her time at Nebraska, Asbaty was a two-time National Collegiate Bowling Coaches Association first-team All-American and helped the team to two Intercollegiate Team Championships titles.
For Asbaty, this chapter is not merely defined by the feeling of winning. She cherished the opportunity to come together as a team to achieve the one goal collegiate players dream of. She knew she had to be on her A-game to help the team get there. Being surrounded by a talented and hard-working team is something Asbaty will never forget.
Collegiate bowling also proved to be a key learning experience that led her into her post-college career.
“I learned that most things worth doing are very hard. I learned that not everyone is going to like you and it has nothing to do with you. I learned that if you can dream it up, you can actually do it,” Asbaty explained.
Asbaty went on to be a member of Team USA for 15 years, spanning three different decades from 1999-2013. In that time, Asbaty won over 70 international medals.
Being on Team USA means you’ll be subjected to some of the brightest stages, and with this, its members face many mental barriers. However, Asbaty did not let it bother her, rather allowing the challenges to help her rise.
“I embraced being nervous. I wasn’t afraid of it. I knew if I felt nervous, that whatever I was doing in that moment mattered. I think normalizing nervousness is key to succeeding,” she explained. She knew the more she practiced, the more confident she would become with her game.
Asbaty highlights one standout memory being her first international tournament, which was the 1999 World Championships in Abu Dhabi. She was 19 years old competing alongside bowling legend Kelly Kulick.
“I watched the United States win the first gold medal I had ever seen the United States win: Kelly Kulick won the singles event there, and I knew I wanted to know how that felt,” Asbaty said.
Alongside the competitive aspect, Asbaty enjoyed the opportunity to travel the world and encounter various cultures and faces. She believes bowling has the power to bring people together, no matter the background.
Towards the end of her time on Team USA, Asbaty dominated with her 2012 USBC Queens tournament win. This is a prestigious major that several bowlers dream of bowling and dream of winning.
To this day, Asbaty views this as her most meaningful win. Around that time, she had just become a mother and knew this would change her life. Yet she had the newfound goal of being a successful mother while also being a force on the lanes.
“Madden was 14 months old when I won the Queens, and that show solidified the fact that although my life looked different, I was going to be okay,” Asbaty recalled.
Through the ups and downs, Asbaty has proven her perseverance and determination to thrive. Her dedication and character helped lead her to her recent USBC Hall of Fame induction this past April.
Asbaty explained, “I am most happy about [this accomplishment] because I can show others that it’s possible because I was just like you.”
Asbaty’s full speech for her induction is available to watch on YouTube. It is an emotional, inspirational watch for anyone aspiring to follow their dreams.
Alongside her success throughout her bowling career, Asbaty has dedicated energy to helping aspiring youth become better bowlers and versions of themselves. She has been running Elite Youth Tour events since 2012.
The Elite Youth Tour is a youth tournament organization that runs events once a month. Age-eligible bowlers pay an entry fee to compete on a variety of sport-shot patterns that will challenge and enhance their games as they progress forward.
Asbaty has taken her tour beyond bowling, encouraging the athletes to help donate to social causes and be better individuals off the lanes.
Her favorite part is watching the youth bowlers become champions – “not just on the lanes, but champions in life.” These events have created a community where people can create lifelong friendships and find support systems like no other.
Asbaty added, “I also love the part when youth bowlers begin my tour at age 8 and then become national champions like Landin Jordan and Gianna Brandolino. The Elite Youth Tour is where you go to learn how to win. And, lose.”
The hardest part of running her tour would be the urge to always provide more, whether this be by obtaining more grants for scholarship money or by having time to host additional events.
Credit: Maudlin Co.
On top of the tour, Asbaty’s presence online and in-person revolves around developing a strong mentality. Her website, Beyond the Lanes, shares everything she has learned with others. She offers team workshops, blogs, and many other things to help the community and spread positivity through the darkest moments.
Her own mental game was in the works before she reached high school. When she was just 12 years old, Asbaty was given a copy of “The Inner Game of Tennis” by Timothy Gallwey. According to Bowling This Month, the book is “on the reading list for plenty of collegiate bowling teams, and it was even mentioned as the go-to mental book by Marshall Kent.”
While she did not understand all of it at 12 years old, Asbaty said, “Exposing yourself to the mental game of any sport at a young age really does give you an advantage. I understood very early on that your mind can make or break you.”
To build up confidence and mentality, Asbaty explained that it is best to stop asking questions like, “Why me?” or “Why would I be good enough?” A good starting point is to start asking, “Why not me?”
“If you are pulled towards being a professional bowler, you should go and do that. It’s not easy, and there are a lot of bumps in the road, but with the right coaches, the right friends, and the right mental attitude, you can and will be successful. But you have to believe in it first. The most important thing to remember is that every single pro that has won any title started just like you,” Asbaty expanded.
With 2024 in its early stages, there is no time better than now to start fresh. Goals are something Asbaty recognizes the importance of, and she is always full of them.
This year, Asbaty hopes to get more grants and utilize the Elite Youth Council to help the tour progress even more. She would also love to be in a position to win another title, keep practicing, and strengthen her weaknesses. Outside of bowling, Asbaty hopes to spend more time with family, feel more comfortable doing “nothing,” and relax more.
If she had to put 2024 into one word, it would be ‘fun.’ She said, “When you are having fun, everything else seems to just fall into place.”
Credit: Maudlin Co.
Her bowling career has been a great success all around, and Asbaty will continue building her legacy by putting energy into establishing a path for the future of bowling.
“Bowling has allowed me the best things in life. It brought me my husband, John. It essentially then led to our beautiful children, Madden and Jersey. It taught me how to win and how to lose. It brought me friends from all around the world and helped me develop a great appreciation for the world we live in. It’s been a friend to me and has also made me so sad. It’s allowed me to feel every emotion, and for that, I’m so grateful,” Asbaty said as she smiled.
Asbaty is living proof that if you can dream it, you can do it. Everything starts with believing.
*Feature Image Credit: USBC
