Tabora hopes to rejoin bowling pool

MANILA, Philippines — Now that she’s been cleared by doctors to continue playing after a six-month hiatus, 2017 World Cup champion Krizziah Tabora is hoping to rejoin the national bowling pool but realizes it will take going through a qualifying process to prove herself all over again.

Tabora, 28, was unable to play for the country at the Asian Games last year because of a health condition. She also skipped the qualifiers that could’ve brought her back to the World Cup in a bid to retain her crown. For a while, Tabora lost her monthly allowance from the PSC because of her leave but it was reinstated by Philippine Bowling Federation (PBF) president Steve Robles until the end of last year. Since Tabora is no longer in the national pool, she has lost eligibility to receive a monthly allowance.

Tabora said PBF secretary-general Bong Coo invited her to join the SEA Games qualifiers last December but she begged off on doctors’ orders. She was advised by her obstetrician-gynecologist to lay off competitive bowling and stressful activities for six months while undergoing treatment to normalize her body functions. “It was a case of whether she would continue bowling or risk losing the ability to bear a child,” said Tabora’s father Delfin who introduced her to the sport when she was 13. “Of course, our priority is Krizziah’s health.”

Tabora returned to the lanes last January, too late to enter the SEA Games qualifiers. Slowly, she’s been regaining her championship form. Tabora recently finished fifth in a national mixed open tournament in Baguio and third behind second placer J. P. Macatula at the TBAM (Tenpin Bowling Association of Makati) national open at the StarMall alleys on EDSA. A week ago, she ruled the first Central Luzon Tenpin Bowling Alliance national open, also at StarMall, beating Kenzo Umali in the stepladder finals in two games. Next week, Tabora is off to Bacolod to compete in the Negros Open.

Tabora said she misses playing with the national team. It was in 2008 when she was asked to choose playing for either the youth or seniors team. She picked the seniors and that year, won the Philippine International Open. The next year, Tabora competed in the last World Ranking Masters competition involving the top eight players from Asia, Europe and the Americas for men and women in Naples, Italy. She finished 11th of 24 in the tournament topped by Malaysia’s Siti Safiyah. As fate would have it, Tabora faced Siti in the final of the 2017 World Cup in Hermosillo, Mexico and won, 236-191. It was Tabora’s second appearance in the World Cup as in 2012, she finished No. 13 of 69 in the first cut-off and later No. 14 of 24 in the second cut-off to end up out of the top eight in Wroclaw, Poland.

Tabora’s father, an engineer and a telecom contractor, has never wavered in his support from when she rolled her first ball. Her mother Thelma is just as supportive. Tabora said she couldn’t have gone far in bowling without her parents watching her back. As a national player, Tabora won a pair of bronzes in the team of five at the 2015 and 2017 SEA Games and a silver in the team of four at the 2017 Asian Indoor Games in Turkmenistan.

In August, Tabora will walk down the aisle to marry Macatula, a former national bowler. Macatula is employed as an aircraft mechanic at Clark. They’ll continue to pursue their bowling dreams. “When I went on medical leave, I wanted to quit,” said Tabora, the youngest of three children. “But I love bowling so when my doctors told me I could go back to playing, I thought I would just enjoy the game. Now, there’s no pressure playing for the national team. When I play, I’m happy. Bowling is my instrument to try to inspire the youth, to motivate kids to excel in sports or whatever their interest is.”