CANTON — While bowling during the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships, Alex Lincoln was trying to find a way — any way — to strike.
“I like to rotate the ball around my thumb sometimes instead of just letting the thumb come out,” the 27-year-old Jackson Township right-hander said. “In Reno, I was trying to just carry out there and that was one of the things I tried.
“If I hit the pocket, I nine-counted. And when I didn’t, I had opens. I just couldn’t get the ball to do the same thing twice. I think I played six of the seven arrows with every ball I brought with me using different hand positions.”
But when he returned home, the problems continued and left Lincoln looking for answers.
That is, until the singles portion of the 91st annual Stark County USBC Open Championships at AMF Hall of Fame Lanes.
“I tried doing some of the same things for three weeks after I got back,” said Lincoln, the former Perry High School head boys bowling coach and owner-operator of ALX Property Management. “I think I had about nine games in and I couldn’t stop doing it.
“But I had good Game 4 in the doubles and singles and started throwing the ball better, staying under it more and getting my thumb out of the ball pretty well after that. I think I moved a board and a half the last three games.”
It resulted in Lincoln rolling his sixth career 800 series, 815 scratch with his total of 823 including handicap giving him the tourney’s singles title by 28 pins over Massillon’s Dustin Pry. He also finished eighth overall in actual all-events with 2,093.
“Nothing really changed. I just started throwing the ball better,” Lincoln said. “The first game and a half I had the wrong ball in my hands, but I also was a sprinkler. I finally switched and felt more comfortable with that ball and started hitting my target a lot more.”
His 14-pound Roto Grip Idol Cosmos produced a 247 in his final game of doubles before going 278, 269 and 268 for the 815 in singles. His high series is 824 and he owns “between 12 and 20” 300 games.
In Game 1 during singles, Lincoln left a 10-pin spare in the third frame and a 10-pin on his final ball. Game 2 he led off with a 10-pin spare before running strikes into the 10th frame before another 10-pin. The final game, he had the first four strikes, left a” 10-pin and a light 7-pin, before running off the sheet.
“My first score for all-events in team event was 613. So I knew driving over that I needed to shoot 800 in one of the sets to have a chance of cashing,” Lincoln said. “I just wanted a chance to get excited about something in the 10th frame of the last game. I knew I needed 253 to get there.”
Joe Hostetler, who ultimate finished third in singles, was right on Lincoln’s tail after a 300 in Game and 268 in Game 2 before finishing with 223 for 792.
“I don’t usually emote when I bowl, but I let one out when I got that first one in the 10th,” Lincoln said. “I knew Hostetler was right there, but he got hurt in the ninth frame. I was excited and it had been a while. If the second one carried, that would be great too.”
Lincoln intends to bowl the Hall of Fame Summer Series events at AMF Hall of Fame, but is taking a different approach to his Tuesday league at Eastbury Bowling Center.
He will bowl that league left-handed.
“I’m also going to do that for one league in the winter next season. I want to bowl as long as possible,” said Lincoln, who suffered from both shoulder and knee problems after pitching in high school. “My shoulder and knee don’t really hurt a lot at this point and I want to keep it that way.
“I’ve been bowling lefty on-and-off since high school, when they though I might need Tommy John surgery about 10 years ago. I didn’t want to miss bowling too, so I started practicing left-handed.
Lincoln also continues to battle an undiagnosed stomach ailment that is somewhat control through medication.
“I used to be able to work eight to 10 hours a day and then bowl. Now, if I work five or six, I had to take a nap because I’m spent,” Lincoln said. “The stomach pain really slows me down. They’ve tested me for everything and they keep trying things and hoping it works. The one I’m on now doesn’t get rid of it, but keeps it manageable.”
300 FOR VANDEGRIFT
Canton Township’s Jessica Vandegrift also had a milestone during the doubles portion of the tournament, starting the night with 300 en route to a 740 series, partnering with John Thayer.
It was eighth career 300 for the 37-year-old right-hander, who is employed by Ace Mitchell Bowlers Mart, to go along with one career 800 series (801). It also was her first 700 this season.
“The funny thing is, the ball I picked was one I hadn’t thrown there all season. I threw two shots wit it and it felt a little loose,” Vandegrift said. “So I put tape in it for practice and decided to throw it in the first frame.
“I had an idea how it was going to roll, so I went with it.”
Vandegrift used her Motiv Blue Coral Venom the remainder of doubles, but started leaving corner pins the next two games with 215 and 225.
“It just really felt good. It really didn’t seem real at first,” Vandegrift said. “There was a little pressure in the 10th frame, but for some reason I just felt like it was going to happen.
“I just got that whole adrenaline thing going and I couldn’t beliefs it really.”
Her and Thayer finished 16th overall in doubles with 1,443, and she also gained the last cash spot (13th) in handicap all events with 2,108, one spot behind Mandi Testa (2,110), who earned the Stark County USBC Women’s Championships scratch all-events title two weeks ago.
OTHER SCORES
Also during singles and double, Medina’s Matt Latarski added a 300 and Alliance’s Chuck Stout had 297 in Game 2 to shoot an 800 series. There were three total 800s during the two-week tourney.
OTHER WINNERS
The Waynesburg team of Andrew Larkins and Talon Harper gained the doubles title during the Stark USBC event with 1,572 total pinfall, 35 pins ahead of second place Troy Wilt and Joe Bailey (1,537), with David Dunham and Richard Rose (1,512) finishing third.
The all-events handicap title went to Canton’s Frank Hill with 2,263, 16 pins ahead of Dunham (2,247), with Norton’s Dennis Murray finishing third (2,220).
Hostetler, a Cuyahoga Falls right-hander, won the scratch all-events title with 2,245, 87 pins ahead of Alliance’s Alex Bugara (2,158), with Frank Testa taking third with 2,158.
Frank (who also shot 800 in team) and Mandi Testa also were members of the Ten Back Pro Shop team that won that title with 3,562.
