Connie Ward has literally conquered the bowling world at all levels and in several disciplines.

As a youngster, Connie’s parents, Erika and Erwin, introduced her to 5 pin bowling at Sherwood Centre. Of German descent, her parents were active in the local German/Canadian Bowling Association and enjoyed the local bowling activity.

Connie was a natural and her skill level improved quickly. Entering the youth championships, the Four Steps to Stardom, Connie won an unprecedented six provincial and national championships, beginning as a ten year old in 1976 and finishing as an eighteen year old senior in 1984. These accomplishments are unparalleled and earned Connie the designation of “YBC Bowler of the Century“ for the first one hundred years of our sport.

With this title, Connie was an automatic invite to the 1982 training camp for the 1983 Canada Games. While there was a spot on the ladies’ team reserved for a bowler from the Youth Bowling Council, Connie easily qualified and was a force at the Canada Games in Chicoutimi, Quebec as the ladies’ team was undefeated and gold medal winners. In addition, in an illustrious YBC career, Connie was also a provincial champion in the Pepsi Challenge on the mixed team in 1980.

In 1986, at age twenty, Connie moved to the adult ranks and in her first year in the provincial Open, Connie led the Hamilton ladies to a provincial team championship and she also won the provincial singles title. Bowling in the national finals in British Columbia, the Hamilton ladies were victorious and in the singles, Connie finished second to Laura Mitchell of Northern Ontario. In subsequent years, Connie won the provincial singles title on two more occasions representing Niagara in 2007 and Central Ontario in 2010. Her triumph in 2007 led to a Canadian title in Sudbury, while 2010 was a second silver medal in Winnipeg. In addition, Connie won five more provincial titles on ladies’ teams from Hamilton and nationally, these Ontario titles led to three gold, one silver and a bronze medal. Connie left her mark on the Canadian Open record books as well as her twenty-one game qualifying score of 5727 (274 average) remains a national record.

In the Master Bowlers’ Association of Ontario (MBAO), the annual Bursary tournament opened the door to membership as she won the event in 1985. In the following year, Connie won her first of nine MBAO tournaments and she also qualified for her first of five national teams. Each of these teams won a gold medal and provincially, in 720 games, her lifetime average is 254.9, highest of those bowling over 500 games.

In her domination of 5 pin bowling, Connie has three perfect games, two at Sherwood Centre in 1986 and 1990 and one at Stryx Lanes in Grimsby in 2003. As well, she has qualified for the starting lineup on both the CBC and TSN television series.

Always looking for a challenge, Connie turned her interest to tenpin bowling. Once again, Connie excelled and by 1992, she was selected for Team Canada. At the national level, Connie bowled in an exhibition match in Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia and also represented Canada at the Federation International Quilles (FIQ) in Guadalajara, Mexico. At this international event, Connie won a gold, a silver and a bronze medal. Following this success, Connie also joined the ladies’ professional tour and overall, bowled in seven events.

It was through tenpin bowling that Connie developed an ability to “read“ bowling lanes. In 2008, Connie took this ability to the American duckpin tour and in just eighteen months, she earned enough tournament points to gain entry to its Hall of Fame. These points came from four tournament victories and several other high placings.

Not to be outdone, Connie has coached successfully as well. In the YBC program, she has a national gold medal with the bantam boys from Sherwood Centre and followed that with a provincial win in the 1990 Youth Challenge. Moving to the adult ranks, she added another gold medal as she coached the Ontario ladies at the MBAC national championships in 2007.

At just fifty-one years old, Connie continues to work at the Credit Valley Hospital as a Diagnostic Imaging Informatics Specialist. As well, as a few nagging injuries begin to heal, Connie is weighing her bowling options. She was a winner in July of 2017 on the US duckpin tour and she will also bowl in a five pin league this fall. Among other goals, she wants a twenty-fifth appearance in the provincial Open.

She continues to live in Hamilton with a non-bowler, Rob Levely and working on her parenting skills with Rob as she helps to raise a twenty year old daughter, Ciara, just another challenge for Connie Ward.