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Ashland, Oregon HOME Valley & State Sports Nation & World Opinion/Editorial Classifieds Business Columnists Local Issues Obituaries Weather Archive Revels Etcetera Backpage Hot Topics Most Viewed Forum Photo Galleries Video Readers Polls O-Zone Online Games Movie Preview Special Sections Real Estate Guide Menu Guide Shakespeare Subscribe Contact Us Rate Card Place an Ad March 26, 2005 EOU softball player grabs $200K on game show By Tony Adame For the Tidings LA GRANDE - The engine on Eastern Oregon University freshman Sheena Lindholm's 1998 Bonneville blew out earlier this year on the drive back to La Grande from her hometown of Blackfoot, Idaho. Lindholm has been hoofing it ever since. But not anymore. After winning an estimated $220,000 in prizes on the game show "The Price is Right" Monday, Lindholm will now have her choice of cars to drive. Lindholm's total winnings represent the highest of any participant in the show's 33-year history. According to cbs.com, the previous record for most winnings in a single show was set by a college student from Pepperdine, whose haul totaled $88,865, which also included two cars. "I'm kind of in shock right now. I don't know what's really happening," said Lindholm, 19. "I called my parents and they didn't believe me at first, but then my mom started crying. Lindholm is in Southern California as a member of the EOU softball team as the Mountaineers participate in the annual SunWest softball tournament hosted by Chapman College. Attending the taping of the show with her EOU teammates and head coach Anji Weissenfluh, Lindholm was selected from the crowd to participate, and began winning at an astounding rate. First, a $44,000 sailboat. Next, a $77,000 Cadillac convertible and a $1,000 cash prize. Then, in the showcase round, Lindholm passed on a Lincoln Navigator and a trip to Sweden. "We were telling her she should have taken it," Weissenfluh said. "I'm glad she didn't listen to us." Lindholm then successfully bid on a package that included a flat screen television ($8,000), a recreational vehicle ($85,000) and a seven-day, all-expense paid trip for two to the Mediterranean including a stop in Italy ($5,000). After winning, Lindholm's teammates rushed the stage and mobbed the new game show champion. "We were teary-eyed, everyone was so excited," Weissenfluh said. "And the thing is, it couldn't have happened to a better person." The show featuring Lindholm will air April 9. "I'm struggling to believe all this is happening," Paul Lindholm, Sheena's father, said in a telephone interview Monday night. "It's unreal. The amount of money is unreal. If she's smart about it, this could set her up, get her education paid for and something decent for her to drive. If she's smart about it." This is not the first time an EOU softball player has experienced success on "The Price is Right." In 2001, Eastern's Jayne-Leigh Thomas won a $20,000 party boat, a gumball machine, an indoor fitness center and $800 worth of camping gear. Thomas sold the boat but kept the rest of the prizes. Lindholm said she will most likely sell most of the items she won in order to pay the taxes on them. The Mediterranean vacation, however, is another thing. "They don't let you sell the trips," Lindholm said. "So hopefully after I sell some of this stuff I can buy an extra plane ticket so both my parents can come with me." --> Copyright © 2006 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers. All Rights Reserved.