How a 13-year-old bowler named Arianne Cerdena set a duckpin record in 1976

There is no doubt that Arianne Cerdena-Valdez will remain a legendary name in the world of bowling. She has accomplished a lot in bowling, including handing the Philippines its first gold medal in the Summer Olympics despite the sport being a demonstration sport.

Regardless, not many may know that the Philippine Sports Hall of Famer started in duckpin bowling. The difference between this and ten-pin bowling is that duckpin uses smaller balls and pins. Bowlers are given three balls per game to knock down all 10 pins per frame.

Cerdena, only 13 years old back, participated as the youngest competitor when she joined the first ladies classification B singles tournament of the Greater Manila Duckpin Bowling Association Inc. on January 9, 1976.

PH bowling legend Arianne Cerdena-Valdez [photo by Brian Yalung]
PH bowling legend Arianne Cerdena-Valdez [photo by Brian Yalung]

The teen bowler stole the show on that day of the tournament, rolling a 338 triple to set a new record at Bowlodrome Taft. Cerdena was the only player on that Friday evening to score three above 100 games with a 103, 120 and 115 for a total tally that bested previous marks set by other players such as Carmen Mueco and Cora de Torre.

Cerdena’s performance could have also broken another mark, the 130 hi-single mark of Ligaya Navarro, had she not missed two possible spares in her second game.

Cerdena was the crowd favorite at the time in her record-breaking bid. She needed only a 113 in her third game but went beyond that with two pinfalls.

Brian Yalung with PH bowling legend Arianne Cerdena-Valdez [photo by Brian Yalung]
Brian Yalung with PH bowling legend Arianne Cerdena-Valdez [photo by Brian Yalung]

Join the discussion