Ohio bowler Earon Vollmar rolls 900 series

    01/21/15

    USBC News

    2010USBCOCEaronVollmar.jpg

    Earon Vollmar (pictured) of Toledo, Ohio, didn't have the best weekend on the lanes, but a few adjustments put him back on track in time for his Monday night league, where he rolled three consecutive 300 games for a 900 series.

    The 26-year-old right-hander had 36 consecutive strikes during the Monday Night All-Stars league January 19 at Toledo's New Glass Bowl Lanes, making him the 25th bowler in history, and third from Ohio, to record a perfect series.

    The achievement is pending approval from the United States Bowling Congress and would be the 26th USBC-approved 900.

    Vollmar struggled with his footwork and timing in a disappointing performance at a local event Sunday, but he tried a few things at the end of that tournament that helped get his game back in the right tempo.

    "It was an uneventful weekend, but I learned a few things at the end that might have helped," said Vollmar, who works in a pro shop six days a week but competes in three leagues and Sunday tournaments whenever possible.

    "When I bowled in my morning league Monday, I wasn't quite where I wanted to be, but I felt better. At the end of league, I tried a few more things, and then everything seemed to fall into place."

    Even as an accomplished bowler with 16 perfect games and nine 800 series before Monday's performance, Vollmar's game is a work in progress, and his focus lately has been on his slide technique. He also tends to be hard on himself at times, but that wasn't the case during his recent run at the record books.

    When the strikes started to add up Monday, he found himself in a place mentally he hadn't been since rolling his first career 800 (an 811 series) on bowling's biggest stage at the 2010 USBC Open Championships. That effort also helped him to a tie for second place in Regular Singles.

    "I am a nervous person to begin with, so anytime I have a string going, I can feel the nerves a little," Vollmar said. "With every shot at the end of the first game, I got more nervous, but I wanted to keep throwing good shots. As the night went on, I just tried to keep my mind occupied and not let the nerves get the best of me."

    By the end of the third game, the 36-lane bowling center had grown quiet and two leagues worth of bowlers surrounded Vollmar's pair of lanes. That's when he turned to the experience of becoming one of 35 bowlers in history with a 300 game and 800 series at the Open Championships.

    "There was a substantial crowd, but I wanted to keep my thoughts clear, take deep breaths and stay calm," Vollmar said. "Every bowler dreams of having a chance to shoot 900, but you never think you're going to be the next one to do it. I've haven't been able to duplicate anything like that night in Reno until last night. I think it was the first time since then I really was able to keep my mind clear and not let any thoughts creep in."

    The other 900s in Ohio were rolled by Lonnie Billiter Jr. (Fairfield) in 2006 and Matt Latarski (Medina) in 2010.

    The first USBC-approved 900 occurred Feb. 2, 1997 when Jeremy Sonnenfeld rolled three consecutive perfect games in Lincoln, Neb. There never has been a Sport-certified 900 series.

     



     

     

    USBC-Approved 900 Series (26)


    ** Pending formal approval by the United States Bowling Congress.

    Jeremy Sonnenfeld (R), Lincoln, Neb., Feb. 2, 1997
    Tony Roventini (L), Greenfield, Wis., Nov. 9, 1998
    Vince Wood (R), Moreno Valley, Calif., Sept, 29, 1999
    Robby Portalatin (L), Jackson, Mich., Dec. 28, 2000
    James Hylton (R), Salem, Ore., May 2, 2001
    Jeff Campbell II (R), New Castle, Pa., June 12, 2004
    Darin Pomije (R), New Prague, Minn., Dec. 9, 2004
    Robert Mushtare (R), Fort Drum, N.Y., Dec. 5, 2005 and Feb. 19, 2006
    Lonnie Billiter Jr. (R), Fairfield, Ohio, Feb. 13, 2006
    Mark Wukoman (R), Greenfield, Wis., April 22, 2006
    P.J. Giesfeldt (R), Milwaukee, Dec. 23, 2006
    Rich Jerome Jr. (R), Baltimore, Dec. 22, 2008
    Chris Aker (L), Winnemucca, Nev., Oct. 30, 2009
    Andrew Teall (R), Medford, N.J., Nov. 2, 2009
    Andrew Mank (R), Bellevue Ill., March 18, 2010
    William Howell III (L), Middletown, N.Y., Oct. 21, 2010
    Matt Latarski (R), Medina, Ohio, Nov. 28, 2010
    Bob Kammer Jr. (R), Crown Point, Ind., Jan. 8, 2011
    John Martorella Sr. (R), Greece, N.Y., April 12, 2012
    Jimmy Schmitzer (R), Riverside, Calif., April 20, 2012
    James Williams (R), Pawcatuck, Conn., (bowled in Wakefield, R.I.), April 16, 2013
    Joe Scarborough (R), Charlotte, N.C., (bowled in The Villages, Fla.), April 21, 2013
    Todd James (R), East New Market, Md., (bowled in Laurel, Del.), March 18, 2014
    Amos Gordon (R), Colorado Springs, Colo., April 11, 2014
    Earon Vollmar (R), Toledo, Ohio, Jan. 19, 2015**

     


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