The Striking Sex

Yi-Wyn Yen

April 04, 2005

Though he calls Liz Johnson bowling's Annika Sorenstam, Brad Angelo isn't sure women can hang tough with men on the lanes. "On a week in, week out basis, only a handful of women can keep up with the men," he says. "It comes down to a strength issue. Most women don't have the strength." But as fellow pro Jack Jurek points out, "It doesn't matter if you're big or tall, male or female. The objective is to be accurate. I don't see this being a problem for women." Bowler Chris Barnes agrees and says that one need look no further than the top of the alltime money list: "Walter Ray Williams has one of the weakest releases on tour, and he's one of the most successful guys of all time." And as Wes Malott notes, not all male bowlers can boast of super strength: "It's not a physical sport. A few of us, including myself, are overweight and don't work out every day. This sport is more mental than physical."