RENO, Nev. - David Woffington Jr. of Lancaster, Pa., and Daniel Distler of Shawnee, Kan., are at different places in their careers at the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships, but their names will be side by side in the record books after they both rolled perfect games at the National Bowling Stadium on Tuesday.
 
Woffington, a 29-year-old right-hander and first-time participant, struck first, recording the first 300 in doubles competition this year after games of 179 and 213 for a 692 series. He teamed with Jerred Poff of York, Pa., to move into seventh place in Regular Doubles with a 1,387 total. Alex Aguiar of Dartmouth, Mass., and former Professional Bowlers Association exempt player Brian LeClair of Albany, N.Y., lead Regular Doubles with 1,422.

Woffington attributed his success to teamwork and communication, things he learned a lot about when he bowled collegiately at Shippensburg University a decade ago, before bone spurs in his elbow brought his bowling career to a halt.

The condition required surgery and a lengthy rehabilitation process. Bowling no longer was a priority. A few years later, though, he got back into league and local tournaments, all of which led to his first march down Center Aisle at the Open Championships on Monday.

"I really didn't think I'd ever get back to the level I was at before, and I just started focusing on my career," said Woffington, who is an admissions coordinator at the YTI Career Institute. "Then, I got back into it and started to get the itch to compete again. I'm really lucky to be able to bowl with such a great group because they definitely helped me feel comfortable out there."

Woffington walked the halls of the National Bowling Stadium as a participant at the North Pointe Junior Gold Championships years ago, but even that familiarity couldn't have prepared him for the feeling of stepping onto the approach with a shot at 300 in his first Open Championships.

"I was here once before, so I knew the layout of the building, but it was all pretty surreal this time, especially since it's been almost 15 years since I've been here," said Woffington, who added 638 in singles and 633 in team for a 1,963 all-events total. "It's hard to describe the feeling I had up there today. I've never been more nervous over a shot in my entire life. I kept taking deep breaths and just wanted to get it off my hand cleanly. There's no better feeling than when all 10 pins went down on the last shot."

Distler was in the building getting ready for his team event when Woffington made his run at perfection, so he was able to see it first-hand. He also has watched and studied this year's live stream broadcasts on BowlTV to see how some of the top players are handling the two lane conditions.

Despite doing his homework, the 62-year-old right-hander got off to a slow start, struggling with ball reaction on the way to a 131 game, but he never lost focus.

After watching some of his teammates, Distler moved right and found a line to the pocket, which worked for a few frames. He then made a move left, and the strikes started adding up on the way to games of 213 and 300 for a 644 series.

"I learned a lot about the right way to release the ball from watching the live streams, and I noticed the right-handers have to move a lot more and sooner," said Distler, who made his 16th consecutive Open Championships appearance. "I was just surprised that I had to move right before moving left. Luckily, I learned a long time ago that you have to bowl the frame, not the game, and I was able to keep doing the right things."

As he got closer to the 17th perfect game of the 2013 tournament, Distler relied on his teammates to keep the mood light, and he thought back to the first 300 of his bowling career to make sure he threw a good shot Tuesday.

"The last three or four frames, I had the guys talking to me to keep the adrenaline away, and some of them can really talk," said Distler, a print shop owner who bowls regularly at Shawnee's Park Lanes. "A couple of times in the 10th frame, I walked away from it and backed off because I could feel my heartbeat racing. I also made a small adjustment on the final shot because I had four 299s before my first 300, and they all were 4 pins."

Distler recently bowled well in a couple of local tournaments, so he was confident heading into the 2013 Open Championships. He also attended a bowling event that allowed him to talk equipment with Professional Bowlers Association star Norm Duke and staff members from Storm Products, Inc. Together, they came up with the ball and layout he used to find success in Reno.

"I'm glad it's done now, and I'm happy I get to say I've done something in life I never thought I'd do," Distler said.

Presenting sponsors for the 2013 USBC Open Championships include Circus Circus Reno, Eldorado Hotel Casino Reno and Silver Legacy Resort Casino Reno.