In an interview with Max, you could
see the pride and the ownership of having achieved his goal. He had
come amazingly close on other occasions. At the age of 14 he bowled
a 298, and at 15 he took a 299, but it still wasn't the 300 game he
wanted.
But on Oct. 12, all of that
changed.
He was golden in the fourth frame
and was pretty nonchalant because that wasn't new territory for him.
He'd done that before.
But when Max was going into the
12th and final frame, that carrot was dangling right before him. Max
said everyone in the bowling alley had stopped to come and see the
final frame of "Is it a perfect game?"
With a huge crowd behind him and
his knees shaking, he cleared every pin again, giving him that
perfect game. His first 300.
After that, handshakes and pats on
the back were abundant.
Max started bowling as a small
child. He went to watch his friend bowl at the age of 6 and was
hooked. Max at 16 and his bowling buddy, Brandon Brawdy, 18, have
bowled together on the same team since they were kids. While still
best friends, Max is on his way to passing Brandon's two 300 games.
According to Shawn Taylor, "a 300
is much easier to obtain, possibly 20-to-1, than getting into the
800 club."
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column] |
The 800 club Taylor spoke of is
three very good games back-to-back that total 800 or more. That is
an average of 267 per game. Being in the 800 club allows you entry
into some pretty desirable tournaments. Those are the tourneys where
the best play for the title.
Max's love of the game spans three
generations. John Boch, Max's father, remembers going to the bowling
alley in Decatur with his dad when he and his brother were little
kids. John and Max still love to bowl together, with a shared dream
to bowl in the nationals.
Dad hasn't earned his 300 game yet
but was nearly there at 299. However, he has nailed his 801 series.
And he did that on lanes 1 and 2, the same lanes where Max got
his 300 game. Perhaps that is just one more way to keep it all in
the family.
When asked how he felt about
bowling, Max just responded, "I love it," and flashed a smile that
lit up the bowling alley.
Congratulations, Max. There are a
lot of people proud of you.
[By ROY LOGAN] |