300-point game
Encyclopedia
Bowling
Bowling Bowling Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule...
, achieved by rolling a strike
Strike (bowling)
A strike is a term used in bowling to indicate that all of the pins have been knocked down with the first ball of a frame. On scoresheets, a strike is symbolized by an X.-Scoring:...
during every frame. In bowling games that use 10 pins, such as Ten-pin bowling
Ten-pin bowling
Ten-pin bowling is a competitive sport in which a player rolls a bowling ball down a wooden or synthetic lane with the objective of scoring points by knocking down as many pins as possible.-Summary:The lane is bordered along its length by semicylindrical channels Ten-pin bowling (commonly just...
, Candlepin bowling
Candlepin bowling
Candlepin bowling is a variation of Bowling that is played primarily in the Canadian Maritime provinces, Ontario, Quebec, and the New England states of Maine, Massachusetts and New Hampshire, where it is more common than ten-pin bowling....
, and Duckpin bowling
Duckpin bowling
Duckpin bowling is a variation of 10-pin bowling. The balls used in duckpin bowling are 4-3/4 in to 5 in in diameter , weigh 3 lb 6 oz to 3 lb 12 oz each, and lack finger holes...
, the highest possible score is 300, achieved by bowling 12 strikes in a row in a single game: one strike in each of the first nine frames, and three more in the tenth frame. Because a strike counts as ten pins plus any pinfall in the next two balls, 30 points are possible in a given frame.
Historically, the perfect game was dauntingly difficult to achieve, but with the advent of new technology in ten-pin bowling, beginning in the 1970s, it has become a slightly more feasible goal even for skilled amateur and semi-professional players. Such technological changes include the use of more "active" synthetic bowling pins, more forgiving lane conditions (especially on synthetic surfaces versus wood) that allow a greater margin for error, and most importantly, bowling ball
Bowling ball
A bowling ball is a spherical ball made from plastic, reactive resin, urethane or a combination of these materials which is used in the sport of bowling. Ten-pin bowling balls generally have a set of three holes drilled in them, one each for the ring and middle finger, and one for the thumb;...
s with modern "reactive" coverstocks that allow greater hooking action and consequently better strike carry on less-than-perfect hits. (See Ten-pin bowling for more information.) As a result, perfect games are somewhat commonplace, especially in professional play. For example, PBA
Professional Bowlers Association
The Professional Bowlers Association is the major sanctioning body for the sport of professional ten-pin bowling in the United States. Headquartered in Seattle, Washington, the PBA membership consists of almost 4,300 members worldwide...
professional ten-pin bowler Parker Bohn III
Parker Bohn III
Parker Morse Bohn III is a left-handed American professional bowler and has been a member of the Professional Bowlers Association since 1984. He currently ranks sixth all-time with 32 career PBA titles, and has earned over $2.7 million in PBA events—good for fourth on the all-time list...
has rolled 85 perfect games in PBA competition during his 24 seasons on tour.
The feat has never been accomplished in candlepin or duckpin bowling
Duckpin bowling
Duckpin bowling is a variation of 10-pin bowling. The balls used in duckpin bowling are 4-3/4 in to 5 in in diameter , weigh 3 lb 6 oz to 3 lb 12 oz each, and lack finger holes...
, however it has been accomplished in rubberband duckpin bowling.
In Five-pin bowling
Five-pin bowling
Five-pin bowling is a bowling variant which is played only in Canada, where most bowling alleys offer it, either alone or in combination with ten-pin bowling. It was devised around 1909 by Thomas F. Ryan in Toronto, Ontario, at his Toronto Bowling Club, in response to customers who complained that...
, the highest possible score is 450, as a strike is worth 15 pins. It is rare to bowl or witness one. The Canadian Five Pin Bowlers Association sanctions from 10 to 40 perfect games per year.
Recognition
In sanctioned league play, a 300 game is usually commemorated with a ring, after the score is verified and the lane conditions are approved. Subsequent league 300s are denoted by setting "chips" or precious stones into the ring, so that skilled bowlers don't have to wear several rings. The United States Bowling CongressUnited States Bowling Congress
The United States Bowling Congress is a sports membership organization dedicated to ten-pin bowling in the United States. It was formed in 2005 by a merger of the American Bowling Congress, Women's International Bowling Congress, Young American Bowling Alliance, and USA Bowling...
(USBC) offers a "multiple" 300 ring for an additional fee that features the number of sanctioned 300 games for that bowler surrounded by stones. The ring can be returned to have the number changed as the bowler rolls additional perfect games.
In casual or "open" play, a 300 game is not recognized officially by the Professional Bowlers Association
Professional Bowlers Association
The Professional Bowlers Association is the major sanctioning body for the sport of professional ten-pin bowling in the United States. Headquartered in Seattle, Washington, the PBA membership consists of almost 4,300 members worldwide...
, the United States Bowling Congress
United States Bowling Congress
The United States Bowling Congress is a sports membership organization dedicated to ten-pin bowling in the United States. It was formed in 2005 by a merger of the American Bowling Congress, Women's International Bowling Congress, Young American Bowling Alliance, and USA Bowling...
, British Tenpin Bowling Association
British Tenpin Bowling Association
The British Tenpin Bowling Association is the official governing body of ten-pin bowling in the United Kingdom. It is the official sanctioning body, recognised by FIQ, the sport's world governing body, for all competitions, leagues and tournaments held in the UK, and is the organisation...
, or any other organization, but may be honored by a "300 game" plaque, trophy or other prize sponsored by the local bowling center.
Televised 300 games
A handful of 300 games have been broadcast on live TVLive television
Live television refers to a television production broadcast in real-time, as events happen, in the present. From the early days of television until about 1958, live television was used heavily, except for filmed shows such as I Love Lucy and Gunsmoke. Video tape did not exist until 1957...
. Grazio Castellano of Brooklyn, NY was the first to roll a 300 game on live television. This occurred on October 4, 1953 during an Eastern All-Star league session at Newark, New Jersey
Newark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
. (Castellano is a member of the United States Bowling Congress
United States Bowling Congress
The United States Bowling Congress is a sports membership organization dedicated to ten-pin bowling in the United States. It was formed in 2005 by a merger of the American Bowling Congress, Women's International Bowling Congress, Young American Bowling Alliance, and USA Bowling...
Hall of Fame.) A more recent example of this came in October 2006, when England's Paul Moor
Paul Moor
Paul Moor, in Beverley, Hull, England, is one of the world's leading Ten-pin Bowlers. He is left-handed and is a full-time bowler.-Early years:...
became the first man to register a score of 300 in the Weber Cup
Weber Cup
The Weber Cup, named after bowling legend Dick Weber, is the Ten-pin bowling equivalent of Golf's Ryder Cup. It consists of two teams, Team Europe and Team USA competing over three days in a series of singles, doubles and team matches....
(the first 300 on live British television), the annual Europe versus America team challenge event. Australian bowler Jason Belmonte
Jason Belmonte
Jason Belmonte is one of Australia's and the world's leading ten-pin bowlers. He is known for using the rare two handed "shovel" style to deliver his shot.- Early life :...
became the first player to ever roll a 300 game in the televised finals of the World Tenpin Masters
World Tenpin Masters
The World Tenpin Masters is an annual Ten-pin bowling tournament. It consists of a single lane surrounded by banked seating on both sides to give the event the kind of high-pressure atmosphere that makes the Masters the world’s leading televised bowling tournament.The event is televised by...
, defeating Moor in the 2007 event. Tommy Jones had shot a perfect game in each Weber Cup from 2007 to 2009.
Through 2009, there have been 19 televised 300 games in title events on the PBA Tour
PBA Tour
The Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour is the major professional tour for ten-pin bowling, operated by the Professional Bowlers Association. Headquartered in Seattle, Washington, the PBA Tour consists of "exempt" bowlers who are a part of the almost 4,300 members worldwide...
, and two more on the Senior PBA Tour. The first 300 game in a televised PBA event was rolled by Jack Biondolillo in a semi-final match of the 1967 Tournament of Champions (broadcast by ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
). (This was also the first nationally televised broadcast of a perfect game.) The most recent in a live PBA telecast was by Rhino Page
Rhino Page
Ryan "Rhino" Page is a left-handed bowler on the Professional Bowlers Association Tour, and was the 2008 PBA Rookie of the Year. He is also a former U.S. Amateur champion, winning the event in 2005. A San Diego, California native, Page now resides in Dade City, FL...
in the quarterfinals of the 2009 Dydo Japan Cup
Dydo Japan Cup
Dydo Japan Cup is an annual PBA and JPBA bowling event. The tournament typically featured the top 16 bowlers from each organization, and has been dominated by PBA Tour professionals since 1989. The last JPBA bowler to win the event was Takeo Sakai in 1988.The tournament celebrated its 25th...
. The event was broadcast live on Japanese television (NHK
NHK
NHK is Japan's national public broadcasting organization. NHK, which has always identified itself to its audiences by the English pronunciation of its initials, is a publicly owned corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee....
), but was only available as a webcast in the United States. The most recent in a U.S. telecast of a PBA Tour
PBA Tour
The Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour is the major professional tour for ten-pin bowling, operated by the Professional Bowlers Association. Headquartered in Seattle, Washington, the PBA Tour consists of "exempt" bowlers who are a part of the almost 4,300 members worldwide...
title event was accomplished by Ryan Shafer in the 2007 PBA Pepsi
Pepsi
Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink that is produced and manufactured by PepsiCo...
Championship. In 2009, Wes Malott
Wes Malott
Wesley Clint "Big Nasty" Malott is an American professional ten-pin bowler who resides in Pflugerville, Texas. He has six titles in eight full seasons on the PBA tour, having won at least one title in four straight seasons . He also won the 2006–07 Showplace Lanes Megabucks Shootout, which is not...
rolled two 300 games in an ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
broadcast of the King of Bowling series (a taped non-PBA Tour event featuring PBA players). Shafer also threw his second televised 300 game in a singles match at the Geico
GEICO
The Government Employees Insurance Company is an auto insurance company. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway that as of 2007 provided coverage for more than 10 million motor vehicles owned by more than 9 million policy holders. GEICO writes private passenger automobile insurance...
PBA Team Shootout, a non-PBA title event broadcast on ESPN, July 2, 2011.
Female bowlers have also achieved perfection in front of a television audience. Ritsuko Nakayama
Ritsuko Nakayama
is a former professional bowler. She was born in Kusatsu, Gunma, Japan. She later moved to Kagoshima which is her parents' hometown. Nakayama became a member of the Japan Professional Bowling Association in 1969, representing Tokyo Tower Bowling Center....
of the Japan Professional Bowling Association
Japan Professional Bowling Association
The is the major sanctioning body for the sport of professional ten-pin bowling in Japan. The organization was founded by , and was established on January 27, 1967. The JPBA sanctions tournaments and other functions related to professional bowling for both men and women. Its headquarters are...
became the first female to score a perfect game in front of a national television audience, doing so in Japan on August 21, 1970. Michelle Feldman
Michelle Feldman
Michelle Feldman is a right-handed female professional ten-pin bowler and former member of the now-defunct Professional Women's Bowling Association . She hails from Skaneateles, NY, and now resides in nearby Auburn, NY. In her career, she has won 14 professional titles: 12 on the PWBA Tour and...
of the now defunct Professional Women's Bowling Association
Professional Women's Bowling Association
The Professional Women's Bowling Association formed in 1960. After the organization struggled, a group of female professional bowlers left the PWBA to form the Ladies' Professional Bowlers Association in 1974. The two merged again in 1978, forming the Women's Professional Bowlers Association,...
became the first female to roll 300 on American national television, when she accomplished the feat in a 1997 Prime Sports
Prime Sports
Prime Sports Asia is a cable sports network owned by STAR TV and Prime Network. It is available in Philippines, Hong Kong, Brunei Darussalam, Malaysia and Singapore, India and other Asian Territories....
broadcast.
Andy Varipapa 300
The Andy Varipapa 300, which consists of 12 strikes in a row spanning 2 games, was named after Hall of Fame Bowler Andy VaripapaAndy Varipapa
Andy Varipapa was a professional and trick bowler. Varipapa became famous around the world for his trick bowling shots....
.
Back-to-back
75-year-old Will JuneWill June
Wilbert "Will" June is a United States Air Force veteran who has become notable for bowling consecutive perfect games in sanctioned league play at the age of 75. He is the grandfather of Cato June.-Details:...
, grandfather of Cato June
Cato June
Cato Nnamdi June is a free agent American football linebacker who most recently played for the Omaha Nighthawks of the United Football League. He was selected by the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League in the sixth round of the 2003 NFL Draft. A 2006 Pro Bowl choice, June was a...
, became the oldest player to bowl consecutive perfect games on August 31, 2010.
Perfect series
An 800 series, a three-game set with scores adding to 800, is a more difficult feat to achieve than bowling a single perfect game because it requires more consistency and careful attention to the subtle changes in the lane conditions from game to game. However, in 1997, a 900 series – or perfect series (three consecutive 300 games in league play) was officially recorded by collegiate bowler Jeremy Sonnenfeld. It was the first 900 series approved by the ABC (now USBC), and was rolled at Sun Valley Lanes in Lincoln, NebraskaLincoln, Nebraska
The City of Lincoln is the capital and the second-most populous city of the US state of Nebraska. Lincoln is also the county seat of Lancaster County and the home of the University of Nebraska. Lincoln's 2010 Census population was 258,379....
. Six previous 900 series had been reported, the first by PBA Hall of Famer Glenn Allison
Glenn Allison
Glenn Richard Allison is an American professional ten-pin bowler and a charter member of the Professional Bowlers Association . He was born in Whittier, California to Leo Allison, a car salesman, and Stella Bradford. He won 5 PBA titles and one Senior PBA title, and was inducted into the PBA Hall...
in 1982, but all were rejected by the ABC for various reasons – mostly due to improper lane conditions (which has not been proven true yet). Twelve perfect series were bowled in the ten-year period 1997-2008, and six were bowled in the two years 2009-2010. As of Jan 20, 2011, the USBC lists a total 18 approved 900 series by 17 different bowlers in the records area of its website.http://www.bowl.com. A perfect series was bowled on Jan 8, 2011 and is pending approval.
In fiction
The concept of a perfect bowling game has been regularly used in fiction for either suspenseful or comedic effect. For example:- In a fourth season episode of Married... with ChildrenMarried... with ChildrenMarried... with Children is an American surrealistic sitcom that aired for 11 seasons that featured a dysfunctional family living in Chicago, Illinois. The show, notable for being the first prime time television series to air on Fox, ran from April 5, 1987, to June 9, 1997. The series was created...
, "Peggy Turns 300," Peggy bowls a perfect game immediately after Al breaks the record at their local alley. - In one episode of The FlintstonesThe FlintstonesThe Flintstones is an animated, prime-time American television sitcom that screened from September 30, 1960 to April 1, 1966, on ABC. Produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions, The Flintstones was about a working class Stone Age man's life with his family and his next-door neighbor and best friend. It...
, an invisible Barney helps Fred bowl a "perfect game" by knocking/kicking aside all the pins whenever Fred bowls the ball. - In one episode of Malcolm in the MiddleMalcolm in the MiddleMalcolm in the Middle is an American television sitcom created by Linwood Boomer for the Fox Network. The series was first broadcast on January 9, 2000, and ended its six-and-a-half-year run on May 14, 2006, after seven seasons and 151 episodes...
, Hal almost bowls a perfect game, but Malcolm accidentally gets caught in the pinsetter and is dropped onto the pins on the 12th roll. Although the computer claims that Hal bowled a perfect game (since Malcolm did knock all the pins over), the game is dismissed by the gathered crowd. - In an episode of Hill Street BluesHill Street BluesHill Street Blues is an American serial police drama that was first aired on NBC in 1981 and ran for 146 episodes on primetime into 1987. Chronicling the lives of the staff of a single police precinct in an unnamed American city, the show received critical acclaim and its production innovations ...
, the roll call sergeant had bowled a 300 game. After the bowling alley burned down, the sergeant was an arson suspect because his 300 was not league sanctioned. - In The SimpsonsThe SimpsonsThe Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
episode "Hello Gutter, Hello FadderHello Gutter, Hello Fadder"Hello Gutter, Hello Fadder" is the sixth episode of the eleventh season of the American animated sitcom The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 14, 1999. In the episode, Homer becomes a local celebrity after bowling a 300 game, but his fame quickly...
", Homer bowls a perfect game in a parody of The NaturalThe NaturalThe Natural is a 1952 novel about baseball written by Bernard Malamud. The book follows Roy Hobbs, a baseball prodigy whose career is sidetracked when he is shot by a woman who seeks to kill arrogant athletes to "better the world"...
. Later, the baby MaggieMaggie SimpsonMargaret "Maggie" Simpson is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons. She first appeared on television in the Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987. Maggie was created and designed by cartoonist Matt Groening while he was waiting in the lobby of James...
also apparently bowls one. - An episode of The Andy Griffith ShowThe Andy Griffith ShowThe Andy Griffith Show is an American sitcom first televised by CBS between October 3, 1960, and April 1, 1968. Andy Griffith portrays a widowed sheriff in the fictional small community of Mayberry, North Carolina...
titled "Howard the Bowler" features a bowling match between Mayberry and neighboring Mt. Pilot. Howard is one strike away from a perfect game, only to have the lights go out due to a power overload. He has a day to think about it before he tries for the final strike. They make bets on him bowling a perfect game, and when he returns he gets two practice frames before making his final attempt. Both are gutter balls, so Andy gets the guys to relinquish the bets. With the pressure relieved, Howard makes the final strike for a perfect game. - In a similar 2001 episode of the series According to JimAccording to JimAccording to Jim is an American sitcom television series starring Jim Belushi in the title role as a suburban father of three children. It originally ran on ABC from October 3, 2001 to June 2, 2009.-Synopsis:Jim is an abrasive but lovable suburban father...
, Jim (James BelushiJames BelushiJames Adam "Jim" Belushi is an American actor, comedian, and musician. He is the younger brother of comic actor John Belushi.-Early life:Belushi was born in Chicago...
) bowls the first 11 strikes of a game when the power goes out at the bowling center. It is the day before Thanksgiving, and the proprietor tells Jim he cannot get credit for a 300 game (nor a photo on the center's "wall of fame") if he leaves and returns. Jim spends the night, and his wife, Cheryl (Courtney Thorne-SmithCourtney Thorne-SmithCourtney Thorne-Smith is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Alison Parker on Melrose Place, Georgia Thomas on Ally McBeal, and Cheryl Mabel in According to Jim, as well as her recurring role in Two and a Half Men as Lyndsey McElroy.-Early life:She was born in San Francisco,...
), surprises him by bringing Thanksgiving dinner to the bowling center while he waits for the power to return. Cheryl and Jim's family light the lane by placing candles in the gutters, and Jim rolls the final strike to complete the 300 game. - In the Family GuyFamily GuyFamily Guy is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie; and their anthropomorphic pet dog Brian...
episode "Blind Ambition," Mort Goldman bowls a 300 game and becomes a local hero.
See also
- Elliot John CrosbyElliot John CrosbyElliot John Crosby , from England, is a ten-pin bowler who currently holds the record for the United Kingdom's youngest ever player to achieve a 300-point game , in a sanctioned tournament, the highest score in a single game...
- UK's youngest 300 shooter - Chaz DennisChaz DennisChristian Gurney is an American youth bowler from Columbus, Ohio. He is the youngest person to ever shoot a perfect game of bowling....
- US's youngest 300 shooter - Golden Set in tennis
- Maximum break in snooker
- Nine dart finishNine dart finishA nine-dart finish is the ultimate checkout in the game of darts, constituting a perfect game. It is notoriously difficult to achieve, even by the game's top professionals...
in darts - Perfect gamePerfect gameA perfect game is defined by Major League Baseball as a game in which a pitcher pitches a victory that lasts a minimum of nine innings and in which no opposing player reaches base. Thus, the pitcher cannot allow any hits, walks, hit batsmen, or any opposing player to reach base safely for any...
in baseball