Local women inducted into USBC Hall of Fame

The Nevada Bowling Association presented their local Hall of Fame awards to Sophia Olive and Wanda Shrimplin honoring their service to the association, leagues and many years of bowling. Pictured left to right are: Nevada USBC president Russell Milbauer, association manager Liz Lechman, Sophia Olive, Wanda Shrimplin, and board members Diane Gilmore and Debbi Metcalf. --Submitted Photo

NEVADA, Mo. -- Sophia Olive and Wanda Shrimplin were honored April 5 by being the first women inducted into the Nevada USBC Association Hall of Fame. They worked behind the scenes for years, two bowlers who have both been officers in several leagues. The induction was reward for many years of faithful service.

"I was secretary and treasurer of the Twilighters League 25 years," Olive said. "That's a long time to have to do everything by hand, no computers then."

Shrimplin said she had received a pin for being the secretary of her league and each year, she received a small bar to add to the pin. "It's really long now," she said.

The two have competed in many tournaments, but didn't have a lot of stories they were willing to share with the public.

"I don't think you want to hear all the stories," Shrimplin said.

One incident did get through, however. Olive said they were awakened in a hotel in St. Louis, Mo., with the news there was a fire.

"Eva Thompson used to charter busses and take us to tournaments," Olive said. "We went to St. Louis a couple of times and one time, the hotel caught on fire, or we thought it had. We were on the fifth floor and they came in and said, 'It's on fire.' Well, of course, we was in bed. We took out down stairs. There had been some seniors there on break and they set these high-priced fire extinguishers out and that's what it was."

Olive said she is 87 years old and had a goal to still be bowling when she was 90.

"I will be 88 in August and my goal is to bowl until I'm 90 years old, so I've got two years to go," Olive said. "My bowlers say 'Sophie, if you bowl when your 90, we're going to give you the wildest party you ever had.'"

Neither woman has bowled a perfect game, but they have both posted 600-plus for a three game series, Olive has had two 600-plus series.

"Both of us have bowled all-spare games," Shrimplin said. "I've bowled 600 for a series, 640 I think. I had a splitting headache and I had three 200-plus games for that night."

In all of the tournaments they have bowled, they haven't faced any professional bowlers, but Shrimplin did bowl in a tournament where she was in the same division as the pros.

"There were two years when I had a 172 average, which meant, at that time, the way they had the divisions, I had to bowl in the open division, which was against the pro bowlers. Because I was bowling with someone who had a lower average than mine, I wasn't bowling at the same time as the pros were bowling," she said.

Between the two, they have held quite a number of offices for many, many years. Olive was president and vice-president of the Nevada Women's Bowling Association, president and secretary/treasurer of the Wednesday and Thursday Coffee League, secretary/treasurer of the Twilighters League, and president of the MO-KAN Travel League. Shrimplin has been secretary/treasurer of the Morning Coffee League, secretary/treasurer of the Monday Night Late League, secretary/treasurer of the Monday Maids League, secretary treasurer of the MO-KAN Travel League, secretary/treasurer of the Nevada Women's Bowling Association, and has held committee positions in the Missouri State Bowling Association.