For most serious bowlers, the thrill of a lifetime would be winning a league trophy or finally rolling that perfect 300 game.
Carol Davis has already accomplished those things and so much more during her 37-year bowling career.
But the 62-year-old Lake Orion resident’s crowning achievement came last week when she was inducted into the Detroit Bowling Hall of Fame.
‘I was totally shocked,? Davis said. ‘I didn’t even know I was nominated. I had no idea.?
During her career, Davis has bowled three 300 games (she was the first woman to bowl a 300 at Airway Lanes in Waterford), two 299 games and a high series of 819, which she bowled two days before her 60th birthday in December 2004. (She is pictured with the six rings from those accomplishments above).
Her high series consisted of three games in which she bowled a 239, 300 and 280 at Luxury Lanes in Ferndale.
‘I had four spares, all the rest were strikes,? said Davis, who noted the ring she received for her 819 series is ‘my favorite except for my wedding ring.?
‘The nice thing about? achieving the 819 series was the fact her husband of 13 years and biggest fan, Randy, was there to see it.
A 200-average bowler since the 1995-96 season (except for 1999-2000), Davis recorded her lifetime high average of 214 during the 2006-07 season.
Davis, who retired in 2003 from the Lake Orion Post Office after 34? years as a rural mail carrier, holds a record 10 titles in the Midwestern Women’s Bowling Association.
‘I really hadn’t realized that I had done all that until I sat down and listed it,? she said.
Davis started bowling at the age of 25 right here in Oxford at Collier Lanes, her alley of choice for at least 10 years.
‘I did it to get a night out from the kids,? she said. ‘I ended up taking the kids with me so it really wasn’t a night out.?
When the Ladies Pro Bowlers Tour visited Rochester’s North Hill Lanes in August 1981, a co-worker paid her entry fee to be a guest competitor.
She placed in the top 30. Her performance caught the eye of a woman who bowled for the Stroh’s team in a Detroit league called the All Stars.
So, she stopped bowling at Colliers and headed south.
‘It was really a good move because I learned so much down there,? said Davis, who noted she bowled two nights a week with the All Stars in Ferndale and Allen Park.
‘We’d start at 9:30 p.m. and I didn’t get home until 2 a.m.,? she said. ‘I had to get up at 6:30 a.m. for work the next day. I did that for 8-10 years.?
From there, Davis? bowling career really took off. She earned six Pontiac Women’s Bowling Association all-city selections and was named Metro Detroit U.S. Bowling Congress Women’s Senior all-city in 2007.
At the Michigan Senior Queens competitions, Davis placed third in 2002 and second in 2003.
She was a member of the Actual Team Champion in the Detroit WBA Tournament in 1993. In the Pontiac WBA, Davis was a member of the Actual Team Champion in 1996-97 and from 2000-04. She was Actual Singles Champion in 2001 and 2002.
In 2007, she was runner-up in the Metro Detroit USBC Queens Tournament.
An equal opportunity bowler, Davis has squared off against members of the opposite sex. ‘I used to bowl in men’s leagues,? she said. ‘I was the only woman.?
One year, Davis recalled her and three other ladies got together and joined a men’s league. ‘We took third place in it, which didn’t make some of the men very happy,? she said.
One of Davis? most memorable moments came when she and Oxford resident Helen Smith competed in the Pontiac City tournament as doubles partners and smoked the competition.
‘One year, we were probably the oldest doubles partners in the tournament,? she said. ‘We shot the high series for doubles. We were proud of that because the old bags did it.?
Smith and Davis partnered in the Pontiac City tournament for at least 10 years.
Given her numerous titles, awards and championships, you would think Davis spends countless hours practicing in a bowling alley somewhere. Wrong.
‘I don’t practice,? she said. ‘It’s just natural ability.?
Davis said she ‘never thought of? turning pro. ‘I had two kids and there really wasn’t that much money in it,? she said. ‘There still isn’t that much money for the women. You can make a living, but you’ve got to finish at the top quite often, otherwise you’re struggling.?
But Davis doesn’t bowl for dollars or accolades. She bowls because she enjoys sharing good times with her friends.
‘That’s what I go out for,? she said. ‘I just have fun.?
Davis still bowls two nights a week ? Mondays at Luxury Lanes in Ferndale and Thursdays at Airway Lanes in Waterford. She bowls every other Saturday at Cherry Hill Lanes North in Clarkston.
‘I’ll bowl as long as my body will let me,? she said.