GREAT LAKES, Ill. (AFNS) -- Despite taking a two pin loss to the Navy for the Women’s Doubles crown, Air Force veteran bowler Maj. Danielle Crowder teamed with veteran Air Force bowler Staff Sgt. James McTaggart to capture the Mixed Doubles title at the Armed Forces Bowling Championship at Naval Station Great Lakes, July 23.
Crowder, formerly of the Air Force Office of Special Investigations Judge Advocate General office, now assigned to Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, and McTaggart, of Creech AFB, Nevada, agreed the mixed doubles competition allows for a change of pace from the days of grueling competition, and is a little more relaxed.
The pair has been bowling since early childhood. They dug in early to set their eye on the prize and were not looking back.
“I wasn’t losing to Navy again,” said Crowder, who averaged 200 in mixed doubles. She also claimed the women’s overall individual gold.
She paired well with McTaggart in their first outing together, as he also had something to prove, having been unseated in earlier rounds as the defending Men’s 2018 Singles and Doubles champ.
Both said they were lucky to have families who support their bowling passion and cheer them on from home, thanks to do-it-yourself setups broadcasting their lanes on Facebook Live.
“My parents and father-in-law watched the whole thing,” McTaggart said.
“I couldn’t come without family support,” said Crowder, who took last year off to have her second child and was proud that her 3-year-old, father and husband all cheered her from Alabama.
The annual Armed Forces Bowling Championship showcases the best bowlers from the service branches that field a team, spanning a two-day elimination round of more than 50 bowlers and a three-day championship series in Singles, Doubles, Mixed Doubles and Team competition.