At 12, he’s the youngest to bowl a perfect game in Hernando County
By Derek J. LaRiviere, Times Correspondent
In Print: Friday, September 3, 2010
SPRING HILL — With a nod of approval, the old record holder handed off his achievement to the new owner.
For 16 years, Jason Mahr reigned as the dominant force in Hernando County bowling. He was voted an inaugural member of the county’s Hall of Fame in 2008, won the Professional Bowlers Association Spring Hill Open the year before and holds nearly every individual local record — now with one exception.
That’s because Justin Paxton, 12, just took away the first mark Mahr ever set. On Aug. 21, Paxton, of Port Richey, tossed a perfect game at Spring Hill Lanes to become the youngest bowler to ever accomplish that feat in Hernando County.
Justin Paxton, 12, at Spring Hill Lanes, recently became the youngest bowler to roll a perfect game in Hernando County
When Mahr was 13, he started his run of exceptional play by doing the same thing.
It was Aug. 21, 1994, at Mariner Lanes in Spring Hill. He had just turned 13. Mahr used that day to catapult himself toward many other accomplishments on the lanes, including an 878 series and multiple county high-average titles. Only a couple of years ago, he started to burn out on the sport.
“I wish the best for Justin and the rest of the kids today,” Mahr said. “I hope they don’t lose the desire like I did and remember that at the end of the day, it’s just a game.”
Over the past couple of years, Mahr has taken time off from bowling, but the torch has seemingly been passed with the breaking of his initial record. Paxton threw his 300 on the first week of youth league play at Spring Hill Lanes.
“When I found out that he did it the same exact day I did, but 16 years later, that was pretty ironic,” Mahr said. “It was only a matter of time until someone came along and did it, and he deserves it.”
After starting with a first-game 201, Paxton tossed 12 consecutive strikes for his second-game 300. He finished with a third-game 179 for a 680 series.
There’s no telling what lies ahead for Paxton, but there is no denying he has talent.
Paxton took up the sport only 2 ½ years ago after flirting with the idea of playing quarterback for many years. He took his last snap in the Pasco Police Athletic League and picked up a bowling ball.
It was a natural turn for Paxton, whose father, David, has been a mechanic at bowling centers for the past 24 years. David Paxton is currently a lane mechanic at Spring Hill Lanes. He was more than thrilled to see his son take up the pastime. He caught on quickly.
“He never needed bumpers, and he was throwing a hook within six months,” the elder Paxton said. “He has a real strong wrist from playing quarterback, and I think that helps him a lot.”
Last year, Justin tossed a 777 series at age 11. He has put in a lot of hard work to get to this point, and he plans on continuing to do so.
He has dreams of PBA superstardom, but he keeps grounded with college plans as well. In the past eight months, he has earned almost $700 worth of scholarship money bowling in various youth tournaments, and hopes that total will grow in years to come.
Just days ago, Paxton rolled an 800 series on the nose in practice, missing another perfect game with a ringing 10-pin in the ninth frame. He is aiming to become the youngest bowler to toss a sanctioned 800 series.
With the help of PBA instructor Jeffrey Marks, who also assists youth bowlers Darian Curtis and Anthony Caso, Paxton has improved by learning various hand releases and balance at the foul line. Given his experience level, he is improving at a fast pace.
“He’s just fascinated by (bowling),” his father said. “He has a big backswing like Jason Mahr. I just brought him up here to throw some balls, and the rest is history.”
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Las Vegas Hospitality Association Holds Team Building Bowling Event
The Las Vegas Hospitality Association’s (LVHA) annual team-building bowling event was held at The Orleans Bowling Center in August (Photo Credit: David Cherkis Photography).
The Dreamers team with players Anthony Bartolomeo (Metropolitan Expositions), Kathy Perlsweig (Mandalay Bay), Michelle White Sukala (MGM Grand) and Mike Pergola (Edlen Electric Exhibition Services) won top trophies with the highest score.
Two games were played with the first being a team-building game with 10 different challenges ranging from pushing the bowling ball from a seated position to bowling between the legs of three teammates. The second game was played normal.
To fortify the team spirit a costume challenge was another dynamic element that was won by Rockin’ Bowl team (above) made up of Jennifer Cheung (Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville), Jamie Malloy (Green Valley Ranch), Cyndi Stumbo (Freeman), and Tristan Wood (Trump International).
The highest score by a woman was won by JoLynn DeMera on Freeman Audio Visual Solutions’ Alley Cats team and for the men Mike Pergola on the winning The Dreamers team captured the honor.
The Las Vegas Hospitality Association (LVHA) is a non-profit state association made up of nearly 500 working professionals in the hospitality industry. Originally founded in 1962, the LVHA encompasses a broad spectrum of companies supporting the tourism, convention and hospitality fields in Southern Nevada. Visit their web site at www.lvhospitality.org.
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104-year-old bowler is on a roll
Waterford, MI –Rolla Zuck bowled a 224 on Monday in his daytime senior league at Century Bowl. He said it was the first time he eclipsed 200 in a year and a half.
One of Zuck’s league teammates, Bettie Meredith, said Zuck must have had a memory lapse because he actually bowled a 232 on Sept.22, two days after his 104th birthday.
Zuck’s Monday total of 515 was 86 pins more than his average, a score that led the first two days of a four-day tournament. Still, he didn’t seem overly excited.
“Right now I’m not bowling real good, but I’m going to stay with it as long as I can because I love the people,” said Zuck, who averages 143 in the Monday league and 152 on Thursdays.
The people love Zuck, too. Although the Waterford resident didn’t bowl Thursday, he showed up for an ice cream social. When he arrived, nearly everyone showered him with pleasantries, including one that especially made Zuck smile: “Good morning, young man.”
Zuck will turn 105 in less than a month. He said he’s currently taking six medications, including multiple ones for his heart. He had his first heart attack in 1972 and said he’s had four others. Zuck has struggled to bowl last few weeks because one of the heart medications makes him dizzy. That issue has since subsided, for the most part.
Zuck also is hearing-impaired and has back and leg problems. He said he can often only bowl one or two games at a time because walking with his 14-pound ball is a chore. He bowled with a 16-pound ball about 10 years ago and is considering going down in weight again.
Regardless of the pain, his bowling technique remains intact. He takes a four-step approach and still puts some hook on the ball.
“It’s a little slow but not bad,” said league member Ken Meredith, Bettie’s husband. “I don’t see much difference now from the time he was 100.”
‘Party guy’
Zuck moved to Michigan from Missouri in 1926. He grew tired of building levees for farms, so he took a job at the Fisher Body Company in Pontiac, working for 45 cents an hour.
He opened Zuck Machine Shop in 1957, a car repair shop he sold in 1997.
Zuck never had any kids, but his late wife Estelle had two sons and a daughter. He met Estelle on a blind date in the early 1950s. She died in 1997 at age 90.
His stepdaughter and one of her daughters — whom he calls his granddaughter — live in Warren, so he sees them from time to time.
His granddaughter Deborah Owens throws him a birthday party every year. Century Bowl and his assisted living home also celebrate the occasion.
“I’m a party guy,” Zuck said.
Compared to his past, when he’d drive thousands of miles to see friends, Zuck said he doesn’t do much these days, although he still drives. To stay active, he does standing exercises — kicking his legs and swinging his arms — especially the right arm.
“As long as I can move my arm, I’m going to bowl,” Zuck said.
”Til I drop dead’
In addition to bowling, Zuck said he reads and roots for the Tigers. On Thursday, he wore a Pistons hat with bowling pins on the brim, but he has never been to one of their games. Baseball always was his sport, and he said he’s frustrated with the Tigers’ season.
“I feel like going over there and booting ‘em for not playing better,” he said.
Zuck first bowled when a friend pushed him to join a league in 1949. He wasn’t very good.
He’s bowled at Century since it opened in 1981. In that time he’s seen a lot of things in the bowling alley, including an incident four years ago when his friend died in the building.
Since then, the alley has added a defibrillator, which Zuck and the other seniors helped purchase.
But for Zuck, a similar fate might not be such a sad ending. He says he intends to bowl ” ’til I drop dead.”
From The Detroit News: http://www.detnews.com/article/20100827/SPORTS07/8270358/104-year-old-bowler-is-on-a-roll#ixzz0xvKctwY0
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