Hi All! I was just wondering if you remembered how you threw your
12th ball for your first 300 game?  Were you nervous, did you throw
it over your mark, did you look up at the people watching you etc...
Just curious.  Thanks.
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Light hits wont do any good if the pins are all
in the pit.

My first was back in the late 70's, was bowing in a league with Don Carter and was bowling against his son Jimmy Carter this night at Don Carters All Star Lanes, Kendall Drive Miami Florida. This house is a 72 lane center, split 36 on two side. I remember the entire house gathering as I got up in the tenth. I looked over the crowd and got so nervous. I looked up at scorers and our lane was telecasted on all the overheads in the house. I reracked more to have more time to relax and made a great shot... all 10 in the pit. Crowd roared. More people running over to watch. Crowd went silent as I stepped up on the approach... and threw an identical shot. All 10 in the pit. I reracked twice in the 12th... I was to fricken shaking to walk to the foul line. Must have been 200 people behind me and deadly silent. I remember standing on the approach and my legs were physically shaking and knees were knocking. Hand was shaking... but despite how nervous I was I was more excited. I knew I was gonna do it. No doubt in my mind. I hit my target at the arrows but missed right at my break point and it came back like a truck and ripped the rack, the five pin shot toward the 7pin. Crowd went crazy (was using a columbia yellow dot). People ran up onto the approach... met me half way back... I must have shaken 100 peoples hands congratualting me. After the crowd subsided Jimmy Carter comes up to me and asks me, how many that made... I said it was my first and he said, "that is incrediable, you looked so composed and cool, I thought for sure that was your 10th or more" and he offered to buy me a drink in congratulations and I said "sorry I am underage".. I was 17. I have had many since then over the 25+ years since and with each one, the reaction of the crowd and sense of personal satisfaction continues to lessen. 300's arent what they used to be and it is ashame for the sport.
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i've never thrown one for real, but threw one in practice and didnt even realize it untill the game was done and someone next to me told me i shot it (i dont watch the scoreboard when i practice). It's kind of sad that when someone throws one in league, only half the people realize what is going on and only the next 4 lanes over stop bowling usually. When someone throws one, no one thinks of it as that much out of the ordinary. so far this year we have had 2 300's, 2 299, 1 298, and 1 297. keep in mind this is a junior league.
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stanski

There's a pretty good story to mine.  I was bowling a Sunday sweeper tournament where we bowled 3 games and then the top 1/3 bowled another 3 games, then stepladder finals.  I made the cut but my ball (black u-dot) was starting to move too much so I put it in the Luster King.  It came out glowing shiny and I thought I was in trouble because I over did it.  Then, through some screw up in scheduling we had to move to the other end of the house for the next round, because they had ANOTHER tournament scheduled on the lanes where we were bowling.  They had to shove some open bowlers around to make room for us.  It turn out lanes where we now had to bowl might not have even been oiled yet because they hooked WAY more and pretty much everyone struggled EXCEPT ME!  I had an unbelievable shot with my now shiny U-Dot.  I start off spare, strike, spare, 8-10 split and then reel off the next 23 strikes in a row! Across three pair of lanes, too. I was at 17 in a row when I got up in the tenth frame.  As I got up for the first shot the guy working behind the counter goes running to the back to fix some problem just as I start my delivery.  I step back and wait for him to come back.  He doesn't, so I finally throw the first one and it's dead flush. I get up for the next shot and just as I start my delivery, here he comes, running out from the back!  Again I reset myself and throw the next one a little wide but I swished out the 5-7.  So now it's the twelve shot and guess who decides he needs to run to the back again?  That sawed-off little runt from behind the counter!  Now I yell out "that little jerk is doing it on purpose!" and he was, too.  He was one of those little guys who is pissed at the world because he's short. He always seemed to have a chip on his shoulder. He used to wear shoes with really thick soles so he'd look taller.  If he could have screwed up my perfect game it would have somehow made him feel good about himself.  Anyway, now I'm sure he is standing back there looking out the peep hole waiting for me to start my approach so he can run out again.  So I wait and wait.  Finally he comes back.  Probably knew I was going to wait as long as it took and he wanted to witness me choking firsthand.  Well he didn't get what he wanted because I buried the twelve one in the pocket.  I wasn't nervous on the last shot, just determined.  It case anyone thinks it was maybe all just coincidence and the guy wasn't really trying to wreck my game, consider this.  THEY HAVE PINCHASERS! Since when does the guy behind the counter have to run to the back?  I never heard or saw any problems with any of the lanes either and neither did anyone else. Plus everyone around me stopped bowling to watch!  So I come to find out that the tournament is not sanctioned so it doesn't count anyway.  Several years later I threw my first sanctioned 300 and that game has kind of a crazy story too, but I'll share that another time.
By the way, I don't have anything against short people.  My wife is 4-11.  This guy was just a jerk.

sprocket