Maranda Pattison and Ashtyn Woods both grew up learning how to bowl primarily at Windsor Bowling Center.

Maranda Pattison and Ashtyn Woods are making Sonoma County bowling history. The duo, who are friends and push each other in multiple ways, are members of the Team USA and Junior Team USA bowling squads, respectively, which are the top levels of competition per age category for bowlers in the United States.

Pattison, from the Ukiah area, and Woods, from Santa Rosa, both grew up learning how to bowl primarily at the 24-lane Windsor Bowling Center, which has been owned by Pattison’s parents, James and Molly, for the past 20 years.

“Maranda started bowling as soon as she began to walk,” James Pattison said. “When she turned 14, she practiced every day for two to three hours.”

Pattison, 23, said she went to a bowling clinic in Sacramento when she was 12 and that experience spurred her to strive to become a professional bowler.

“Bowling really spoke to me. This was something I really want to do,” Pattison said. “Win or lose, I just wanted to get good at the sport.”

Pattison, who graduated high school from the Ukiah Independent Study Academy, bowled for four years on a partial scholarship at McKendree University and a graduate year at Jacksonville State in Alabama, thanks to an extra year of eligibility due to COVID-19.

“I like the camaraderie of bowling. There is definitely a great social aspect to bowling,” Pattison said. “I have met a lot of great people bowling.”

She earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from McKendree and a master’s degree in integrated studies at Jacksonville State.

Pattison’s collegiate career included being named a four-time NCAA All-American as well leading her two schools to a combined four conference championships, four NCAA regional championships, and 18 regular-season tournament titles.

“It was a big culture change from California. The people are very different,” Pattison said of her experiences living in the Midwest and South. “I liked it there, but it wasn’t home.”

Pattison, who now lives in Sonoma County, currently bowls for Team USA and is on the Professional Women’s Bowling Association tour. It took Pattison eight tries to make Team USA before making the cut last year.

“It was really special because I had been working toward Team USA for a very long time,” Pattison said. “It was definitely a hard couple of years.”

She also works part time at her parents’ Windsor Bowling Center in between PWBA and Team USA bowling seasons.

Following in Pattison’s footsteps is Woods, who became a local bowling star as a youth. Pattison mentored the younger Woods and the two became friends.

“Maranda has been one of my best friends since I can remember. She has always been like an older sister to me,” Woods said. “She helped me through youth bowling. She is literally one of the blessings in my life.”

Woods, 19, has the pedigree to be a great bowler. Her father, Curtis Woods, was a successful top professional bowler from 1999-2003 and in 2007.

Curtis Woods coached Pattison in her youth, further connecting the two bowlers. Another link: He owns the pro shop at the Pattisons’ Windsor Bowling Center.

Ashtyn Woods, a Maria Carrillo graduate, has bowled on Junior Team USA for four years. She is a three-time Youth Bowling Tour champion and was the PWBA Junior champion in 2022, among other accolades.

“Ashtyn has become a true talent — she is next level. She knows more than I do about bowling,” her father said. “I’m just really proud of the time and effort that she has put into the sport.”

Woods, who started bowling at age seven, is currently in her sophomore year at Wichita State University in Kansas on a full athletic scholarship. She was a second-team NCAA All-American on the Shockers team that won the women’s collegiate bowling championship last year.

“Wichita State has been the best bowling program since the 1970s. So many great bowlers have come out of here,” Woods said. “I love Wichita State. It’s like a dream come true. It is a world full of opportunities, not only athletically but educationally as well.”

Woods is majoring in unified early child education and said she wants to eventually become an elementary school teacher for special-needs children. She plans to get a master’s degree and possibly a Ph.D. in the subject.

While she isn’t in a major rush to become a professional bowler, Woods eventually would like to be on the PWBA tour and Team USA.

“My immediate goal is to bowl my best,” she said.

While Pattison and Woods are four years apart in age and at different stages in their bowling careers, they both agree on the importance and strength of their friendship.

“We have always been supportive of each other,” Woods said. “She has always been there to help make me better.”

Pattison, for her part, said she has relished her role as a mentor to Woods.

“I’ve helped her with the mental aspects of the game. I gave her advice on choosing a college,” Pattison said. “We help each other with the physical aspects of the game.”

The success of both has been a boon for Sonoma County bowling and spurred youth interest in the sport, the pair said.

“Two women bowlers to come out of the same small area is just unbelievably phenomenal. It’s incredibly special,” Woods said. “It’s showcasing what Sonoma County athletes can do.”