JACKSON TWP. — Mike Spitale Jr. haș not bowled in a summer league in at least 25 years.
What changed in 2022?
“These guys (Greg Perez and Jim Imhoff) asked me to bowl. Since I was off for a whole season due to COVID and I didn’t bowl at all, I thought it would be a way to keep my timing good,” The 61-year-old Jackson Township right-hander said.
“It’s been a good summer.”
That’s an understatement.
Spitale, who is averaging 234 in the Tuesday Summer Trio league at Park Centre, capped his summer season with his ninth career 800 series and 44th 300 game, finishing with 836 and a perfect final game. His career high of 846 came over 20 years ago.
And it came using a bowling ball that he used for the first time that evening.
“I bought a Motiv (Supra) ball that I wasn’t really happy with. I had switched to Global 900 stuff last year, so I traded the Supra to Mark Lamp for a (Global 900) Honey Badger Intensity,” the Van’s Tire Pro general manager said. “Bill (Reese) had been drilling my equipment, so I had the new kid (Frank Testa) redo it.
“All he had to do was redo the thumb. The layout was already set up for me and it worked out perfect.”
Spitale had games of 268, 268 and 300 for his milestone, his second this year after having 801 in January, also at Park Centre.
He left a solid 9-pin in the sixth frame and a solid 8-pin on his second ball in the 10th frame of Game 1. Then, he had the first four strikes before another solid 8-pin in Game 2. Again, in the 10th frame, he left another 9-pin.
“Right now, my game is probably in the best shape it has ever been,” Spitale said. “Everything just feels so natural right now. I’m just throwing it extremely well.”
Which also has given Spitale a boost of confidence heading into the 2022-23 winter season.
“I’m going to bowl more PBA senior events next year,” he added. “I just trying to get everything together with my equipment and get my mind straight to be able to do that.
“I’ll be in a different category (Super Senior, age 60 and older) this time.”
And that quest got a big boost in summer bowling.
“It’s something that just woke up inside me,” Spitale said, “and it’s great when your brain is connecting to what you’re doing.”