November 2016 -
7
SERVING THE BOWLING INDUSTRY SINCE 1967
Why Bowling A 300 Game Still
Matters
By Lucas Wiseman
66
As scoring in bowling has skyrocketed over the
years, bowlers have become numb to 300 games, es-
pecially at the elite level and even at the league level.
For most great bowlers, shooting a 300 is just another
game and carries little significance anymore, especially
since there were about 55,000 USBC-certified 300
games in 2015-16 alone. For some of us, though, it
matters. A lot.
Pictured right is the author, Lucas Wiseman, who has
covered bowling events around the world for more than
a decade. You can follow him on Twitter at
After spending 13 years traveling
and covering the best bowlers in the
world for USBC, I fell into that trap
of thinking 300 was just another
game. Until it happened to me.
On Oct. 20, I shot my first 300
game. I‟ve bowled since I was a kid,
but 30 years later I had finally
bowled the elusive perfect game.
And despite having personally witnessed hundreds
and hundreds of perfect games, I found it to be an in-
credibly special moment.
I knew after the fifth frame that I had a legitimate
chance to bowl a 300. By the time the final shot came
around, I‟ll admit I was extremely nervous. I took a
deep breath, calmed myself down and did what I had
done the 11 shots before that – strike.
My league, which has just seven teams, erupted into
cheers in celebration of my accomplishment, and I was
glowing after my life-long chase for a 300 game came
to a close.
For a vast majority of the regular bowlers like me,
bowling a 300 game is not just another game. It‟s the
biggest bowling accomplishment they will achieve in
their life.
So the next time you see a bowler with a chance for a
300 game, don‟t take it for granted. Stop. Pay atten-
tion. You‟re witnessing something special that de-
serves your attention, especially if that person has
never bowled a 300 game before.
From The Editor: Congratulations!
BVL Joins in National Veterans
Day Activities
Representatives from the Bowlers to Veterans Link
fanned out across the Washington, DC area this Veter-
ans Day to participate in a variety of events to celebrate
and honor our nation‟s military veterans – from a break-
fast at the White House, to a wreath laying at the Tomb
of the Unknowns, to a meeting with VA Secretary
McDonald – the day was filled with programs and ac-
tivities designed to raise the public consciousness of
the service and sacrifice of America‟s veterans.
November 11 began early for United States Bowling
Congress Executive Director Chad Murphy and Chair-
man of the Board of QubicaAMF Pat Ciniello. “We
were proud to represent BVL and our great sport as
guests at the White House breakfast honoring our na-
tion‟s veterans,” noted Ciniello.
Murphy commented, “I‟m humbled, honored, and
blessed to be part of these activities. Thanks BVL,
thank you bowling. Thank you to all of our veterans on
this day.”
Lisa Ciniello and Anita LaSpina represented BVL as
part of the Presidential Color Guard, comprised of
members of the
nation‟s Veterans
Service Organi-
zations, at Arling-
ton
National
Cemetery.
BVL
Boa r d
President John
LaSp i na
r e -
m a r k e d ,
“Although every
day is Veterans
Day for us at
BVL, this was a
wonderful occa-
sion to join together collectively as a nation to reflect
and remember what our veterans have done for us.
President Obama‟s remarks resonated with our BVL
group when he stated in his speech, „We can acknowl-
edge that we can never truly repay our veterans for
what they have done for us, but we can try… We must
honor their good work with our own.‟”
BVL is a member of the National Veterans Day Orga-
nizing Committee and, as such, earns the privilege and
the opportunity to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Un-
knowns. Murphy, along with BVL Board Members
LaSpina (BOD President), Libbi Fletcher and Karl
Kielich accompanied the wreath to the Tomb.
The day concluded with a reception at the Women In
Military Service for America Memorial where BVL rep-
resentatives met with VA Secretary McDonald. There,
the Secretary was presented with a facsimile check of
more than $925,000, representing the amount of
money the sport of bowling raised during the 2015-16
season to support recreational and therapeutic pro-
grams and services designed to boost the spirits of
hospitalized veterans and help speed their recupera-
tion. “The Secretary‟s interest in meeting with our BVL
constituency clearly confirms his appreciation for our
efforts. He never
hesitates to illus-
trate his gratitude
for our commit-
ment to America‟s
veterans,” says
LaSpina. “I ex-
plained to him that
we are in this to
win it; we have
just begun to
make our 16-17
year the best yet.”
