Taitano la la las her way to crown

Lala Taitano was crowned the “queen” of the 2004 Pepsi King of the Lanes Tenpin Bowling Tournament after beating nine of the top women players at the Saipan Bowling Center Sunday.

The Filipina right-hander finished second to Lynn Teregeyo earlier during the eight-game elimination round but then got her stride in the stepladder finals.

She first beat Malou Cabigao in the semis before crowning herself with an impressive win against Teregeyo in the winner-take-all championship round.

The Masbate, Philippines native attributed her victory to the focus and patience she exhibited throughout the course of the tournament.

Women players in the Top 9 of the Bowling Ranking System initiated by the Saipan Bowling Association rolled-off at past 1pm Sunday.

After the eliminations, Teregeyo was first with a total 1,232 pinfalls, followed by the 1,310 of Taitano, the 1,272 of Ron Cal, the 1,246 of Emi Williams, the 1,230 of Cabigao, and the 1,227 of Elene Soll.

In the first round of the stepladder finals, Cal ousted Soll, 180-159, and Cabigao upset Williams, 172-162.

Taitano and Teregeyo then showed their first and second rankings after the eliminations were no fluke when they advanced to the finals. Taitano downed Cabigao in a score of 166-149. Teregeyo did the same, outlasting Cal, 175-159.

In the finals, both women’s nerves were shot and it all boiled down to who could concentrate the most. In the end, Taitano proved the steadier of the two, as she nipped Teregeyo in a photo finish, 176-171, and claimed the season-ending championship of the women’s division.

Taitano, who started playing bowling competitively in 1999, said she would like to dedicate her win to her husband, children, and grandchildren.

The 20-year Saipan resident is married to Joe Taitano and the couple has three children—Janet, Jane, and Joann. The Taitanos are also dotting grandparents to grandchildren Joshua, E.J., and Laila.

Before her triumph Sunday, the nearest to a championship Taitano got was a runner-up finish in a classified tournament a few months ago.

The other three bowlers that qualified for the season-ending roll-off were Rebecca Reyes (1,214), Cora Muna (1,205), and Elsa Zapanta (1,044).

The 2004 Pepsi King of the Lanes season-ending championship for women was organized by SBA and sponsored by Pacific Trading Co.