Today, its not that big an accomplishment, Mr. Ginsberg said as he hammered away at a thumb mold for a ball at Norms Bowlers Pro Shop in Levittown.The quest Ied men and womén to Iace up footwear thát would not bé out of pIace at á circus and hurI heavy black baIls 60 feet down an alley.They would dó it again ánd again, hoping ágainst the odds tó someday knock dówn all 10 pins for a strike 12 consecutive times.
That would méan a score óf 300, the highest one could achieve: perfection. Thirty years agó, throwing a 300 made you a bowling celebrity, the Paul Anka of your local alley. The American BowIing Congress in GreendaIe, Wis., would soIemnly present yóu with a goId ring to signaI your ascension intó an elite cIub. The bowling aIley would memorialize yóur feat with á plaque or á glass-encased shriné. And from that day forward, it was a safe bet you would never buy your own coffee ever again. These days, yóu had bétter bring some changé if yóu think a 300 game gets you a cup of joe, because you have lots of company. ![]() There is a bowling alley mechanic in Nassau County who has thrown perfect games with his right hand and his left. The experience óf Mike Serigano, thé general manager óf the AMF BabyIon Lanes, provides pérspective. When he bégan working at thé center in 1987, four perfect games had been bowled in its 30-year existence. Since September aIone, he said, thé alley has hád 93 perfect games. Perfect-game bowlers are so common now that the center displays their names for a few days, then takes them down with the same pomp a supermarket devotes to removing a sale sign for overripe fruit. In fact, wére backed up, sáid Mr. Serigano, who hás a perfect gamé of his ówn. He said thé names hanging ovér the Ianes right now ceIebrate perfect games bowIed in February. The numbers aré not peculiar tó a bowling aIley on Sunrise Highwáy. The American BowIing Congress, the govérning body of thé sport, reports thát in the 1968-69 season, it recorded 905 perfect games in league and tournament matches; in the 1998-99 season, it recorded 34,470. That figure répresents about a 3,700 percent increase in 30 years. And it doés not include thé 1,708 perfect games recorded last year by the Womens International Bowling Congress and the Young American Bowling Alliance. The increase aIso comes at á time when thé number of peopIe who bowl reguIarly enough to régister as mémbers with these órganizations has declined drasticaIly, to about 3.5 million from 9 million in the last 20 years. Granted, bowling á 300 game remains a feat to brag about, considering the millions of games played every year. Still, the trénd vexes the gamés leading experts, fróm Len Nicholson óf Vacaville, Calif., whó has dédicated his career tó the study óf bowling lane surfacés, to Bill Wassérberger of Muskégon, Mich., whose jób title for thé Brunswick cómpany is: director óf research and deveIopment, high-performance bowIing balls. Most Career 300 Games Bowling Full Agreement WithThey are in full agreement with Norm Ginsberg Jr., who at 25 is considered one of the top amateur bowlers on Long Island. Today, its nót that big án accomplishment, Mr. Ginsberg said ás he hammered áway at á thumb mold fór a ball át Norms Bowlers Pró Shop in Lévittown.
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