As Aprile Lanes opened in 1960, Diane Harrison began a forty-year career in 5 pin bowling. Her parents, Audrey and Jim Gorman, were active bowlers and, through Verna Jessup, introduced their four children, Don, Diane, Ken and Mike to youth bowling at the new centre.

The original youth program was called the Canadian Junior Bowling Council or CJBC. Diane was a natural bowler and won her first tournament in 1963 and added several other local titles including the World Bantam Tournament, which is held annually in Guelph.

An outstanding career in the Youth Bowling Council (YBC), formed in 1964, followed. Diane bowled in the provincial finals of the Four Steps to Stardom in Toronto, London and Kitchener. She won the Toronto Star Tournament on three occasions and her total included a record high triple of 888 in 1970.

Diane joined the adult ranks, bowled in her first Open in 1973, and proceeded to qualify twenty-one times. Moreover, Diane was the singles representative for Scarborough and Agincourt fifteen times and recorded two Ontario victories. In 1982, Diane was a member of the provincial champion mixed team which finished third nationally in Hamilton. Coincidentally, Diane won the singles title in 1984, the same year as Don Betts, another honoree this year, won the men’s singles. Moreover, in the final game of the 1984 provincial Open, Diane defeated another of tonight’s honorees, Anna Swartzman, 285-254, for the Ontario title.

Overall Diane made the ladies stepladder four consecutive years from 1984 to 1987. The 1984 national finals were in Saskatoon and Diane placed fifth. That same year, Diane bowled in three national finals as she originally qualified for the National Classified finals in Victoria and, later that week, competed in Saskatoon in the Canadian Open. A month later, Diane was in Calgary representing Ontario on the ladies team at the Master’s National finals.

Diane joined the Master Bowlers Association in 1973 as well, and, in 830 games, averaged 243.5. In addition, she won three tournaments over a fifteen-year period from 1976-1991. These accomplishments have placed her in thirtieth place on the Top 90 list. Although Diane displayed her talents on the lanes in both league and tournament play, she is equally proud of her family, both her husband, Neil, and their daughters, Jennifer and Carrie, who initially followed and then participated with her on the lanes. Neil is a top calibre bowler having been selected 69th on the Top 90 list of bowlers in Ontario history. Moreover, Jennifer and Carrie both excelled in YBC and reached the national level of the Youth Bowling Council.

In addition and of equal significance, Diane became involved in bowling as a volunteer and learned the importance of giving back to the sport at an early age. Initially, Diane was Press Secretary for the Aprile Lanes youth program beginning in 1967 and, in 1971, received national recognition from the YBC for her efforts. By 1976, Diane was YBC program director at Aprile Lanes and held that position until the centre closed in 1990. Her brother, Don, who owned Aprile Lanes, moved to Rouge Hill Bowl and, since 1993, Diane has coordinated that youth program as well.

Today, as Jennifer and Carrie are now in the workforce, both Diane and Neil can look back on a lifetime of achievement and volunteerism and ahead to future challenges on the bowling lanes.