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Perfect Game Both Strange, Satisfying

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By BOB AUSTIN Tribune correspondent

Published: September 26, 2007

Watching 12 consecutive strikes sail back into the pit is old hat for Ron Jolley.

After all, he has done it 27 times.

He has also stood on the approach four or five times and watched a single pin rob him of a perfect game. And in four or five other instances, a two-pin leave has produced a 298.

Perfect game No. 27 arrived last week in the Pin Chasers Veterans Keglers League, and Jolley terms it perhaps the most satisfying, if not the strangest.

'I purchased a new ball, a Trak Temper, which was recommended by Ebonite's John Gaines, the week before,' Jolley said. 'My first game last week was 234, but the ball wasn't coming off my hand right. I raced into the pro shop, and Dale Kolesar sanded it down for me.'

Twelve 'feel-good' tosses later, Jolley felt perfect, but he had to suffer through the 11th-ball ritual his teammates have instituted.

'Whenever one of us has the first 11,' added Jolley, 'the teammates plant some money on the score table. Everyone is saying things like 'you'll never get it, you're going to blow it.' It actually lessens the pressure.'
Jolley rolled a 222 finale for a 754 series.

LYONS, SATURNO PERFECT: Derrick Lyons and Chris Saturno recorded perfect games last week at Florida Lanes.

Lyons, a lefty, had his in the Wednesday Night Mixed League. He had five straight strikes in practice, opened with a 300, then began the second game with five in a row. He finished with games of 217 and 183 for a 700 series.

Saturno's perfect game came in the Sportsmans League.

HAIRSTON WINS PBA SWEEPER: Brian Hairston captured the weekly PBA Experience Sweeper at Pin Chasers Midtown, firing games of 234, 214 and 236 for 684 scratch and a 780 handicap series. Second was Chris Green with 673, while Ed Kowal came in third with 665.

The sweeper is held every Wednesday evening, with registration at 8:30 and bowling at 9. Entry fee is $25. Lucy Sandelin won the initial sweeper the previous Wednesday.

AMF UNIVERSITY LANES: B.C. Frye's 279-716 led the men, while Cindy Clark, with 203, and Casie Soderstrom, with 530, paced the women last week.

Other scores for the men were David Fitzwater 253-710, Billy Herren 251-710, Ron Moran 242-668 and Don Helsel 254-641. Other scores for the women were Lynn Helsel 189-526, Vivian Olsen 191, Clark 498 and Stephanie Talley 186-495.

FLORIDA LANES: Darren Walker wasn't 'perfect,' but his 289-794 led all male bowlers in series.

Other good scores for the men were Matt Zhuetlin 765, Xavier Chisholm 278-757, Walter Dickey 268 and Mike Fuller 670.

Terry Broyles had high game for the women with 207, while Ammy Sallot was the leader in series with 568. Other good scores were Lisa Morris 536, Jewel Kozak 517, Tina Carter 501, Beverly Williams 201, Mary Erbacher 512, Cindy Smith 199-482, Annie Leavines 180 and Sallot 204.

PIN POINTS: Bowling, with Florida one of the leaders, is the fastest-growing high school sport this decade and has now moved past ice hockey in number of participants. Nineteen states offering high school varsity bowling combined for 45,064 participants, six percent higher than last year's total of 42,482. Ice hockey had 43,305 participants.

Send local bowling news to bobaustin@verizon.net.

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