When she was growing up Kim Terrell dreamed of competing in the Olympic Games. She never did but she went on to make sports history of a different sort.

In December of 2001, in Laughlin, Nev. the 36-year-old Terrell captured the U.S. Women's Open championship. Seeded fifth heading into the televised finals she won three straight matches, including a 234-220 win over Wendy Macpherson in the final match.

The $300,000 purse was the largest in the history of women's bowling and Terrell took a check for $55,000 home with her.

It was Terrell's first win in more than two years and her first singles title in six. "What was most important to me was the fact that I had won," she said. "It had been so long and it had definitely been far too long since I had won an event by myself. There was just such a sense of accomplishment in winning."

Terrell and her fellow professionals could also feel a sense of accomplishment because they took a stand. In the summer prior tournament there was a very real chance that the PWBA players would boycott the tournament because of a dispute with the Bowling Proprietors Association of America over the size of the purse.

To state the matter succinctly the women refused to bowl unless their purse and television arrangements were equal to those of the men's U.S. Open. In the end the matter was resolved and the women bowled for more money than they ever had before.

In terms of historical significance the situation was reminiscent of the start of the open era of tennis in 1968 or the founding of the Women's Tennis Association five years later.

Terrell was proud of the way the tour players remained united during the dispute. "I really proud of the fact that we really stood together, just in fairness, I think it was really important. I had a lot of passion for our cause, I just couldn't with good conscience compete in an event that didn't treat us equally."

As part of the agreement the PWBA received marketing rights to the Open and handled many of the administrative aspects of running it. It wasn't easy but after the tournament finally got underway the players were able to step on the approaches feeling pleased about what they had accomplished.

"There was just a calmness about the whole even," Terrell said, "especially with this being the first major kind of under our control, there were so many things we thought were riding on it. It was just a really comfortable and exciting environment.

To top it off when Terrell arrived home from the tournament there was a congratulatory message waiting for her from Billie Jean King. King and the Women's Sports Foundation had supported the PWBA during its dispute with the BPAA and King's words of encouragement were especially meaningful to Terrell. "It was just the most amazing voicemail," she said. "To listen to someone of that caliber as an athlete, just the legendary things she's done in the sport of tennis."

Terrell never planned to be a professional bowler. She started bowling in the junior program at L&N Lanes in San Francisco at the age of eight but unlike some other bowlers she was active in other sports too. She was a good basketball player in high school but there was no place for a 5-8 post player in the college game so Terrell enrolled at San Jose State primarily because her sister was already on the bowling team there.

She was not immediate success but after her freshman year her game took the great leap forward. She wound up being a two-time All-American at San Jose State and wound up bowling in the Team USA program in 1988. She competed in several international events leading up to the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, where bowling was a demonstration sport. Terrell didn’t qualify for the games but the Brunswick Corporation took every member of Team USA to Seoul.

To this day, Terrell misses the team aspect of bowling that she enjoyed as an amateur and hasn't ruled out the idea of coaching at the college level someday. "Absolutely," she said, "if I were to stay in the sport after coming from the tour I would love to coach collegiately. I just don't think there's anything more rewarding. I would in a minute go to collegiate nationals and watch it. It's such a great event. I wish everybody could see it. It's a great experience."

Since turning pro in 1989 Terrell has maintained her enthusiasm for her sport and her respect for her peers, who three times have named her the Robby Sportsmanship Award winner.

Terrell credits her parents with impressing upon her the necessity of conducting herself properly, on the lanes and off. " My parents have always been involved in our lives," she said. "They couldn't be more supportive with my bowling. But it was very clear early on that my (proper) behavior on the lanes had to be there."

And as she prepares for the start of her 14^th season on tour in 2002 Terrell feels a sense of camaraderie with her fellow professionals, who continue striving to make the PWBA a healthy, viable entity. "We've all had good years, we've all had bad years," she said. It's just a constant struggle with our owners and players trying to keep this going. We need each other to do it. It's not going to happen with the success of one player. I think everybody has an understanding of that. You won't find too many people misbehaving because our image is such that you just can't afford to put yourself or the tour in a bad light I hope we all do our best to put our best foot forward."