Wisconsin bowler relies on teammates, rolls 300 at OC
May 21, 2014
By Matt Cannizzaro and Jessica Gilgor
USBC Communications
RENO, Nev. - Vance Vetter of Menomonee Falls, Wis., arrived in Reno for the 2014 United States Bowling Congress Open Championships thinking he knew what to expect after hearing from friends about their tournament experiences at the National Bowling Stadium.
What he was not expecting was to become part of USBC Open Championships history by rolling the 23rd perfect game of the 2014 tournament Tuesday night during his team event.
It was the second perfect game of the day and marked the fifth time in 2014 that multiple 300s occurred in the same day. Darrin Cisar of Grand Junction, Colo., connected on 12 consecutive strikes during the early team event for the 825th perfect game in tournament history and 250th in nine visits to the NBS.
"The last ball felt better than the 10th one and the first two of the game," said Vetter, a 25-year-old right-hander who made his third Open Championships appearance. "I was worried about the 10th one. I knew I had gotten it in, but with my ball speed, it held somewhat."
Vetter started with games of 179 and 207 before the string of strikes began. He finished with a 686 series. He helped Rich Mueller's Pro Shop to a 1,234 final game and 3,306 team total. Motion Plus Lanes of Cudahy, Wis., leads Regular Team with a record score of 3,561.
After a rocky first game, Vetter made the necessary adjustments to find a line, and he relied on his teammates to keep him focused.
"After the first game, I said I was going to jump in and move five boards with my feet and three boards with my target," Vetter said. "Knowing everyone else was bowling really well, and getting to feed off of them, was really nice."
Vetter was able to get a feel for the conditions on the 43-foot Sport-certified team oil pattern after getting feedback from the Regular Team leaders, but he and his teammates also used a practice session on the Track Showcase Lanes to put their ideas to the test.
"We're from the Milwaukee area, so we know Motion Plus and some other teams," said Vetter, who bowls league at Village Bowl in Menomonee Falls. "When they came back, we got a read off of them. We tried to start our practice session playing up 8, 9 and 10, and once we broke it down, we made the transition in. It really opened up the lanes."
Even so, Vetter found himself with beginner's nerves on the last ball of his run at perfection, but he was given a tip that proved helpful.
"There were a lot of nerves," Vetter said. "It was almost like my first 300. My teammates just told me to keep it nice and slow because I have a tendency to get fast with my feet. They said stay slow and calm."
Visit us on Facebook at the official USBC Open/Women's Championships page.
Presenting sponsors for the 2014 USBC Open Championships include Circus Circus Reno, Eldorado Hotel Casino Reno and Silver Legacy Resort Casino Reno.
USBC Communications
RENO, Nev. - Vance Vetter of Menomonee Falls, Wis., arrived in Reno for the 2014 United States Bowling Congress Open Championships thinking he knew what to expect after hearing from friends about their tournament experiences at the National Bowling Stadium.
What he was not expecting was to become part of USBC Open Championships history by rolling the 23rd perfect game of the 2014 tournament Tuesday night during his team event.
It was the second perfect game of the day and marked the fifth time in 2014 that multiple 300s occurred in the same day. Darrin Cisar of Grand Junction, Colo., connected on 12 consecutive strikes during the early team event for the 825th perfect game in tournament history and 250th in nine visits to the NBS.
"The last ball felt better than the 10th one and the first two of the game," said Vetter, a 25-year-old right-hander who made his third Open Championships appearance. "I was worried about the 10th one. I knew I had gotten it in, but with my ball speed, it held somewhat."
Vetter started with games of 179 and 207 before the string of strikes began. He finished with a 686 series. He helped Rich Mueller's Pro Shop to a 1,234 final game and 3,306 team total. Motion Plus Lanes of Cudahy, Wis., leads Regular Team with a record score of 3,561.
After a rocky first game, Vetter made the necessary adjustments to find a line, and he relied on his teammates to keep him focused.
"After the first game, I said I was going to jump in and move five boards with my feet and three boards with my target," Vetter said. "Knowing everyone else was bowling really well, and getting to feed off of them, was really nice."
Vetter was able to get a feel for the conditions on the 43-foot Sport-certified team oil pattern after getting feedback from the Regular Team leaders, but he and his teammates also used a practice session on the Track Showcase Lanes to put their ideas to the test.
"We're from the Milwaukee area, so we know Motion Plus and some other teams," said Vetter, who bowls league at Village Bowl in Menomonee Falls. "When they came back, we got a read off of them. We tried to start our practice session playing up 8, 9 and 10, and once we broke it down, we made the transition in. It really opened up the lanes."
Even so, Vetter found himself with beginner's nerves on the last ball of his run at perfection, but he was given a tip that proved helpful.
"There were a lot of nerves," Vetter said. "It was almost like my first 300. My teammates just told me to keep it nice and slow because I have a tendency to get fast with my feet. They said stay slow and calm."
Visit us on Facebook at the official USBC Open/Women's Championships page.
Presenting sponsors for the 2014 USBC Open Championships include Circus Circus Reno, Eldorado Hotel Casino Reno and Silver Legacy Resort Casino Reno.