League bowling scores are soaring up on the Heights at Hood River’s venerable Orchard Lanes. Jeremy Bloom gets headline notoriety because he rolled a perfect 300 game last week. Jeremy has long been one of the top bowlers in the Gorge. Last season, he carried a glitzy 214 average. Jeremy’s bowling resume contains so many 300 game and 800 series honor award scores, we’ve lost count. He’s got a unique style. Jeremy is a finesse bowler who does not over-power things by cranking up his ball with a ton of revs by twisting himself up into a pretzel like so many big shooters do these days. Instead, he lets the ball do the work using a smooth, easy-as-pie release. He could bowl all day and not break a sweat. And boy does it work! He racks up more strikes than a labor union.
The one dominating characteristic of his game is his quick, choppy step approach. It’s fun to watch Jeremy bowl unless you have to face him in a match. And he sure was in “the zone” last week as he put together a string of 12 straight strikes in his second game of Fraternal league action.
Team of the week
1. Patrick Olson 772
2. Aaron Troxel 755
3. Jeremy Bloom 727
4. Jay Slack 697
5. Josh Worth 692
Total pins 3,643
League highlights
Industrial (Monday 7 p.m.): Aaron Troxel: 278, 243, 755’ Jay Slack: 244, 242, 697; Nancy Asai: 225, 214, 211, 650; Randy Nieto: 267; Patrick Olson: 247; James Youtsey: 247
Team No. 9 (Ryan Pratt, Jay Slack and James Youtsey) has a commanding 17.5 lead in first place. Last week Team No. 9 crushed OL’7-10 23-2 as Jay Slack went all-pro against them with a huge 697 series, a career high for him. Jay was a whopping 163 pins over his average for the session. No wonder they swamped OL’7-10 so badly.
The Rollers rollicked to a 23-2 wipe out of the powerful Pat’s Pro Shop trio, who had an off night. Goes to show you that anyone can win on any night and underdogs can prevail.
Hood River Supply aced Mt. Hood BBQ with a 21-4 point win which was engineered by the thumbless slants of Aaron Troxel, who pummeled the pins to the tune of a fantastic 755 series, a career high. He was an amazing 182 pins over his average. The BBQ boys never had a chance.
Orchard Lanes took Team No. 2 to the woodshed with an 18-7 point spanking. Once again all-star Nancy Asai carried her Orchard Lanes crew to victory.
Tuesday Nite Mixed (Tuesday 7 p.m.): Patrick Olson: 299, 267, 772; Robert Reed: 279, 660; Nancy Asai: 222, 200, 612; Steve Silva: 244; Erin Salisbury: 205
Patrick Olson led his Who Gives A Split foursome to a 3-1 win over formidable Double A Orchards as he lit up the sticks with a towering 772 series. The all-star proprietor averaged 222 last season, so he was still an impressive 106 pins over his average for the night.
Are You Splitting Me fried Taco Tuesday 3-1 as Robert Reed found the range for the Splitters with a spiffy 660 series, which was 144 pins over his average. Team Nishi topped Take Ten 3-1 thanks to Jeff Hasegawa, who notched a fine 607 series. Jeff’s famous figure eight swing has to be why he has an uncanny ability to keep the pins low on the deck, so they knock each other down rather than being exploded up in the air like what happens to so many bowlers.
Team Silva beat Mad Skilz 3-1. Silva stalwarts Sandy Holmes tossed a 203 game, and was 122 pins over her average for the outing; Dan Nakamura also punched a 202 game; and Steve Silva led his crew with a nice 244 game. HR Supply got Gutter Dawgs 3-1 as Cy Cannon exploded with a mighty fine 605 series that was highlighted by 233 and 205 games. Split Faced caught Team Kawachi on an off night and swept them 4-0.
Senior Colts and Fillies (Wednesday 1:30 p.m.):
Mick Sherrell: 226; Dick Sherrell: 208; Lynn Spellman: 201
Currently the Rolling Pins (Patsy Busick, Ed Busick and Phil Wilson) are in first place with a 3.5 point lead.
Fraternal (Wednesday 7:30 p.m.): Jeremy Bloom: 300, 727; Josh Worth: 267, 235, 692; Ciena Brittle: 268, 233, 684; Bill Morrissey: 238, 668; John Helm: 243, 667; John Riggleman: 257; Patrick Olson: 247; Bryan Mason: 246; Albert Frelix: 235
Bloom Auto Body overwhelmed Red Rockets 18-7 thanks to the aforementioned Jeremy Bloom’s heroic 300 game and 727 series.
Orchard Lanes clubbed Hood River Athletic Club 17-8, mainly due to Nathan Olson, who rolled his first ever 600 series, a 626. Nate was 119 pins over his average for the night. The Athletic Clubbers gave it quite a fight though, as their own Josh Worth had the pins dancing to the tune of a cool 692 series.
Team No. 11 outdid Team No. 6, 17.5 to 7.5. It wasn’t as easy as it looks though, as John Helm on Team No. 6 shot a super 667. But Team No. 11’s Bill Morrissey and Ciena Brittle were just too much. Bill put up a fine 668 series in the match and all-star Ms. Brittle’s smooth and easy down and in game was on point as she rolled a smart 684 series, which included a Varipapa 300 in her first two games.
To explain what that is, in the 1940s, one of the premier pro bowlers was a gentleman by the name of Andy Varipapa. He was notorious for rolling 12 strikes in a row in two successive games. He did it so often he joked that it should be the same as a 300 game if you put 12 strikes in a row together in two successive games. That became famous for us bowlers and that’s how accomplishing this feat became to be known as a Varipapa 300.
Ciena finished her first game with eight straight strikes for a beautiful 268. Then she started her next game with four straight strikes. She put 12 straight strikes together in two successive games for a Varipapa 300! If you can’t get all 12 strikes in one game, put 12 together in two successive games and you’ll have a “Varipapa 300”!
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