Ask any bowler what their ultimate dream is and undoubtedly they
will respond,
”
A perfect game.
”
That dream came true for Greg Seamons, 17, of Hollister and
Michael Grzyb, 18, of Gilroy. Both are members of the Gilroy Youth
Bowling League in Gilroy.
Ask any bowler what their ultimate dream is and undoubtedly they will respond, “A perfect game.” That dream came true for Greg Seamons, 17, of Hollister and Michael Grzyb, 18, of Gilroy. Both are members of the Gilroy Youth Bowling League in Gilroy.
Seamons has bowled in Gilroy for two years and recently rolled the perfect game, twelve strikes in a row, for a total score of 300. His series score (three game cumulative) was 785 after bowling a 242 and 243.
“You could hear a pin drop, literally,” said Matthew Connolly, one of the parents who regularly attends Saturday morning league with his two children, David and Elizabeth. All eyes were on Seamons as he positioned himself on the approach and threw ball number twelve perfectly down the lane, blasting pins every which way. “Wow, I did it!” were his first words after watching the last pin fall, then adding, “I beat my dad to 300!”
Grzyb has also bowled in Gilroy for several years and became the second member of the Gilroy Youth Bowling League to roll a perfect 300.
“I was in shock,” Grzyb said following his accomplishment. Grzyb wrote a poem in high school titled Perfect Score that had always been an inspiration for him. “He’s a role model to the younger bowlers on the team, including me,” said Brandon Porria, 13, the Youth League President. “We all try to beat him.”
Grzyb’s series score was an incredible 831 after bowling a 278 and 253. Rich Zurlo, coach for Gilroy’s two Saturday morning bowling squads, couldn’t be more proud.
“It is really great to see this happen to two of our youth,” Zurlo said. “This is why they show up each Saturday. Most people will bowl their entire career and never reach this pinnacle. This is quite an accomplishment.”
Other recent standout performances were in February, when David Connolly, 15, and Porria took first place in their division of the 2008 Nor Cal BC Youth Doubles Championships. Other winners in their respective divisions included: Jenifer Allemand, 17, Stephanie Gaddis, 15, and Andres Farias and Stacey Gaddis, both 7-years-old.
Tim Lynch, 15, and Elizabeth Connolly, 14, represented Gilroy in the USBC Pepsi Tournament Semi-Finals in Fountain Valley on Saturday.
Twenty-four youth bowlers from Gilroy will travel to Mission Hills and Winnetka to participate in the California USBC Youth Championship Tournament in July. “Gilroy will be very well represented at this tournament,” said coach Zurlo.
All of these events provide an opportunity for each bowler to earn college scholarships through the United States Bowling Congress (USBC).
—
The winter league is winding down for Gilroy’s approximately 55 youth bowlers, but will be forming again in September. Summer leagues are now forming for junior/adult and youth Saturday morning squads. Brandon Porria, youth league President, encourages anyone interested in joining a league to contact Gilroy Bowl for more information: (408) 842-5100.
