Lisa Moroney, born in Brampton on November 25, 1963, only child to parents Anne and Jim, can be compared to a fine wine that improves with age.
Growing up in Bramalea, now the City of Brampton, Lisa started her bowling career at the age of five in the Youth Bowling Council at Avondale Bowl. According to Lisa’s standards, she wasn’t a very good bowler in the YBC, not being able to qualify for any 4 Steps to Stardom teams. While her Dad Jim, being an accomplished bowler for the Central Ontario zone, it was only a matter of time that Lisa would flourish into a prominent bowler in both the Ontario Open and the Master Bowlers Association.
Lisa joined the Teaching Division of the Master Bowlers’ Association at the age of eighteen and in her first year was the MBA Aggregate winner and a member of the Ladies Teaching Division team that represented Ontario at the Nationals in Cornerbrook, Newfoundland. Today, Lisa is in her thirty-forth year as a Teaching Master, along with being the Zone Delegate for the Central Ontario zone. For her work as Zone Delegate, Lisa received the Zone Delegate of the Year honours from the Master Bowlers’ Association in 2008.
In league play Lisa bowled in a number of major leagues and like that fine wine that continues to improve with age, had high scores of 400 single and 900 triple, while carrying an average of 240.
It was only natural that Lisa would participate in the Open and in 1984, as fate would have it, qualified on her first team, the Central Ontario Mixed team with teammate Murray Groombridge and her dad as the coach. For the next five years Lisa qualified on three more Mixed teams and two Ladies Singles under the Central Ontario banner. What she didn’t realize was that, after marrying Murray in 1985 and moving to Schomberg, she was bowling in the wrong Zone. It wasn’t until 1992 when their first child, Melissa, was born, that she discovered that she had been bowling in the wrong zone for three years. Schomberg lies within the boundaries of the York Simcoe zone and therefore, in order to continue to bowl in the Open, Lisa would have to qualify out of York Simcoe. Initially, to put it mildly, Lisa was not pleased that she had to bowl in this new zone, but as it turns out, claims it was the best decision she ever made. For the next seventeen years, Lisa qualified on six Ladies teams, a Singles representative eight times and a member of the Mixed team three times, all under the York Simcoe banner. This accomplishment is just two shy of the record of 19 held by Hall of Famer Michelle Canham. In 1997, Lisa was a member of the winning Ladies team along with Michelle and Hall of Fame coach Jim Preston, that captured the Bronze medal in Calgary. Lightning would strike a second time in 2002, where as a member of the Mixed team represented Ontario at the Nationals in Winnipeg.
Lisa considers her MBA Aggregate win, the two National Championships and her two children, Melissa and Ryan her greatest accomplishments.
Today, the Groombridges still make Schomberg their home. Lisa, a Financial Advisor for RBC for twenty-six years and Murray, who looks after his 100 acre farm as well as driving for Canada Post, will be celebrating their thirtieth anniversary this year, now spend their spare time cruising the Caribbean Islands, with the occasional trip to Casino Rama. Bowling is still a family affair as they all bowl in the Sunday Majors league at Skyview Lanes in Bolton.
Tonight, we are thankful that Lisa made the right decision many years ago and now takes her rightful place in the Bowlers’ division of the York Simcoe Hall of Fame.