Bowler makes top three in Vegas

Alta Vista resident and long time bowler Valerie Kolbet recently represented Iowa in the National Senior Bowling Tournament in Las Vegas, Nev., Aug. 9-12.Kolbet first competed in and won in the Iowa Senior Bowling Tournament in Marshalltown.“Each state advances a bowler to represent their state,” said Kolbet.In Vegas, Kolbet placed third out of all the states represented there.“I used to bowl years ago on leagues,” said Kolbet, “but now I just sub.” Her home alley is the Elma Bowling Alley.She enjoys doing tournaments and has a very supportive team that first traveled with her to Marshalltown to compete and then some journeyed with her to Vegas as well.“We had a great time,” said Kolbet. “You know what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.”While there Kolbet was also able to meet up with a friend from high school that now lives in Las Vegas.The trip did start off rough with a plane delay and their car rental place was closed by the time they got to Vegas.The State of Iowa paid her entry fee and gave her a stipend for Vegas but the rest was on Kolbet.“It was great meeting people from different states,” she said.While there, Kolbet bowled in the tournament and was amazed to learn she made it to the final round.“I almost booked our return flight on competition night because I thought there was no way I was going to make it to the finals,” said Kolbet.She missed the runner up slot by just five pins but still received a trophy and money for her third place spot.