Hanover bowling team sets county record

Pella Corporation team members recently had their sights set on a big prize at Hanover Bowling Centre, but they unknowingly ended up with an even bigger prize.

The team of Barry Gulden, Neil Smith, Don Smith, Brent Hunter and Adam Baer knew they had a chance at the Hanover Bowling Centre team record of 3,656.

The Thursday night squad tallied 3,757 pins, shattering the house record by more than 100 pins and the county record by two pins.

Neil Smith led the way with an 814 series, while Hunter added a 782. Don Smith, Neil’s father, contributed a 724 series and Baer was close behind with a 722. Gulden chipped in with a 715.

The previous county team record was 3,755, set by Dan Ledwith, Ben Marvel, Rick Bretz, Bob Workman and Jake Hawkins at Suburban Bowlerama in 2009.

“We knew what the house record was, but we had no idea what the county record was,” said Hunter. “I don’t know if it would have helped us or not. I think we’re glad that we didn’t know. That took some of the pressure off of us.”

Don Smith added, “No one knew that we had set the county record until the next day. I’ve been bowling a long time, but I’ve never been on a team where all five guys rolled a 700 series.

“There are a lot of good bowlers in York County, and I’m just flattered to be part of team that set the county record.”

Gulden said, “I’m amazed what we accomplished. We’ve had some good matches this year, but the difference this night was that our light hits were carrying. We have five guys who are capable of rolling big games, and everyone had a good night.”

Neil Smith confessed that he was too nervous focusing on a possible 800 series to think much about the county record.

“Once I rolled the first strike in the 10^th, I knew I had my 800 series,” he said. “I was able to relax a little after that.”

He added, “Being part of a record-setting team with my dad is very special to me. It was an unforgettable night.”

Baer said the team missed a chance to substantially pad their county-record total. After getting off to a quick start, Baer said neither team member rolled a strike in the 10^th frame of the first game.

“After I rolled my first practice ball, I felt we were going to score big,” offered Hunter.

“There was a lot of area to play.”

Pella Corp.

Barry Gulden 252 216 245 715

Neil Smith 279 235 300 814

Don Smith 258 239 227 724

Brent Hunter 256 237 289 785

Adam Baer 218 269 235 722

Total 3,757

Andrew Miller: Bowler of the Week

Bowler: Andrew Miller, 19, of Loganville.

Latest bowling accomplishment: Rolled a 300 game and a 760 series at Lion Bowl.

Bowlers I have learned the most from: Cory Moore and Jeff Parker.

Best bowling advice I ever received: Keep your emotions under control.

I started bowling: At Springfield Lanes when I was six years old.

My most memorable bowling moment: Rolling my first 300 game in March of 2010.

PBA bowler I enjoy watching: Bill O’Neill.

Part of my game I’m working on improving: Adjusting to the changing lane conditions and making the appropriate moves.

The toughest part about bowling is: Throwing strikes.

Advice I would give someone just starting to bowl: Learn from any one who’s willing to help you. A lot of bowlers are willing to help, if you ask them.

Future goal: Roll an 800 series.

Note: The 72^nd Annual Pennsylvania State Bowling Association Championships will be held March 26 through June 19 in Altoona. Entry fees are $125 for team, $50 for doubles, $25 for singles and $7 for all-events. Final entry deadline is midnight June 1.

Bowler of the Week is submitted by the York County Bowling Proprietors Association. To nominate a bowler, send email to bowleroftheweek@gmail.com.

Green rolls back-to-back perfect games

Chad Green admitted he was somewhat embarrassed by all of the attention.

But when you roll back-to-back perfect games like he did recently at Colony Park North, you are guaranteed to draw a crowd and have news of the feat spread faster than Hollywood gossip.

Green became only the eighth York County bowler to put together back-to-back perfect games en route to an 823 series. His strike streak reached 27 before he was stopped by a 9-pin in the fourth frame of the third game.

After chalking up his ninth career 300 game in the opener, Green continued striking.

“Around the sixth or seventh frame of the second game, I thought, ‘I need to pay a lot of attention.’ I didn’t want to get distracted and lose my focus,” said Green, a 38-year-old right-hander.

By the 10^th frame, a crowd, hoping to witness a piece of local bowling history, had started to gather around Green’s lanes, and Green heard bowlers in the background discussing his chances of back-to-back perfect games.

“My adrenaline was pumping, but I was actually very calm,” he said. “I reminded myself not to rush and do everything the same way I had all night.”

After burying two more strikes, he was on the verge of an once-in-a-lifetime experience.

“I was still calm, my legs weren’t shaking and I was feeling confidence,” he said. “I was trying to block everything out of my mind. When the ball came off my hand, I was confident it was going to be a strike.”

There was no doubt about the final strike, which unleashed a barrage of high fives and congratulations.

Although he was ecstatic, Green wasn’t ready to take the rest of the night off. He knew he still had a shot at Adam Mobley’s house record of 866.

A disastrous 4-7-10 split in the sixth frame, however, ended his quest. Green described it as an “errant shot,” one that he bumped out too far on the lanes.

“I really wanted the house record,” said Green. “But you can’t be too disappointed after rolling back-to-back perfect games.”

Hanover team rolls rare triplicate

Call it a fluke, a rarity, a once-in-a-blue-moon event.

The Kuhn Brothers Oil team in the Thursday night league at Hanover Bowling Centre recently rolled a triplicate of 1,006.

The team of Doug Raber, Steve Raber, Bill Spangler, Ken Appler and Dan Strausbaugh Jr. tallied 1,006 pins for three consecutive games. A team triplicate is rarer than converting the 7-10 split.

“We knew a team triplicate was a possibility after the second game, but no one actually thought we would do it,” said Steve Raber. “No one was keeping track of the score. It’s not the kind of thing you have much control over.”

Spangler noticed that in the last frame of the game anchor bowler Doug Raber needed to convert the 10-pin for another 1,006 game.

“It was neat that Doug converted the 10-pin,” he said. “It’s not often a team gets a chance to record a triplicate.”

While the team doesn’t receive any kind of award from the USBC for the accomplishment, it’s still special.

“I was shocked by the triplicate because it’s not the type of thing you can set out to do,” offered Doug Raber, who owns a pair of individual triplicates. “I’ve never heard of team rolling a triplicate.”

Although Appler didn’t realize the team finished with a triplicate until weeks later, he said, “We just come out to have fun, so it’s cool to be part of something so rare. It’s nothing you could ever predict.”

All the team members agreed the feat is much tougher to accomplish with a five-man team.

“An individual bowler has far more control over his score than a five-man team does,” pointed out Spangler. “It’s a matter of a lot of luck, at least until you reach the 10^th frame with your anchor bowler.”

The Kuhn Brothers Oil teammates averaged 201 per bowler each game. Doug Raber led the way with a 728 series, while Steve Raber followed with a 658 series. Spangler chipped in with a 645 series. Ken Appler and Dan Strausbaugh Jr. rolled series of 551 and 436, respectively.

The teammates, who have bowled together for more than 10 years, said the best part of the night was beating their opponent, Siddonsburg Garage. Kuhn Brothers Oil won 17.5 of the 23 points.

Shoemaker sets his sights on bowling in college

Cody Shoemaker is accustomed to his high school friends not taking bowling seriously. Some of them don’t think bowling is even a sport. It doesn’t bother Shoemaker.

The fact that the 17-year-old right-hander from Hanover averages 220, owns a 769 series, finished seventh in a national high school tournament in Indianapolis last year and has won three Pennsylvania Junior Bowlers Tour (PJBT) events this season doesn’t impress them.

Of course, they have no idea how difficult Shoemaker’s achievements are. After all, he makes it look easy.

They don’t see how many games he practices a week, how he studies other bowlers and how he’s constantly adding to his knowledge about the game.

“Cody is very motivated and focused,” said Joel Logan, who helps coach junior bowlers at Suburban Bowlerama, where Cody bowls on Saturday mornings.

“He’s a student of the game, constantly seeking out others for advice. Cody has worked hard at improving his game.”

When Shoemaker started bowling at South Hanover Lanes three years ago, he averaged 150. His grandfather, Earl Shoemaker, helped spark Cody’s desire to improve his game.

“Bowling appeals to me because everyone in my family bowls and I grew up around the sport,” said Shoemaker, who is turning heads on the PJBT Tour, which attracts the top junior bowlers in the region.

In addition to three titles this season, he is the points leader and has earned more than $1,400 in scholarship money. He sports the best match play record, going 36-15 and winning 70 percent of his matches.

The Hanover high school senior has set his sights on competing for a college bowling team. He hopes to attend Saginaw Valley State in Michigan, where pro bowlers Bill O’Neill and Tom Smallwood attended.

“I met Dan Brown, coach of the Saginaw Valley State team this past summer at a PJBT tournament in Allentown,” said Shoemaker. “He liked my game, encouraged me to apply and try out for the team. I hope to be accepted and try out for the A team.”

Shoemaker plans to major in business management with the hopes of running a bowling center some day.

“Cody has a lot of potential,” stressed Logan. “He has a lot going for him. I expect him to bowl for a college team.”

Bill Spangler: Bowler of the Week

York Dispatch Bowler of the Week for Thursday, Feb. 10

Bowler: Bill Spangler, 50, of McSherrystown.

Latest bowling accomplishment: Member of the Kuhn Brothers Oil team that rolled a 1,006 triplicate at Hanover Bowling Centre.

I started bowling: At Hanover’s Go-Go Lanes in 1982.

Bowler I have learned the most from: Earl Strausbaugh.

Best bowling advice I ever received: Quit trying to be so fancy.

PBA bowler I enjoy watching: Chris Barnes.

Most memorable bowling moment: Rolling an 846 series at Hanover Bowling Centre in 2008.

Part of my game I’m working on improving: Spare shooting.

The toughest part about bowling is: Being consistent.

Non-bowlers don’t realize: How complicated the sport is.

Future goal: Roll a 300 game. It’s hard to believe I have an 846 series, but not a 300 game.

Note: Suburban Bowlerama will host the 21^st Annual Tony Petraco Memorial Bowl-A-Thon, 1-3 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 13. Blind children and adults are expected to participate in this year’s event, which is sponsored by the Eastgate Sunrise Lions Club. Pledges can be made at the bowl-a-thon. For more information, call 848-1632.

Bowler of the Week is submitted by the York County Bowling Proprietors Association. To nominate a bowler, send email to bowleroftheweek@gmail.com.

Three to be inducted into York/Adams Bowling Hall of Fame

Amy Miller, Rick Mitchell and Terry Huber will be inducted into the York/Adams Bowling Hall of Fame at the York Expo Center on Saturday, Feb. 19.

Miller and Mitchell are being inducted for their bowling ability, while Huber is joining the Hall of Fame for his meritorious service.

Miller of Gettysburg started bowling at Edgewood Bowl in 1969 and joined her first adult league in 1975. She posted her high single-season average of 184 during the 2002-03 season. She owns three perfect games and numerous 700 series. Her high series is a 784.

For the past 20 years, she has organized teams to travel to compete in the state tournament. She also has participated in the USBC national tournament for the past 13 years.

Miller and her husband, Larry, purchased Edgewood Bowl in 1983. They have raised three children in the bowling business. Miller takes particular pleasure in knowing she’s surrounded by family and friends every day she goes to work.

Mitchell of East Berlin and Huber of York will be joining their fathers in the York/Adams Bowling Hall of Fame. Mitchell will be joining his father, Hayden, who was inducted in 1998.

Rick owns 35 perfect games and 43 11-in-a-row awards. He also has recorded 33 800 series, including a high of 836. During the 2008-09 season, he tallied nine 800 series and achieved his high average of 240.

Rolling an 825 series at South Hanover in front of his parents, wife and friends stands out as one of Rick’s most memorable bowling moments. His 825 still stands as a house record at South Hanover. Rick rolled an 835 series at Trindle Lanes, and it stood as the house record from 2001 through 2008.

Off the lanes, Rick has been a Roto Grip staff member since 2007. He’s also associated with Storm Bowling Products and a member of the Bowling Writers Association of America.

Huber will join his late father, Robert, who was posthumously inducted into the hall of fame in 1997.

Terry has been involved with bowling for more than 45 years. As a junior bowler in 1970, he and his brother, Dave, were members of the state championship team. In 1975, Terry was a member of the handicap and scratch team champions in the York County tournament. He has competed in 35 county tournaments, 28 state tournaments and 22 national tournaments.

Terry owns a 300 game and a high series of 801. He posted his high season average of 213 during the 2004-05 season.

Terry has made his biggest contributions off the lanes. He served on the York-Adams Bowling Association’s board of directors from 1995 through 2010. He has served on the awards, tournament and Hall of Fame committees. He missed just one board meeting in 15 years.

Don't underestimate senior bowlers

Frank Curry, 72, and Glenn Himes, 68, recently demonstrated why you shouldn’t underestimate senior bowlers.

Curry, a member of the York-Adams Bowling Hall of Fame, sandwiched a pair of 300 games around a 174 effort to finish with a 774 series at East Lincoln Lanes.

Himes came within two pins of becoming the first county senior bowler to roll back-to-back perfect games. He registered games of 225, 300 and 298 for an 823 series at Suburban Bowlerama.

“I rolled my 13^th perfect game earlier this season, and I figured it was the last one of my career,” said Curry. “I never imagined I would roll two more, much less in the same series.”

The smooth right-hander said he didn’t change his approach on the lanes in any of the three games.

“I didn’t score well my second game, but I think I actually bowled better than in the first game,” he said. “I threw the same ball, stood in the same place and played the same line. I just couldn’t carry.”

But Curry wasn’t complaining.

“Any time you roll two 300s in the same series, it’s a great day,” he offered. “I couldn’t have cared less what I rolled that second game. How can you be disappointed with a pair of perfect games?”

Himes’ stellar effort en route to an 823 series erased Glenn Dasher’s senior series record of 813 at Suburban Bowlerama.

After opening with a 225, Himes registered his ninth career 300 game. He ran his strike streak to 23 in a row prior to the final ball in the 10^th frame of the third game.

“I was very nervous and shaking,” said the veteran right-hander. “The last game was unreal. It was like I was in a daze. You don’t get a chance for back-to-back perfect games very often.”

Himes told himself to get the ball out on the lane, but he ended up getting it too far out, leaving the 2-7.

He missed becoming only the eighth county bowler, and the first senior, to put together back-to-back perfect games.

Himes said he wasn’t thinking about a second 300 game until he reached the 800 plateau with a strike on the first ball of the 10^th frame. After that, his focus turned to a second consecutive perfect game.

“It was incredible being that close to back-to-back perfect games,” he added. “People can’t imagine how nerve-racking it was. But, it was an unbelievable experience.”

Cody Shoemaker: Bowler of the Week

Bowler: Cody Shoemaker, 17, of Hanover.

Latest bowling accomplishment: Won this third Pennsylvania Junior Bowlers Tour (PJBT) tournament of the season at Hanover Bowling Centre.

I started bowling: At South Hanover Lanes when I was 10 years old.

Bowlers I have learned the most from: Adam Baer and Tyler Herman.

Best bowling advice I ever received: Bowling is five percent physical and 95 percent mental.

Most memorable bowling moment: Finishing seventh in the national North Pointe Insurance tournament in Indianapolis last year and winning $1,000 in scholarship money.

PBA bowlers I enjoy watching: Norm Duke, Michael Fagan and Dan McClendon.

Part of my game I’m working on improving: Converting my spares.

Bowling appeals to me because: I grew up around it and I love being around the sport. Plus, there’s always something to learn.

The toughest part about bowling is: Being patient and learning what you need to know to be a good bowler.

Future goal: Attend Saginaw Valley State next year and bowl for their team.

Note: The York-Adams Bowling Hall of Fame banquet will be held a6 6:30 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 19, at the York Expo Center. Tickets are $30 per person. Deadline to purchase tickets is Tuesday, Feb. 8. For tickets, call Donna Fitzkee at 764-7727 or Arwana Groves at 848-1632. This year’s inductees are Amy Miller, Rick Mitchell and Terry Huber.

Bowler of the Week is submitted by the York County Bowling Proprietors Association. To nominate a bowler, send email to bowleroftheweek@gmail.com.