Kinzler rolls perfect game

Talk about it

As the strikes piled up, Patrick Kinzler felt the pressure.

The 16-year-old Jamestown bowler accomplished quite the feat Nov. 21 when he rolled a perfect game during his youth league at Buffalo Lanes.

Kinzler fired 12 straight strikes for the 300 game, which beat his previous high of 246 by 54 pins.

“After getting seven in a row, I started getting a little nervous,” said Kinzler, who’s been bowling for about four years.

The increasingly large audience also ratcheted up the heat.

“The further along I got, the more strikes I got, the bigger the crowd of people came to watch, got,” he said. “It got a lot quieter because there were a lot less people bowling.”

Still, Kinzler was able to handle the pressure and finish it off and was able to take a huge sigh of relief when it was finally over.

“There was definitely some relief in there. When you get that close, you definitely want to go all the way,” he said. “There was a lot of excitement.”

Kinzler, a junior at Jamestown High School, competes in the Sunday Youth League with several of his friends.

His mom Chris also plays in a league, and his dad Curt fills in as a sub occasionally.

Patrick had an average of 174 prior to his perfect game, although that number will rise, and he has no plans of slowing down.

“I’m definitely going to keep bowling,” he said. “I find it to be a lot of fun.”

The youth leagues run 26 weeks, which is long for some, but not Kinzler. He has interest in competing in the sport in college.

“I definitely would like to go somewhere where I can bowl,” he said.

Perfect games are rare for even the most seasoned bowlers, although a handful are usually rolled at Buffalo Lanes during the season. Veteran Jamestown bowler Ron Morlock did it just last week, in fact. Tim Frenzel also has a 300 during league play this season.

Just like any sport, it’s about getting in the zone.

“It’s exciting when it happens,” Kinzler said. “You kind of get tunnel vision in a way.”

Sun sports editor Dave Selvig can be reached at (701) 952-8460 or by e-mail at daves@jamestownsun.com

Tags: recreation league, sports, bowling