It was her turn.
She stepped forward; her crimson polo tucked neatly in her shorts.
With a gloved hand, she lifted the ball, swung and released. Perfect form.
It hit the maple wood floor with a satisfying thud.
The women listened as it crashed into the pins. Not one was left standing. All 10 were down.
She’d hit a strike.
Everyone applauded and cheered.
She would go on to hit five more. And it would pay off.
On Friday, retired transgender advocate Joanne Herman earned a gold medal in the 19th Annual UF Health Senior Games, a multi-sport event featuring adults age 50 and older. She competed in the women’s singles bowling tournament held at Alley Gatorz Bowling Center on Northeast Waldo Road in Gainesville.
“Strikes are fun!” the 65-year-old said. “Because all the pins go down and it makes a big noise.”
The tournament was grouped by men and women as well as age ranges. The ranges represented were 60-64, 65-69, 70-74 and 80-84. The winners of each men’s and women’s age group were determined by the total score tallied in three games.
The highest possible score in one game of bowling is 300. In three games, Herman’s total score was 593, the highest of all the bowlers in the tournament.
With her win on Friday, she earned a spot in the state bowling tournament, the Florida Senior Games in Sunrise, Florida, in December.
Unlike fellow gold medalist Dennis Stenson, 69, who joined his first bowling league 34 years ago, Herman’s introduction to the oil-slicked lanes came much later in life – at the age of 52. She had just lost her first spouse to cancer and needed to focus on something other than her grief.
Bowling was it.
The Dartmouth alum joined a summer league, where she received her first bowling bag, ball and shoes. Later, she became part of a full-season league and won her first women’s tournament in Massachusetts in 2012.
In the beginning, Herman focused solely on the physical aspect of the sport. But she soon realized there was another component, one that was more difficult: overcoming a bad game.
“The mental stuff is really the hardest part,” she said. “You really get down on yourself and say, ‘I just don’t have it. I don’t have what it takes.’ Overcoming that stuff is the hardest part.”
Despite the mental challenges, Herman’s passion for the sport moved her to create BowlingSeriously.com, a website to help those who are interested in competitive bowling. The website answers frequently asked questions and discusses four levels of progression: how to get better, joining a league, participating in a team tournament, competing on one’s own.
Before her love affair with bowling began, Herman’s life revolved around philanthropy and transgender awareness. The story of her transformation was featured in the Dartmouth College Alumni Magazine in 2007. Two years later, she wrote “Transgender Explained For Those Who Are Not,” a book that provides non-complicated explanations of transgender.
Herman’s retirement left her with free time on her hands. It was the perfect opportunity to get serious about bowling. And she’s glad she did.
“I’ve never done any other sport in my life,” the avid bowler said with youthful enthusiasm. “I really, really enjoy it.”