⭐One Year of Bowling Baddies: Changing the Game for Women⭐

Hey Bowling Baddies,💗

Can we just take a second to talk about the year we’ve had?! I’m literally crying — it’s been amazing.

I’m not going to list every single achievement (you can check those out on our Facebook and Instagram!), but what I will talk about is the love. The support. The people. Because that’s what this is really about.

Let’s get a little real for a minute.

Growing up in Australia in the bowling community had its ups and downs. I’ve always loved bowling — I always will. But do I think the bowling community can be tough? Yes. Especially when you haven’t found your people yet.

Representing Australia was an incredible experience. The tournaments were challenging and helped shape me into the bowler I am today. But like everything, that chapter came to an end.

Moving to America was a whole different kind of challenge. I came here alone at 19 — my mum dropped me off, and that was it. I had to figure out life on my own. And even now, I sometimes wonder what things could have looked like if my path was different… but the truth is, I wouldn’t be who I am today without those experiences.

And the people I’ve met since leaving college? They’re my people.

The support, the love, the friendships — it’s been better than anything I’ve ever experienced in bowling before. And because of that, starting the Bowling Baddies Club has felt so natural… and so rewarding. The love we’ve received has been overwhelming in the best way. I finally feel like I’ve found where I belong.

Our very first Baddie tournament was October 11th at Holiday Lanes in Oklahoma. I was so nervous. We got there early and people were already showing up. Somehow, everything ran so smoothly — check-in, the meeting, everything.

We had 48 sign up and 44 show up… amazing.

The atmosphere was unreal. High scores, great energy, more spectators showing up throughout the day — it was everything we dreamed of. In the finals, we saw so much grit. Special shoutout to Kaylee McCleery for an incredible performance, and to Stefanie Johnson — our very first Bowling Baddie Champion — averaging 235 for 6 games. We are so grateful for her support and everything she’s done to help us grow.

After that, we realized… women want this.

We had already booked a few events, but after seeing the response, we booked more and released a full schedule.

Next came our Mixed Doubles Sweeper — and honestly, we didn’t expect it to be big at all. But 44 teams showed up… and I was not mentally prepared 😅

I was stressed, I wanted everything to be perfect — and somehow, it was.

We even had two 300 games (Rick Justice and Trey Sledge!!) which made the night even more special. Our champions were Stefanie Johnson and Rick Justice — again, we’re so grateful to have such high-level bowlers supporting what we’re building.

Then came the Ultimate Baddie Showdown.

This one… wow. I knew it would be a long day, but I don’t think anything could’ve prepared me for just how intense it was. 8 games of qualifying, 66 women competing — it was incredible.

The hardest part for me? Not being able to bowl… but also not being able to watch everything. Hearing about the lane conditions — tricky, over/under, cliffed — and still watching these women battle, adjust, and support each other was so inspiring.

We ended up with a 10-person bracket, and the finals were unreal.

Elexis Sledge vs Ashley Rucker — 2 games, total pinfall.

Ashley won by just 7 pins.

Seven.

She averaged 225 in qualifying but absolutely turned it on in match play, averaging around 245–250. It was one of the most impressive performances I’ve ever seen.

This year has been so inspiring because of you.

We are so grateful that you trust us. We want to prove that women’s tournaments are needed — that they can be competitive, exciting, and something people want to watch and be a part of.

And yes… it’s hard not bowling my own events.

But this is bigger than me.

This started because I knew women like us deserved better — better tournaments, better formats, better experiences. Not outdated events, not the same old structure… but something fun, challenging, and meaningful.

I hope you can feel through these words how much this means to me… and how much you mean to the Bowling Baddies Club.

Thank you for believing in us. We’re just getting started.

Here’s to one year of making history — and so much more to come.

We are all Bowling Baddies 💖