NORTH CANTON — Tim Ring admittedly gets nervous on a string of strikes.
“Anybody who knows me knows that when I get five strikes in a row I get nervous,” the 40-year-old Alliance right-hander said. “It’s really weird and kind of stupid considering I’ve had 300 games before.”
Imagine what it was like recently in the Pizza Oven Classic league at Park Centre Lanes when Ring, who cuts and trims trees for a living, started with seven strikes in both Games 1 and 2 and then the first six in Game 3.
He was able to convert those runs into his third career 800 series with 801 on games of 265, 279 and 257.
“When you shoot an 800, you have to have luck on your side,” said Ring, whose high career series was 814 shot two years ago at Eastbury Bowling Center along with 11 career 300 games.
“You could throw 36 great balls, but that doesn’t mean you’re going to shoot 900. You might shoot 700, but you need a little luck.”
Ring has a strange way of attacking lanes when he bowls. It’s referred to as “area” bowling.
“I just look at an area where I need my ball to be. My cousin (Mike Ring) has tried to break me of that habit for years,” Ring said. “I see what my ball is doing in practice and adjust from there.
“I look at the pins, look at the lanes, then look at the pins again and then go. People tell me to adjust a couple of boards, and I will answer them. But I just move my feet.”
Ring admits his normal target at Park Centre is “around” the second arrow (10 board).
“I was standing left of the middle dot and going out around that area and just going after it,” said Ring, who used a Hammer Black Widow Ghost for his milestone.
In Game 1, he started with seven strikes before leaving a 4-6-7 split for his only open of the night before striking out.
“I just tugged it and was hoping it would go Brooklyn and give me a break,” Ring said. “But it didn’t. So I just got two there.”
In Game 2, he left a solid 8-pin in the eighth frame after the front seven strikes.
“It might sound funny, but I think that was my best ball of the night over all three games,” Ring added.
Again, in Game 3 he started with the front six before leaving a 9-pin spare. That was followed by two more strikes.
But Ring had not done the math to know what he needed for 800.
“I usually don’t look down at my score,” Ring said. “It’s only when I heard guys talking behind me that I realized it. I really thought I had it wrapped up with the strike in the ninth.”
The nerves kicked in at that point, and Ring left a 4-pin on his first shot in the 10th frame.
“I leaked it and it came up a bit high,” Ring said. “My hand was shaking a bit then. But I give a lot of credit to my teammates for just keeping me occupied. We did a lot of laughing that night.”
He covered the 4-pin spare, but was aware he needed nine or more on his final ball to reach the milestone.
“I took an extra second and covered the spare,” Ring said. “I heard someone say if I struck, I would have 802. I knew I had to pick it up. But it’s a 4-pin and anything can happen, especially with me. Strange things seem to happen.”
He again went high with his final shot, but left another 4-pin for the milestone.
Ring averages 221 and 218 at Park Centre and Eastbury, respectively, in regular league play and also subs in the Northeast Ohio Travel League, averaging 232.
“That was probably the best I’ve ever thrown the ball,” Ring said, “but it’s funny that a stone 8-pin in the second game was my best shot of the night.”