She had her long hair pulled back in a ponytail and wore an oversized T-Shirt that normally served as her uniform for her Saturday junior league.
Amanda Burgoyne, bowling in a youth pro-am, knows she probably looked younger than her age, which may have explained her competitors’ initial reaction after she won the tournament.
“It was a nine-pin no-tap, so basically, if you left a nine pin standing, it would count as a strike,” Burgoyne said. “I just kept getting nine after nine after nine, and they all counted as strikes.
“And I ended up beating all of these lady professionals.”
Their reaction?
“They were in awe,” said Burgoyne, who’s since married and goes by Amanda Burgoyne Vermilyea. “They were like, ‘Who is this little girl?’
One who grew up following her dad to multiple bowling leagues a week, then took her turn practicing after his competitions were finished.
“It was hard to take me off the lanes,” said Burgoyne Vermilyea, who began bowling competitively at age 9, but in nothing as big as beating those women.
“I remember them very fondly,” she said. “They were the sweetest ladies to me. They kept saying, ‘You keep it up, you keep practicing, and one day you’ll be here bowling.’ I remember that. I remember I wanted to be a professional one day. I want to bowl in these tournaments.”
So when Burgoyne Vermilyea learned she’d been selected for induction into the Nebraska Athletic Hall of Fame, she contacted two of those women with whom she’s remained friends – Kim Kearney, now head bowling coach at North Carolina A&T University, and Leanne Hulsenberg.
She shared the story of that “little girl” in a big ponytail earning her first major victory, and thanked them for their words of encouragement.
It sparked a bowling career that now has Burgoyne Vermilyea entering the 2020 HOF class with the likes of Heisman Trophy winner Eric Crouch and volleyball Olympian Jordan Larson.
“I was surprised. Very, very honored,” Burgoyne Vermilyea said. “When I got the phone call from Coach (Paul) Klempa, I was trying to keep the tears back until I got full of them.
“Just knowing there’s so many wonderful athletes at Nebraska, to be chosen, I’m very, very honored.”
Burgoyne Vermilyea, a native of Newport, Minnesota, came to Nebraska in large part because she felt she could help the program win a national championship in the first year the NCAA sanctioned a national tournament.
“And then seeing the college,” she said, “I’m like, ‘Yep, Nebraska is where I want to be.’ “
Not only did Burgoyne indeed help Nebraska win the inaugural title in 2004, she helped them repeat in 2005, too. That’s when she was named the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament after posting an average of 251.75, which still stands as the highest average in the history of the NCAA Bowling Championships.
Former Nebraska coach Bill Straub recruited Burgoyne after seeing her bowl in a national youth tournament
“The first I saw him, I was very hesitant to try to talk to him, just because of how tall he is,” Burgoyne Vermilyea said. “Once I got to know him, I realized how much of a big teddy bear he is. I really got close with him and learned a lot from him. Overall, I realized my senior year that he helped my game a lot. I learned a lot about myself. He’s a terrific guy and very special to me.”
Nebraska won 27 tournament titles in Burgoyne’s career while finishing in the top three at the NCAA Championships in each of her four seasons. The Huskers have since won NCAA titles in 2009, 2013 and 2015.
“Seeing how the program has grown over the years is amazing,” Burgoyne Vermilyea said. “When I can be able to come back and visit and see how many more titles the team has won, it’s outstanding. Nebraska IS number one. I’m just so fortunate.”
Reach Brian at brosenthal@huskers.com or follow him on Twitter @GBRosenthal.
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