Last week, Pat Olson rolled his 19th perfect 300 game at Orchard Lanes, Hood River’s bowling fun spot up on the Heights.
It boggles the mind trying to wrap oneself around such an astonishing number, because it’s not easy to shoot 300 in bowling. It takes 12 straight strikes in a game to do it and you only get 12 chances. You can’t have any misses. A bowling lane is 60 feet long from the foul line to the head pin. The pins are aligned in a diamond formation at the end of the lane with the head pin in front.
For savvy right-hand bowlers, our strike target is just to the right of the head pin, midway between it and the 3-pin, which is nestled kitty-corner behind it. That spot, which is called the pocket, is where we aim to try and hit, rolling our ball down that long lane. Each pin weighs three pounds, six ounces and they are set 12 inches apart from each other, center to center. That’s a lot of space between pins.
A properly-rolled strike ball will only hit four pins: By number, the 1, 3, 5 and 9 pins. The remaining six pins must be knocked down by pin action. So, not only do you have to be accurate, you’ve got to put some stuff on your 15-pound ball if you expect to knock down a rack of 10 pins that weighs nearly 34 pounds. The pocket is only about 1.5 inches wide; miss it and you won’t get a strike unless the planets have aligned just for you!
Unfortunately, you can put your ball smack dab in the pocket, time after time, and you may not get any strikes! The bowlers’ strike nemeses are what we call taps: By their pin numbers, the corner pins, the 10 and 7, the solid 8 and 9 and, if the ball hits just a little more toward the head pin, the 4-pin may not fall. These taps stop us almost every time.
So, knocking all ten of those pins down, 12 times in a row is quite a feat. Pat hit the pocket every time and struck on his first 11 shots, but he yanked the 12th one badly whereupon his ball crossed over and hit on the left side of the head pin. He got that 12th strike anyway. A little luck never hurt anyone; guess the planets were aligned for him on that one!
He finished his session in the Industrial league notching a huge scratch 777 three game series which ties for the highest set rolled at Orchard Lanes so far this season.
We’re happy to report that Brandon Kawachi is back to his old tricks after a shoulder injury put him on the shelf for the past couple of years. We missed him, but it looks like he is the poster boy for the adage that returning to action is as simple as getting back on the bike you fell off of, because you never forget how to ride it.
Brandon can sure make the pins dance with that sharp breaking hook that he revs up like a spinning top. His latest effort was a huge scratch 773 series that he tallied in the Mixed. Afterward, he said he was knocking on the door of an 800 set after starting with big 280 and 267 games, but a couple shots went awry in his last game. An 800 is even more rare than a 300, but the talented Mr. Kawachi has logged handfuls of each.
Not to be lost in this sea of big numbers, Mr. Smooth, Jeremy Bloom, also cracked the 700 mark in the Fraternal with a fine scratch 705 set.
Now, on the team front. Our two senior leagues are upon their midpoint. There is still one week to go in the first half of the Colts and Fillies but team More “R” Better has already got it wrapped up.
Now, on the team front. Our two senior leagues are upon their midpoint. There is still one week to go in the first half of the Colts and Fillies but team More “R” Better has already got it wrapped up.
Congratulations to the first half winners, Garna Arnell, Sue Spellman, Doug Arnell and John Lyon. Things are not quite so clear in the Lads and Lassies, which also has one week to go in its first half. Team Lost Cause leads with 32 points, Queen and 2 Jacks has 31 points as does the powerhouse Pocket Pounders trio. None of these three teams bowl each other in the final week’s matches so they all have a good chance to win the first half.
Finally, bragging rights are important, right? Joyce Pillon owns them this time as she notched a beautiful scratch 231 game in the fun County league last week. She beat a fella named Gordon Pillon who still had a cool scratch 203 game in the same outing. Nice going, Joyce, and good bowling everybody.
League Reports
Monday night Industrial:
Patrick Olson, 300, 248 games and 777 series
Jeff Miller, 238 game and 668 series
Brandon Kawachi, 247 game
Travis Adams, 245 game
Joey Springs, 235 game
Sue Spellman, 211 game
Patrick Olson, 300, 248 games and 777 series
Jeff Miller, 238 game and 668 series
Brandon Kawachi, 247 game
Travis Adams, 245 game
Joey Springs, 235 game
Sue Spellman, 211 game
Tuesday Nite Mixed:
Brandon Kawachi, 280, 267 games and 773 series
Patrick Olson, 245 game and 665 series
Nancy Asai, 213 game
Brandon Kawachi, 280, 267 games and 773 series
Patrick Olson, 245 game and 665 series
Nancy Asai, 213 game
Wednesday afternoon senior Colts & Fillies:
Lynn Spellman, 216, 212, 201 games and 629 series
Lee Rogers, 237 game
Bernie Keys, 216 game
John Miller, 206 game
Gordon Pillon, 205 game
Lynn Spellman, 216, 212, 201 games and 629 series
Lee Rogers, 237 game
Bernie Keys, 216 game
John Miller, 206 game
Gordon Pillon, 205 game
Wednesday night Fraternal:
Jeremy Bloom, 258, 246 games and 705 series
Patrick Olson, 693 series
Bill Whetstine, 236 game and 663 series
Jeff Miller, 237, 235 games and 662 series
Chad Mason, 246 game and 655 series
John Riggleman, 267 game
Bryan Mason, 237 game
Levi Phelps, 236 game
Ciena Brittle, 203, 200 games
Jeremy Bloom, 258, 246 games and 705 series
Patrick Olson, 693 series
Bill Whetstine, 236 game and 663 series
Jeff Miller, 237, 235 games and 662 series
Chad Mason, 246 game and 655 series
John Riggleman, 267 game
Bryan Mason, 237 game
Levi Phelps, 236 game
Ciena Brittle, 203, 200 games
Thursday afternoon senior Lads & Lassies:
Bernie Keys, 206 game
Ed Busick, 201 game
Bernie Keys, 206 game
Ed Busick, 201 game
Thursday afternoon County league:
Joyce Pillon, 231 game
Gordon Pillon, 203 game
Joyce Pillon, 231 game
Gordon Pillon, 203 game
Commented
Sorry, there are no recent results for popular commented articles.