“It’s humbling, emotional and exciting,” Furnas said.
Furnas, then Lindsey Coulles, was a star on the lanes from an early age, tallying 14 city and seven state youth titles as well as 21 Junior Tournament Bowlers Association championships before she graduated from high school.
High school bowling was not yet an OHSAA sanctioned sport when Furnas first competed for the Elks club team during her junior year. By senior year, bowling was recognized and Furnas and the Elks girls took the state tournament by storm capturing both the individual and team titles.
Furnas went on to become a four-time United States Bowling Congress Collegiate All-American — three times with Morehead State and once at the University of Central Florida. She was voted the Most Valuable Player at the USBC Intercollegiate National Team Championships in 2006.
But Furnas wasn’t finished with the gold and black as she came back to coach the girls bowling team in 2011. She was named the GWOC Central Division Coach of the Year in 2015 and 2016 and coached three consecutive teams to top-five state finishes from 2014-16.
While Furnas was sharing her love of the game with her high school bowlers, she also had success on the lanes herself. Since 2009, the Hall of Famer has won multiple city and state titles and has earned spots on both the women’s All-City and All-Ohio teams.
While health issues sidelined her on a few occasions — including a two-year hiatus from competitive bowling — she never gave up on the game, even when doctors doubted she would be back bowling.
“I didn’t listen to them,” she said. “And they were very wrong.”
The Watts Middle School intervention specialist — who has 30 perfect games and 13 800 series — is also a member of the Storm amateur staff. In addition to regularly competing in city and state tournaments, she has also competed in a few PWBA events.
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