KENT — While life has dealt Kevin Schott a body blow over the past month, it has not affected his play on the lanes.
One month ago, the 23-year-old Alliance right-hander lost his 47-year-old father, Mark, to kidney disease.
“Absolutely it’s been a tough time,” the Clem Lumber employee said. “But it’s one of those things, and you have to try to move on.”
The day the Northeast Ohio Traveling League bowled at Spins Bowl-Kent recently, Schott received his father’s ashes. He hung part of the remains on the mirror in his car.
“That night, before I walked in, I grabbed hold of it and held it for a little bit,” Schott said. “It just seemed to change everything.”
That night, Schott turned in his then high career series, rolling games of 268, 279 and 267 for 814, his fourth career 800 series to go along with 10 career 300 games.
But Schott wasn’t through. Bowling Nov. 18 in the Liberty Vending league at Eastbury Bowling Center, he put together games of 279, 258 and his 11th 300 game for his all-time high of 837. He bowls in two leagues at Eastbury in addition to the travel league.
“I was really trying to not think about it,” said Schott of his initial 800. “But it’s kind of tough to ignore when the score is right there on the scoreboard in front of you after two games.”
A 4-pin early and a 10-pin spare in the 10th frame were Schott’s only misses in Game 1.
In Game 2, he ran off the first nine strikes before another 10-pin denied him a shot at another 300 game.
“I stayed pretty much in the same spot all night. I might have moved maybe two (boards) left the last game which is surprising for that league considering we are bowling the second shift and you don’t know how many games have been rolled on the pair,” said Schott, who used a Storm IQ Tour Nano for his milestone.
“I was playing about 25 (board) to 10, but if you missed outside of 10, it just wasn’t going to come back.”
Schott found that out the hard way in the 10th frame of his final game.
After leaving a 10-pin spare in the first frame of Game 3, Schott ran strikes until the first ball in the10th frame, when he got his shot a bit wide and left the 2-4-5.
“It’s probably the worst spare you can leave if you are going for 800,” Schott admitted. “I always chop and leave the 5-pin off of it. It was just a relief when I covered it.
“There were some nerves, but I was trying not to think about it. But we were the last ones finishing and everyone was around watching, so it was a little nerve-wracking. I was just trying to control myself.”
Following the conversion, he struck on his final ball for his final count.
“It’s really been a great season to this point. It’s probably the best I’ve ever bowled. I’ve been throwing it so well,” said the former Alliance High School player who is averaging between 228 and 233 in his three leagues.
“My goal this season was to be consistent … maybe move my average up a few pins.”
And the memory of his father drives him.
“I’ve been thinking about him a lot,” Schott said.
And, as he admitted, dad was watching again during his latest 800 effort at Eastbury.