CANTON — Steve Belopotosky Jr. had rotator cuff surgery in February that ended his 2021-22 bowling season. It also contributed to a slow start this season.
“I’m still going through therapy, and that has really loosened up my back more,” the 38-year-old Louisville right-hander said. “I’ve been bending more at the foul line and projecting the ball down the lane more.
“It took me awhile to adjust to doing that. I finished last year at 221, but I’ve only been around the 190s the first three weeks.”
But learning the proper adjustments and a new ball that he put off purchasing following his surgery have paid off for Belopotosky, director of operations at the corporate office for Ziegler Tire.
Recently in the Wednesday Night league at Eastbury Bowling Center, Belopotosky had games of 256, 288 and 278 for a 822 series, his second career 800 to go along with five 300 games. His last 800 series came 13 years ago at the former 77 Colonial Lanes.
“It was one of those nights where you haven’t had a series like that in a while and you’re saying to yourself, ‘it’s two down and one to go,’ ” Belopotosky said. “You just try to stay focused and keep going.”
The night didn’t start too promising, with back-to-back 6-10 spares the first two frames of Game 1. But Belopotosky then made a two-board move left with his target and feet and found his comfort zone.
He also left a 4-pin in the ninth frame of Game 1, started Game 2 with a 7-pin spare and then ran the sheet with strikes until the fill ball in the 10th frame, when he left a 4-10 split.
“I really hadn’t done the math completely, even though I was thinking about it a little,” Belopotosky said of his run to 800.
In Game 3, he ran off the first five strikes before leaving a 2-8 spare in the sixth.
“I thought I had thrown a good shot. I looked back at dad (Steve Belopotosky Sr.), and he thought everything looked good,” Belopotosky said. “So I moved back to where I started the night to get the ball to react a little quicker.”
Belopotosky thought he needed the first two strikes in the 10th frame to complete his quest. His father, who has one career 800 series, knew better.
“The first one in the 10th wasn’t flush, but it was OK. I heard my dad say, ‘There it is,’ ” he added. “Then I flushed the last two to complete it.”
Belopotosky had done his research a year ago, deciding he needed to add another ball to his arsenal. He settled on the Radical Intel Special Edition.
“I was going to buy it. From the research I had done, it looked like it would match up with my game,” he added. “But when the surgery happened, I put it off. But I got it about two weeks ago. Alex Wagner drilled it up for me and I’ve shot 688 and 822 with it so I’ve had two solid weeks.”
He bowls in just one league, and his average is back up to near 217 again.
“It’s been 13 years, and it’s one of those things that you don’t know if you are going to get another chance or not,” Belopotosky said of the 800. “When it happens, you have to enjoy the moment.”