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SportWaterloo Page 16 â€" Waterioo Chronicte, Wedrniesday, July 16, 1980 The closeness of the competition was indicated by the fact that the match against Manitoba came right down to the final balls being thrown. with both Liâ€" lienthal and teammate Sylvia Mages of Acton needing to mark to win their games and the valuable points. Exactly 16 days ago, Marion Lilienthal taught us all a most valuable lesson.~ * It is never too late for a shot at the big time. â€"__ What started out last fall as a mere application to join the nationallyâ€"organized Master Bowlers Asâ€" sociation (MBA) turned into a dream come true for Marion on the recent long weekend when she comâ€" bined with four other Ontario women to capture the ‘‘teaching"~ division of the MBA national fiveâ€"pin championships. But because Marion did her "teaching‘" some 2,000 miles away in Chapman‘s Lanes in Vancouver, B.C.. few people in her home town of Waterloo to this day realize they have a national bowling champion in their midst. ‘‘I‘d have to rate this as my biggest thrill in bow!â€" ing." said the deservedlyâ€"proud Lilienthal Friday in the lounge of her home club Waterloo Bowling Lanes on Princess St. I‘ve had lots of thrills with the kids ... but this has to be the biggest thing that‘s happened to me personally.~ *‘*We had the lead right from the first match, and wanted to make sure going into the final game that we just bowled our best."* said Marion, outlining the Onâ€" tario team‘s strategy. ‘*We decided that if we weren‘t going to win. they were going to have to take it from us. we weren‘t about to give it to them."~ They didn‘t. ’ Competitions included men‘s and women‘s teaching and tournament divisions with the format being pinsâ€" overâ€"average in headâ€"toâ€"head competition. In each match, a total of eight points were available. one for each winning bowler and three for the team winner. Going into their final match against Manitoba. the Ontario team needed five points out of eight to tie Saskatchewan. six to win. They got seven. and thus brought back this province‘s only team gold medal of the competition. : As opposed to many teams in national competitions. the Ontario collection of fiveâ€"pinners was a "team * in name only heading into the MBA championships. _ The five Ontario ladies, Lilienthal. Mages. Joan Arâ€" chibald of Georgetown. Nancyâ€"Fleming of Toronto and JoAnna Macisaac of Sudbury were selected along with coach Dot Britton of Welland based of their inâ€" dividual aggregate performances in the Master/Junâ€" ior (Nov.). Master/Bantam (March) and 10% (May) But they do, and she is it éamatalatmw To our On Behalif of The Staff, Mel Schmidt â€" Program Director, Executive, Members and Volunteers of the Waterioo Youth Bowling Counsil for a job well done. By Rick Campbell Chronicle Sports Editor 14 PRINCESS STREET WEST Member of the Winning Ontario Women‘s Team in the Teaching Division of the MASTER BOWLERS ASSOCIATION NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP WATERLOO BOWLING LANES MARION LILIENTHAAL Vancouver, "Air Conditioned For Your Bowling Comftort" MARION LILIENTHAL WATERLOO Jure 27â€"30, 1980. 886â€"2900 or 886â€"2370 agerage "There was a total of 22 games from those three events. and I think I bowled 600â€"plus ‘over my average,." said Marion with a sheepish grin. as she explained how she got selected to the Ontario team. MBA events which were all calculated pinsâ€"overâ€" But aside from a briefing at the end of the 10% tourâ€" ney in Ottawa, the Ontarioâ€"women did not meet again until they literally boarded the plane at the Toronto airport to head west. And even at that, two different planes carried members so everyone did not get toâ€" gether until the Saturday afternoon before the compeâ€" tition. **Some people like to work with the handicapped or blind. I like to work with the kids. I‘ve always wanted to do .as much as possible for them."" said Marion. explaining her admirable devotion. "It is worth my time just to see the way they improve. to have a kid come up to me and say *"gee. I had a great game today" is all the reward I need." Maybe that is all she needs. but not all she deserves. Heartwarmingly, the latter came in obscure Chapâ€" man‘s Lanes 16 days ago. when it was graphically illustrated that in true sport. it is the Marion Lilienthâ€" als of this world who really matter. Chronicle Sports Line Her interest was rekindled when she moved back to the area 16 years ago and has spent the past 15 years as a volunteer with YBC. She stays away from the alleys during the summer. preferring the grassy golf links to the airâ€"conditioned lanes. but every fall faithâ€" fully returns for another season of fiveâ€"pin action and teaching. f The women carried the Ontario banner best as in addition to Lilienthal‘s team, Ontario also won woâ€" men‘s singles in the tournament division and the tourâ€" nament women‘s team won a thirdâ€"place bronze. When speaking to Marion Lilienthal. few sentences go by without at least one or two references to her ‘‘kids". the fortunate youngsters who have been reciâ€" pient of her faithful guidance over the years she has been involved with the Youth Bowling Council. **When I joined MBA last year I had no idea I‘d be bowling individually at the nationals."* admitted Marion. "The main reason I joined was to continue working and bowling with kids. £ "It was funny, over the years I had coached the kids so often about the pressures of competition. and then suddenly. I found myself in that very position. It was really quite a thrill." Raised in Waterloo, Marion‘s first interest in bowlâ€" ing came at an early age when she bowled out of the old Strand Lanes on King St. W. across from Gaukel St. She continued her interest in the sport while workâ€" ing in London for three and a half years. but gave up bowling when she got married and moved to New York because she "really couldn‘t get to an alley." _ The top men‘s performance for Ontario was a fourth in the tournament single‘s competition. _ _ _