HUGS, TEARS AND CHEERS

Saturday, October 20 was just another league Saturday for local bowler Angie Sturm. Angie bowls in the Youth Amateur Bowling Association League on Saturday mornings. She is a seventeen-year-old senior at Bishop Luers High School but the high school bowling hasn’t started yet. Angie was at Village Bowl enjoying the company of her friends and competing in the once-a-week YABA league. Her first two games were typical 200 plus games as she carries a 210 average.

Jeff Dreyfus, the manager at Village Bowl, has helped Angie through her last few seasons of bowling. She has already put up some impressive statistics. Angie is the first high school student to win the Masters & Queens Tournament two years in a row. She was the team captain for the Indiana-Kentucky All-Stars and has done well in post-season action.

She has lined up over 12 strikes in a row, but has never done it in a single game, so that perfect 300-game has eluded her.

Dreyfus, who was on the Pro Bowlers Tour, and has bowled over 20 perfect games, explained to her that the first 300 is the most difficult.

Bobby Sturm, Angie’s father was there for Angie during her final game. When he walked into the bowling alley there was a special buzz in the air. He overheard someone say that the girl on lanes 23 & 24 had nine strikes in a row. He asked who it was, and then realized it was his daughter. He stood back with the other spectators and watched.

Angie said that about the ninth frame, she just had a feeling that this was going to be her first perfect game. “I’m not psychic on anything, I just had this feeling that this was going to be the one. I was rolling the ball well and every ball was right in the pocket. No crossovers, no lucky hits, just a nice smooth delivery.”

Then the tenth frame came and another strike which made ten in a row. And then another, and then another and that was it. “My knees turned to rubber and I just burst out crying. I was hugging and high fiving and it just felt wonderful.”

Zach Stabler, Angie’s bowling partner for that particular Saturday, also a senior from Bishop Luers was rolling the ball well. He bowled a 724 series and combined with Angie’s 710, they had a doubles total of 1434, not bad for a lazy Saturday morning down at the Village Bowl.