"I'm satisfied with the way the NABI tournaments are run," Gerry Feilteau said. "I was hoping that a little competition would help my game when I joined NABI last February."
On Sunday, Dec. 8, Feilteau won the $1,000 first prize in the National Amateur Bowlers, Inc. eventat Fair Lanes Annapolis. I guess he is satisfied.
He finished second in his first NABI tournament in February. Lessthan a year later, he's winning tough tournaments.
Feilteau livesin Annapolis with his wife, Eleanor, and is employed as senior plantoperator at Anne Arundel County's Department of Utilities. He bowls in three leagues at Fair Lanes Annapolis -- on Monday nights and the Wednesday Special League, and he subs in the Tuesday Business Men's League.
Throwing a 16-pound Pink Hammer bowling ball, he's maintaining an average of 180 with sets of 600-plus and a high game of 268. This is his fourth year of bowling tenpins after a long layoff.
Feilteau still finds time to coach the YABA Saturday morning league at the Annapolis lanes. When he says, "I just like bowling," it's easy tobelieve him.
Jimmy Eastman of Glen Burnie echoes that statement, saying, "I really enjoy the game. It's a great sport and it doesn't matter if you're young, if you win or lose. It's just a great sport."
Eastman's been bowling for about 30 years and is a new member of NABI. He came in third in the Fair Lanes Annapolis NABI tournament that Feilteau won.
Billy Wilson of Delaware was second, Tom Derr of Frederick was fourth and Janel Burkette of Delaware took fifth.
Eastman bowls in the Tuesday Men's Handicap League at Greenway Odenton and the Thursday WPOC League at Country Club lanes. He's averaging about 200 and has a high game of 279 with an outstanding set of 777.
The retired state trooper tries to practice 40 to 50 games each week,and it looks like the practice is starting to pay off. He collected $250 for his third-place finish in the tournament.
Is he considering the PBA Senior Tour?
"I think I'm a little too old to try that," he said, laughing, "but I'll keep bowling in the NABI tournaments."
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John Purcell is another bowler who likes a little joke. After racking up his second 300 game, Purcell said, "I think I'll have the two rings made into earrings. Hey, not for me, for my mom, Gladys."
Purcell, a driver for The Sun, is married to a non-bowler, Debbie, and is dead serious about his bowling. The night he threw his second 300 game, in the Thursday Men's 915 Scratch League at Fair Lanes Ritchie, he also had games of 179 and 216 for a nice 695 series.
That set still was way short of his career-high series of 768.
Purcell has been bowling for about 15 years and carries a 201 average. He bowls in a second league, the Tuesday Arundel Men's, at Bowl America Glen Burnie.
Was he doing anything different the night he had his 300 game?
"Well, yes," he answered. "I was using my Columbia Blue-Dot ball, and that was different. Usually, I use the Blue-Dot to shootmy spares because it doesn't hook a lot, but that night the lanes seemed to be hooking strongly on the back end, so I used the harder ball and threw it a little harder, a little straighter. Seemed to work pretty good."
Well, yeah, if you consider 300 games "pretty good."
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Vic Lorenz, a duckpin bowler with a 123 average, considers nine straight marks "pretty good."
Bowling in the Tuesday Sociables League at Fair Lanes Southwest recently, Lorenz threw nine spares in a row, breaking 8 or 9 pins every time. He capped the streak with a double-header in the 10th frame for a 190 game.
Lorenz lives in Glen Burnie and only bowls in the one league now. In the past, he bowledin two or three leagues, plus the travel league, but quit for a while and is just now starting back. He has a high game of 203 and a highset of 494.
When asked about his two other games on that Novembernight, when he had 11 marks in a single game, Lorenz had an explanation for coming back with two low-scoring games.
"The first game I was a little upset, a little mad over something that happened and I was throwing the ball pretty hard," he said. "That seemed to keep it straight, so I just kept picking up my spares. The last two games, both in the 120s, were because I had calmed down, I think. Anyway, even with the 190 game, I didn't have a good set."
But, boy, what a first game.
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Rob Vallinas, bowling in the Tuesday Second Army League at Fair lanes Southwest on Dec. 2, had nine marks for a 203 game.
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Fair Lanes Towson will usher in 1992 with the ninth annual New Year's Tenpin Open Tournament on Wednesday, Jan. 1. Tenpin bowlerswill have an opportunity to get 1992 rolling with a $1,000 top prize.
The defending champion is Glen Burnie's Joe Hock Jr., who tosseda 1,447 total last year.
For more information, call 825-4100.
Duckpins
* Greenway Glen Burnie
Ladies
Michele Scheper.... .... 136/354
Mary Bavis.... .... .... 127/342
Nellie Bentz ...... .... 131/341
Pin & Ball Wizards, Nov. 20
George Feeley..... ..... 178/411
Lane Schuster..... ..... 146/367
David Hoyle....... ..... 154/362
John Wojcik....... ..... 145/323
Sharon Lane....... ..... 144/378
Jack Smith........ ..... 162/395
Pin & Ball Wizards, Nov. 27
Jack Schuster....... 150/392
Tom Hudson.......... 144/382
George Feeley....... 139/378
Carr-Lowrey Mixed
John Clark.... .... .... 145/427
Bonnie Wolfe....... .... 138/406
Frank Williams..... .... 160/379
Kathy Leonard...... .... 138/379
Don Conrad.... .... .... 124/364
Scott McKee........ .... 140/361
Richard Harris..... .... 168/423
Kathy Leonard...... .... 162/437
Gary Shaw.... ..... .... 151/391
Michele Scheper.... .... 133/367
Jim Heisler... .... .... 149/378
Bonnie Wolfe........... 133/344
Monday Nite 8:15 Mixed
Mike Reeder.... .... 162/430
Rick Keen...... .... 383 set
Joe Trabert.... .... 364 set
Peggy Quinlain...... 145/379
Paula Buchanan...... 365 set
Pat Trabert... ..... 355 set