Liz Johnson Looks To Repeat As Queens Champion

En route to winning the United States Bowling Congress Queens last year, Liz Johnson of Cheektowaga, N.Y., got off to a shaky start in qualifying. That won't be a problem this time around.

Johnson was 71st after the opening round of qualifying last year but bounced back and to capture her first Queens title. This year, Johnson won't have to worry about her qualifying scores since she's automatically seeded in the 64-player double-elimination bracket as the defending champion.

Johnson will take on a field of the top women bowlers in the world when the USBC Queens takes place starting Saturday, April 24, at the El Paso Convention and Performing Arts Center. BOWL.com will have wire-to-wire live streaming coverage of the event leading up to the live nationally televised championship round on ESPN2 at 8 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, April 28.

"I'm still going to bowl qualifying this year, but fortunately, it's just for practice," said Johnson, who defeated Kelly Kulick of Union, N.J., 247-204 to win the 2009 title. "So I can go in knowing I can get a read of the lanes with a loose arm swing and work on my usual timing. It's nice to know that I'm already in the top 64."

A six-time Team USA member who finished third at the 2008 Queens, Johnson said she isn't doing anything out of the ordinary to prepare for this year's Queens.

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