April 2016 -
7
SERVING THE BOWLING INDUSTRY SINCE 1967
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Rich Custer Rolled An 899!
By Dallas Kadry
An 899! Rich Custer rolled 35 strikes in 36 shots to
shatter the Modesto USBC Association three-game
series record with an 899 on games of 299-300-300.
Rolling in the Friday Masters league at Yosemite
Lanes. Custer started his first game with 11 strikes and
then left a blower 10-pin for a 299. The crowd thought
it should have carried.
The next 24 frames Custer stepped up to the ap-
proach, he struck 24 more times to post his two perfect
300 games.
―It was one of those nights where everything felt right,‖
Custer said. ―... You don’t think about setting a record
after one game of 299, let alone looking toward an 899
set, for that matter. But after getting the 300 the sec-
ond game, I knew I had a chance. I just focused one
shot at a time, and I was fortunate enough to throw
quality strikes under that kind of pressure.
―It was a night I’ll never forget – one pin from perfec-
tion.‖
Custer used a Hammer Black Widow Limited ball for
his record-breaking set. He’s no stranger to high scor-
ing. Custer was averaging 244 before this series and
holds the association’s high average record with a 245.
His highest previous set was an 859.
Reprinted from Modesto Bee
California Team Makes
Statement At 2016 USBC Open
By
RENO, Nev. -
Despite the temporary closure of their
home bowling center, the members of Yeah Spare IV of
Sacramento, California, have been able to remain
sharp and focused, and they found their way to the top
of the Classified Team standings Saturday at the
2016
The group got off to a hot start, opening with a 950
game at the National Bowling Stadium, and then it was
just a matter of staying calm and clean. They added
games of 882 and 824 for a 2,656 total, edging past T-
Rays of Jamestown, North Dakota, which previously
held the lead with 2,607.
Ben Robertson of Lemoore, California, the veteran of
Yeah Spare IV with three USBC Open Championships
appearances, led the way Saturday with a 576 series
and was followed by Matthew Lopes (566), Kevin Lin
(541), his father Douglas Robertson (501) and first-time
participant Tristan Bannister (472).
"We had a great start, but as the lanes started to
break down, our focus was on leaving makeable spares
and getting everything we could," Ben Robertson said.
"We had an idea what we needed the last game, and
we were very nervous. We're just glad we were able to
hold it together at the end."
Yeah Spare IV is part of a four-team group, and four
members of the team are current or past members of
the bowling team at the University of California - Davis.
As college students with limited time and resources,
having a bowling center on campus makes preparing
for events like the Open Championships much easier.
Even if they didn't have the time to commit to a full
league, they were able to have regular group practices.
In the past, their connection to the UC Davis Memorial
Games Area gave them the chance to practice more
often, and for a reasonable cost, along with having
some influence on the lane conditions.
Because of an ongoing
renovation, the Memorial
Union Renewal Project,
the Memorial Games
Area has been closed,
forcing Robertson and
his teammates to ven-
ture out to a nearby
bowling establishment to
stay game-ready for the
Open Championships.
In the long run, the
renovation project is
supposed to enhance
the environment and
experience at the Memo-
rial Union, which stu-
dents call the living room of the campus, and Robertson
wants to make sure bowling continues to be a part of
the UC Davis culture. He hopes their success at the
NBS this weekend will remind the leadership of their
presence and determination.
"It's nice to come out here and have our area and
school represented again," Robertson said. "During the
collegiate season, we tend to get overlooked, but this
will help show we know how to bowl and that bowling is
a priority for us."
Another former UC Davis bowler, Trevor Silva of Cas-
tro Valley, California, saw improvement in his game
thanks to his time with the Aggies in the collegiate
ranks, and he found success at the Open Champion-
ships in 2014 when he claimed the Classified All-Events
title with a 1,855 total.
As much as the group would like to continue the UC
Davis legacy on the biggest stage in bowling, they also
try to stay focused on having a good time.
"We're definitely here to have fun, and it's a good way
to get to know people," Robertson said. "When you
have fun, you seem to relax and bowl better. We did
that the first game, but once we realized we had a
chance, we got nervous, and we got frustrated when we
missed. At the end, once I knew we had the lead, I just
wanted to get as many pins as I could because there's
still a long way to go in the tournament."
Robertson and his teammates must wait nearly three
months to see if they can join Silva in the tournament
record books. The 2016 Open Championships kicked
off March 5 and will run for 129 consecutive days until
July 11.
Yeah Spare IV's companion team, Yeah Spare III, also
bowled well Saturday at the NBS and settled into third
place in Classified Team with a 2,555 total.
Yeah Spare III had games of 907, 785 and 863.
Nick Jones led the way with a 595 series and was
joined by Ben Jones (572), Jesse Anzelc (554), Taryn
Kirkwood Jones (456) and Mallory Khamchanh (378).
The Classified Division is for teams with a combined
entering average of 900 or less.
